One mother’s story of strength, survival, and eventual success

THE village of Laluni is a community where most of its inhabitants were born and bred in the community. Very few come from other places to settle down, understandably so. Prior to recent years, Laluni was still emerging as an agricultural community in need of governance at the community level. At that time, Bernadette Surujballi was a single mother struggling to make ends meet. Her story of survival is an inspiring one. Today, she has emerged as a pillar of her community.

In May of 1962, Bernadette was born into a family that fostered her humble beginnings. She was born many miles away from Laluni in a village named Pouderoyen on the West Bank of the Demerara River. Bernadette considers her upbringing on the West Bank to be one of the happiest times of her life. She remembers the caring nature and sense of togetherness she found in the diverse community she once called home. “Growing up in Pouderoyen was nice. The people there used to live as one,” she said. Like so many others of the time, Bernadette and her family were searching for employment. This search led them to Laluni. One of the reasons why Laluni is so agriculturally inclined is perhaps due to its very foundation being rooted in farming.

Laluni was once home to one of the region’s largest and most robust tobacco plantations. Her family’s journey to Laluni began with the separation of her parents. Bernadette’s mother packed up her eight children and went to Laluni, hoping to find work on its famed tobacco plantation. A young Bernadette and several other members of her family came to Laluni and took up work on the Plantation. “I came to Laluni when I was just 13 years old and I worked on the tobacco plantation,” Bernadette stated.

In the years that followed, Bernadette’s life seemed plagued by a continuous series of unfortunate events. With the passing of her second husband, Bernadette had found herself as a single mother of two, living in a village where life had already had its challenges. In the early years, Bernadette expressed that times were not like they are today, and neither were situations. She stated that, in the past, hard work and dedication were the only sure ways of achieving anything, compared to current times, where there are more options and ways for self-development. Despite this, Bernadette set forward with her two sons, determined to give them a life better than hers.

Times were tough for Bernadette and her two sons in the beginning. Work was hard, and Bernadette did not have a “nine-to-five”. On the contrary, Bernadette, with her young sons in tow, would set out in search of any work the trio could do. During this time, all Bernadette had were the values she had kept from her family while all she worked towards was a better quality of life for her children. She shared that, “As a single parent, I did not have a job that brings in a salary. We had to go out and look.”

In time, all the hard work eventually paid off. The family was able to afford their own home. This was a big milestone for Bernadette and her sons, as it marked her first step in giving her children a better life than she had. The home was built by the family, as Bernadette explained, “I used to live with my sister and then we made our own house. Me and my sons made blocks from the mold and built our house. It was hard.” As trying as these times were, the most difficult times were yet to come.

A few years ago, Bernadette lost her eldest son to cancer. In dire times, the family banded together and there had never been a time as dire as that for Bernadette’s family. Bernadette and her sons worked together as best they could despite the diagnosis. “It was not easy as a mother to watch my son go through that,” she said. But as fate would have it, two years ago, her eldest son passed away. This left a deep scar on the family and Bernadette. She does, however, believe that he is in a better place.

Still, all her hard work was not in vain. Today, Bernadette is happy about what she has achieved. Before her son’s passing, he had opened a small business in Laluni, which he gave to her. Bernadette’s other son has also made her proud by taking up the position of Laluni’s CDC chairman. It is safe to say that Bernadette has lived a life full of accomplishments in her own right.