The passionate teacher and volunteer
Odessa Adams (Delano Williams photos)
Odessa Adams (Delano Williams photos)

WITH so much to do and so little time, for Odessa Adams, a former athlete, volunteer, mother of five and teacher, there is hardly any time to waste, since she is involved in many daily activities.

Life is challenging, but Adams is a ray of sunshine, full of life, and refuses to give up no matter what comes her way.

With an ailing husband who is hospitalised and caring for the children, the chores, teaching and being a volunteer to distribute the government’s cash grant for hinterland and riverine areas in Region 10, time is really of the essence.

Adams is a resident of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, a woman on a tight schedule who is also multi-talented, and a full-time teacher of 22 years.

She has been residing in the community, which is one of the largest housing schemes in Guyana, for the past two years, and she describes life there as quiet and peaceful.

Adams is familiar with her neighbours by seeing them, but, like almost every other villager, they do not mix much, and keep to themselves.

She is originally from Coomaka Mines, and relocated because of her profession and her children’s schooling, since the commute was too much, and equally hard on the pockets.

Adams told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is a teacher attached to the Regma Primary School, and moving closer to the workplace was the best solution for the family.

“We are located at a central point, so things are easier to get, and we have access to more supermarkets, shops and services,” she said.

Being a teacher, Adams pointed out that it entails being a patient person with a lot of tolerance to spare, and she is very equipped in those areas. Having five children herself, she manages well.

Odessa Adams with three of her five children at her home

“I love children. Coupled with the passion for making a difference in the lives of many, I would be able to manage slow learners, and bring them to an acceptable standard in terms of academics,” she said.

Her youngest child is two years old; the eldest, a daughter, is a final year student at the University of Guyana, a female Disc Jockey, and an employee of the Amelia’s Ward Health Centre as a data entry clerk.

She is also a member of the community-based group in Linden, and is all about giving back to society, just like her mother.

Adams was out all weekend with the distribution team in the Berbice River, visiting about seven villages to hand over the cash grant to riverine residents.

She said they completed distribution in Ituni and Kwakwani, Three Friends, Coomaka Mines, Old England, Siberia, Maria’s Elizabeth and other areas.

Adams would give every bit of her free time as a volunteer, and is also passionate about community-based development.

“Growing up, my family never mixed up much with people, but on weekends, we would cook a pot and clean up the village, that is, in Coomaka Mines. And giving back was instilled in me at a very young age, and to date, that is how I am,” she said.

Adams told the Pepperpot Magazine that she hasn’t even walked around the village much, because she would leave early and return home to deal with chores and children.

Two of her neighbours are also teachers, and the people of Amelia’s Ward pretty much go about their business in a civil manner, and mind their own business.

“It is an okay place to live, except for the roads, which need some upgrading. But we have the basic services here, and the community seems to be developing,” she said.

Adams has been competing as an athlete since she was eight years old, but retired after giving birth to her last son at 30.

But she would still play other sports, such as cricket, but was well-versed in the 200, 400 and 800 metres races as a national sprinter.

Adams reported that life is at times a bit bumpy, and at this time, her husband, who is the General Manager for Kwakwani Utility Incorporated took ill suddenly after suffering from bouts of stroke, and has been in the hospital in the city for the past seven months.

Her son is a student of St. Roses’ High School in the city, and her eldest daughter will return to classroom schooling at the University of Guyana, this year, so they will both relocate to Georgetown.

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