By Shaniya Harding

THE beaches, trees, the red loam road and the smiling people all make a trip to the village of Coomacka an unforgettable experience. Coomacka is a small village located in Region 10, where the people still plant their own food and use water from the river.

With its 800 or so residents, the village is strongly community-oriented. Even with its various beaches, lakes and hills, getting around the village of Coomacka is simple.

The village has one main road that runs throughout its entirety. And the village’s focal point is its ball field. It can be seen as one enters and is used as a place for community gatherings and as a landmark for those travelling through Coomacka and beyond.
One Big Family
Ron Thompson is a young man living in Coomacka and has done so for all of his life. The 28-year-old works at the village’s health centre. In a place like Coomacka, strangers are easily noticed by the locals. As Ron states, “Growing up here, I know almost everybody and everybody knows me.” To describe Coomacka as close-knit would not be doing it justice. Coomacka is one large family.

Venturing further into Coomacka, a simpler way of life is observed. Even among the beautiful homes, there are still hints everywhere of a simpler way of life among the residents. When it comes to how the residents of Coomacka survive, Ron explained that many of them work in different areas, including in the village’s school and centres. However, a few of them go bound their village and work elsewhere.

The interesting quality about Coomacka’s residents is that they are, without a doubt, peaceful, regardless of their challenges. Many people living outside of the area of Guyana cannot fathom the thought of living without pipe water. But the people of Coomacka use pumps to get their water where they need it. Even though the community has electricity, allowing for the use of pumps, many still face the issue of drinking water.

Different Challenges
Gwendolyn Fredericks has lived in Coomacka for just a few months. The team caught up to her and her daughter doing something that isn’t seen every day. They were carrying water. Gwendolyn is a live-in guard and has a home outside of Coomacka in Wismar. Gwendolyn and her daughter and granddaughter live in Coomacka due to her job, and she says it hasn’t been easy.

“We have to go every day as long as we don’t have any water.” Gwendolyn shared when asked how often they need to make the trip to get drinking water. This is perhaps why the river is so important to the people of Coomacka. Many people use the river as a means of water to bathe and wash.

The people Gwendolyn says are one of the things she likes about Coomacka, as she stated, “The people here are very friendly and hardworking.”

Finding Solutions
Ronique Duggun is a young woman who, like most of Coomacka’s villagers, was born and raised in the village. Ronique is a teacher in training and mother of three. She became a teacher because it was just something within her, as she stated, “I went to Coomacka nursery school. And growing up, there were some people that wanted to be a teacher or wanted to be a nurse. And I always wanted to be a teacher, and I love children.”

As a part of the younger generation in Coomacka, she sees gaps in employment for the youth. But the people of Coomacka, true to their nature, found a healthy way to bring their youth together: sports.

Before she began her journey to becoming a teacher, Ronique played a big role in the community’s cricket team. She was in fact captain of the team. “I was the captain of Coomacka’s Young Warriors cricket team. Not everyone in our team is together but we still play. And Coomacka has three female trams at the moment,” Ronique stated.

Sports in any village are noteworthy. But when compared to its location and considering the female involvement, sports development in Coomacka makes it more impressive.

When asked why she believes sports has bloomed as it has in Coomacka, Ronique shared that, “I think because the majority of our teenagers and adolescents are school dropouts and they are at home. That is something whereby they come together and come out and enjoy.”

The community of Coomacka, like anywhere else, is constantly changing and developing. In speaking to the team, the residents shared a unanimous thought that whatever issues come their way, they will find a way to bounce back as a community and as a people.