LAST week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the distant village of Welgelegen, East Bank Berbice and a few other small communities along that 30-mile stretch of Mara Road to highlight the way of life of the natives.

The first family member the team encountered was Rohini Perso, a heavily pregnant mother of three, who works at the Schepmoed Primary School as the caterer for the school’s breakfast programme.

It is a five-day per week job she is thankful for and she prepares different wholesome meals daily under strict hygienic conditions.

Perso keeps a very tidy home and surroundings, and her yard is filled with a variety of plants, trees and flowers.

She has two school-aged children and a grown son, and her husband is a farmer who has his cultivation of citrus, fruits and cash crops in his large backyard and a farm elsewhere.

Perso told the Pepperpot Magazine that there are only five houses in that village, and two are abandoned.

In the village, they only have two neighbours and are related; it is a lovely, peaceful place to live.

She stated that it is not a fast-paced village, but it is safe, and they have enough space to plant and eat what they grow without the intrusion of a lot of people.

Perso reported that she is from the city, her place of birth, but grew up in Welgelegen Village, East Bank Berbice, her father’s home village, and has grown accustomed to the quiet rural lifestyle.

The 36-year-old added that she has lived at the location for 26 years.

Perso’s father-in-law, who resides two houses away, gifted them that plot of land they are occupying, and they have utilised the land space to farm to earn since there isn’t much to do around there for work.

She pointed out that the produce from their farms is sold at New Amsterdam Market weekly, and often, they would have to put in long hours of hard work at their other farm at Trench Scheme via boat to yield a good harvest.

Welgelegen Village, East Bank Berbice, is located between Vigilante and Ma-Retraite villages. Perso disclosed that the village has no electricity, potable water supply, landline service and internet.

She is, however, thankful they have an upgraded road which was once a mud dam.

Perso pointed out that the cell phone signal was very poor and they had to buy an antenna and a booster (a box) to receive and make phone calls.

They have invested in a solar refrigerator and use solar power for a few bulbs, and they use rainfall water for home use and would purchase drinking water.

The Persos have dug a pond in their backyard to water their crops and rear fish.

She reported that, when it rains, they are overwhelmed by mosquitoes, and there is a great need for internet service and electricity because of the schoolchildren.

Perso added that there is no public transportation in their village. As such, her husband or son would have to take the children to two separate schools daily and bring them back the same way via motorcycle.

She explained that hiring a taxi or canter truck is very expensive, and they simply cannot afford it.

Perso would do her bulk shopping in New Amsterdam since there are no shops nearby or in the village.

Deodat Perso, husband of Rohini, told the Pepperpot Magazine that they enjoy a simple, farming life in the countryside and they live in relative peace despite being far away from a populated community but they don’t mind.

He added that they lack basic amenities and facilities but would travel to get to certain places on their motorcycles, and life there is not easy and entails a lot of hard work.

The farmer would visit the New Amsterdam Market as often as needed to sell his produce to earn.

Delano Williams photos saved in a folder in Graphics as Berbice Juliansburg etc in February 21, 2023.