– Making the most of their engrained skills to earn

BEING a housewife is often overlooked as a mundane task of cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children and basically doing all that needs to be done, but for Sabeeha Mohamed of Aurora Estate, Essequibo Coast, being a homemaker has encouraged her to become multi-talented by launching a catering, baking and salon from her own home.

The effervescent and full-of-life woman related that sitting at home after completing chores was not good enough for her. She wanted to do more to earn.

She began exploring with her inbred skills and started a baking business from her home, making icing cakes and pastries for all events and made to order.

After that small business was off, she started to cater for events such as Eid, Ramadan and other events in which her culinary skills were needed.

Whatever it is you need for that birthday party or get together with loved ones and friends, Mohamed can prepare from scratch but with ample notice.

The mother of two also does hair, nails, henna and full-face make-up for brides and other functions with her own brand name cosmetics at a very affordable cost.

She also began waxing eyebrows to keep in touch with the trends of today and still has a far way to go in terms of equipping herself with modern skills.

Mohamed is originally from Columbia Village, also on the Essequibo Coast but got married 15 years ago and settled in her husband’s hometown of Aurora Estate.

Her husband is a rice farmer, and they also rear chickens and cows.

A typical day for this homemaker starts at 05:00hrs to get the meal ready for the children to go to school and the husband to go off to the rice fields.

By the time the household chores are completed, it is time to prepare lunch and dinner in one cooking.

After all that is organised, she will see to her appointments and make haste to get to the location or to prepare for the client to visit her home.

Mohamed is also a seamstress and a farmer who used to cultivate fruits and vegetables in her yard space, but due to the heavy rainfall, she has put that on hold for a while.

“Being multi-talented is a gift, and with those skills, you can never go hungry because you can use your skills to earn and assist in the home. When two persons work, it is easier to upkeep a home and see to the expenses,” she said.

The self-taught cosmetologist told the Pepperpot Magazine that the only formal training she took was in make-up, and she began importing her own products from high-end brands like Sephora and Milani.

It was during the pandemic two years ago that she started her small business right from the confines of her home.

JASODA PERSAUD, THE SHOP OWNER
Jasoda Persaud is a housewife and a shop owner of Aurora Estate. She has a roadside shop, which she manages during the day.

The mother of three is originally from Middlesex, also on the Essequibo Coast but relocated to Aurora Estate after marriage 35 years ago.

“Living here is nice. You get to enjoy a quiet, peaceful life in the countryside and the people are good to each other here,’ she said.

Persaud’s husband is a farmer and at times, she would assist him on the farm.

She is a quiet kind of woman who stays to herself and home but do entertain customers on a daily basis.

MALINI PERSAUD, the vendor
Melani Persaud is also a resident of Aurora Estate, Essequibo Coast and is a greens vendor who goes around villages in a car, selling the produce.

It is a daily business that requires a lot of time away from home, but it is the only business she knows and grew into; her mother is a greens vendor too.

The 44-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she would buy produce from the city and at times, before she arrived home, the greens would go bad on her, causing a loss.

Persaud goes from Aurora Estate to Anna Regina, selling ground provisions and vegetables two times per week.

She would journey to Georgetown on Saturdays and Thursdays to buy produce and it is a business she has been doing for the past 20 years.

“To enjoy a good life you have to work hard and it is better you do a job that you are familiar with than one you don’t know,” she said.