By Shaniya Harding

THE village of Coomacka may be lesser known than its more popularised counterparts, such as Linden, Three Friends, Old England and Wismar. But the people of this small village have a profound love and passion for their community.

Many villagers may argue that their little village is missing from the map of Guyana. This, however, keeps the pure beauty of the community. And it certainly doesn’t take away from the togetherness its people have managed to forge among themselves.

Health care is oftentimes a matter that is brought up, speaking about the location of villages like Coomacka. But Coomacka was among the first villages to have developed a health centre. Established more than 20 years ago, the little centre has grown to become an important part of the community and its residents. Healthcare workers like Bernadette Torres and Yumona Fraser go above and beyond to care for the people of their community.

Bernadette Torres has lived in the village of Coomacka for 24 years. She originally came to Coomacka on a vacation with her husband in 2000. But just like its people, the village of Coomacka captivated her and made her stay. “I came here after my husband brought me to spend a few weeks there, and I like it. I decided to get a piece of land and start a new life here.”

Bernadette joined the healthcare field almost 10 years after coming to Coomacka. Today, she is a healthcare worker and the community’s CDC secretary. The Coomacka health centre was established in 1997. It was the only health centre in the area at that time. There was no centre at Three Friends or in Old England, so it served a population of about a thousand and more people.

One of the most important aspects of the work of healthcare workers is their relationship with the people they care for. Bernadette expressed that she and her fellow nurses try their best to maintain a strong and healthy relationship with the villagers of Coomacka.

Nurse Yumona Fraser is Coomacka-born and raised. Today, she has a family, with three children, the eldest of whom is also a nurse. Yumona was attached to the Linden Hospital Complex before her request to be moved to Coomacka’s health centre was granted four years ago.

Yumona’s decision to make the move was because of her family. During her time at the Linden Hospital, her eldest daughter took on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings. The other reason she came to work in Coomacka was simply because she wanted to help her community. As she stated, “For me, working here is a joy. Looking out for the residents of Coomacka and their health.”

Coomacka’s healthcare staff is unlike any other as they go out of their way to ensure the health of other people. Even going as far as offering home visits for the community, such as the elders. But like most cooperative efforts, the residents do a whole lot to work with the nurses. And for Yumona, she said they helped build her confidence in herself and her abilities. As she stated, “Working here at the Coomacka Health Centre has really helped me find my confidence in working in the health sector and dealing with different individuals.”

Moving from a little girl for Coomacka to playing a role in the community’s well-being, Yumona has seen Coomacka bloom and believes it will continue to do so. “It changed a great lot over the years. We have seen Coomacka develop from just an ordinary village, where we had just a red road and small houses. Now we have big fancy houses, and we now have tar roads. And this is just the first phase.”

The villagers of Coomacka have an instinctive, caring nature. Which leads the residents to look out for the nurses just as much the nurses look out for residents. Zilicka Allicock was born in Coomacka. And from her, there isn’t much bad to say about the place she calls home or the people she calls neighbours. A

s she stated,” They are very friendly, helpful and caring. The village is nice with nice people. They always look out for one another, always there for one another.”

Coming from a village built on bauxite mining, Coomacka has become a home created by people of all walks of life. The village of Coomacka today has a wide selection of village days and sports events all in an effort to bring a close community closer and make a great village even greater.