Mashabo teacher shares how she is doing her part to build the community

COMMUNITY development is rooted in the very essence of the community itself. Villages, like countries, are developed by their people, with each individual contributing their part to give back. When twenty-one-year-old Bibianna Hendricks finished school, she knew she wanted to give back to her village of Mashabo.

A striking product of the village’s blossoming education system, Bibianna is just one of Mashabo’s ambitious young people. Part of a new generation of men and women, Bibianna says life in the community has improved, with the standard of living seeing small but significant changes. However, Bibianna and her peers do not intend to stop there. Inspired by their love for their community, the young people of Mashabo have big plans for what their village could become. Bibianna shared with the Pepperpot Magazine her experiences growing up in her village, her educational journey, and her current role as one of the village’s youngest and brightest teachers.

To an outsider, the village of Mashabo may seem like a paradise. The lakeside community is tucked away a mile and a half off-road behind the coastal community of Huis T’ Dieren. From there, it is further hidden and accessed by a twenty-minute boat ride through the village’s prized blackwater lake.

The layout of the community is unique, with homes lining the hills, built both up and downhill. Mashabo’s terrain has created challenges in the past, with the lake continually encroaching on the savannah. The vibrant community has four major areas: the village centre or Mission, Waddaduri, High Hill, Hosannah Housing Scheme, and Kamuro. These areas are interconnected by wooden link bridges, a unique and captivating part of life in the community.

Life in the community is as pristine as it is peaceful. As a farming community, fruits and vegetables are always available to villagers and visitors alike. The village is somewhat self-sustaining as well, with the introduction of fishing as an agricultural sector. Electricity and transportation are areas where the people of the village say they have seen the biggest changes.

Young teacher Bibianna Hendricks was born and raised in Mashabo. She described her childhood in the community as beautiful but not without its challenges. In earlier days, the village had fewer boats, which meant travelling in and out of the community was far more difficult. Financial challenges also served as stumbling blocks for some families, especially in the realm of schooling. As Bibianna explained, “My name is Bibianna Hendricks. I am a teacher at the Mashabo Primary School and also a resident of this beautiful village. I was raised in Mashabo.” She further stated, “Growing up in my community was fun. Being among my colleagues, it was hard, but as we move into a modernised world, I’m enjoying it more.”

Although teaching in a modern world, Bibianna faced her fair share of challenges in her own years of schooling. Recounting her time in nursery and secondary school, Bibianna explained that Mashabo today has many more facilities, teachers, and opportunities for children. As she shared, “Going to school was tough at times. We didn’t have any bridge to walk across, so we had to get a boat. We used a canoe, which was very exciting because we learned to paddle and swim at a very young age.”

Bibianna’s efforts were not without reason, as she graduated as one of Mashabo’s best students. “After I graduated from Mashabo Primary School, I went on to study at Aurora Secondary School, where I wrote my CXC exams, with 10 subjects, 8 grade 1s, and 2 grade 2s,” she shared. Her academic success further fuelled her ambition and belief in herself, pushing her to undertake the challenge of attending Cyril Potter’s College of Education.

Furthering her education was not easy, but it gave Bibianna the opportunity to learn and grow, gaining skills and experiences she never would have had otherwise. According to Bibianna, her biggest hurdle in becoming a teacher was the two years she spent in the Pomeroon River region. Far from home and in a new environment, Bibianna continued to strive, and she soon graduated from teachers’ college.

Now that she has returned to her community as a teacher, Bibianna is pleased with the educational development in Mashabo. As she stated, “Now, as I’m teaching in the primary school, we have been using Wi-Fi to introduce our lessons and so on, so it can be interesting for our pupils.” She further added, “Now, I’m back in my village to mould young minds so that they can be someone better in life.”

Teaching in Mashabo has seen a complete change, with the community now ambitiously moving towards a research-based way of teaching, where students are given the tools to solve problems in their community. Citing the dramatic change, Bibianna shared, “We have used technology in our teaching because we have Wi-Fi at the school now. When I was attending primary school, there was no Wi-Fi.” Regardless of the adversities that may still exist, Bibianna does not see herself leaving her field anytime soon, as she told this magazine, “I love doing my job.”