– How to live and make each day count!

RIVERSTOWN Village on the Essequibo Coast is a small picturesque community that features lovely greenery in the form of rice fields, towering coconut and other trees, along with simple and hardworking people – mostly farmers – who get to take time out each day to just ‘smell the roses.’

Even as it was described as a “poverty community” by some residents, they couldn’t help but notice the development that has taken place in the village over the years. They are especially grateful for roads, street lighting and other improvements that make their lives somewhat easier.

Primary school teacher, Bharti Sookwah, who spoke to Pepperpot Magazine from her home in Riverstown ‘Sand’ – an area at the back of the village – is certainly one individual who is determined to make a difference in the lives of her village people.

The 28-year-old mother of three was able to provide some amount of insight into what the village is like daily. “It’s very quiet and peaceful here; nothing to be scared about. People mostly do rice farming and gardening,” she shared.

With approximately 500 people living in Riverstown and jobs hard to come by, it is no wonder the folks here are highly self-sufficient. Apart from dealing with the economic situation, though, the people get to really enjoy each day. As is the case with many households, the work is completed by noon or even before so that the rest of the day is available to them to simply throw back in their hammocks with little to stress about.

“I have no plans moving out because I enjoy living at the back here,” Bharti said, adding, “We have luxury space for our garden; we mine ducks, cows and a little of everything.”

The happy givers
A teacher at Riverstown Primary, Bharti has gotten to see, firsthand, how poverty affects some families, which has moved her to start a non-profit charitable group called The Happy Givers that seeks to help villagers in need.

“When you go into the school system, you would see the difficulties that children have. Those issues come from home, whereby people cannot afford certain things, so we try to help people in our area. Especially during lunchtime, you would see some children bringing roti and butter to this day just because their family cannot afford much,” she shared.

Those with permanent jobs, though, decided that they want to help. “We are trying to develop our community. If we don’t do it, no one else would. We donate hampers to the needy from Adventure to Fair Field,” Bharti related.

She now has 15 members from six different villages along the Essequibo Coast in her group who would pool their money each month to prepare hampers for persons in the different villages that they’re from.
“Whatever we can afford, we give, and whatever total we get, we divide it among ourselves and distribute the hampers to people in our respective villages. Three of us would go shopping and I would volunteer my vehicle to do the distribution,” Bharti explained. As for who would be chosen as beneficiaries, the members would look around their village to see who is most in need.

With plans to expand the initiative to cover even more villages, Bharti expressed: “I don’t make a lot of money, but I believe that the more you give is the more you get. That is what I tell the other members of our group.”
Bharti seems to always be on the lookout for an opportunity to do something for the people in her village. She and others are currently in the process of planning a reading camp for kids during the time that school is closed. She has also started a class at the village mandir to get the children involved in religion as well.

Bharti was trained for two years at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and wants to do the other two years online at the University of Guyana. “I want to be a trained graduate teacher, and I also want to help my community.”

So far, she said the Ministry of Education has been very supportive of the school, providing adequate textbooks and other materials for the 92 pupils of the school. Currently, the primary school has 12 teachers, inclusive of the headmistress.