KAHLAWATTIE Tulapersaud never believed in taking handouts or sitting around idly. From a young age, she developed the right mindset to become empowered, using her natural skills to become a farmer and a woman who is good with her hands—always finding ways to earn.

She has utilised every available space in her yard to cultivate vegetables such as sweet peppers, bird pepper, pak choi, fine thyme, married man pork, celery, squash, banana, carilla, boulanger, shallot, sweet corn, cassava, papaya, plantain, seasoning pepper, among others.

When the Pepperpot Magazine visited, Tulapersaud, also known as Lynette or Baby, had just picked a bunch of bananas, which she had hung under her steps to ripen.
She explained that while she sells some of her produce to wholesale buyers—who often pay very little—she also frequently gives away vegetables and fruits to neighbours and passersby when she has a bountiful harvest.

Tulapersaud told the Pepperpot Magazine that she and her husband do various jobs, including travelling some distance to the canal to throw cast nets for tilapia fishing and picking dry coconuts to sell at an estate.

The 48-year-old also rears meat birds, which she sells right in the village.
Three years ago, she started using the space in her yard to cultivate crops from seeds and plants she purchased, all as a means to earn.

A mother of four and grandmother of eight, Tulapersaud explained that she is independent and refuses to let her spouse shoulder all their financial responsibilities alone. She does whatever she can to contribute to the household income.

Her mother, Liloutie Lilawattie, known as Pillow, recently passed away at the age of 67, and Tulapersaud was actively assisting with the funeral arrangements at the time of the interview. Her mother had lived a few houses away with other relatives.

A mild-mannered woman, Tulapersaud pointed out that when her husband is around, they visit a large coconut estate at Unity, East Coast Demerara, to pick dry coconuts, which they sell to wholesale buyers.

“We are big people, and we never wanted to work for others, so we do all kinds of work to earn and be independent, honestly,” she said.
She also shared that theft is a common problem. “People would often steal my produce, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Even if someone needs something and they don’t have money, they just have to ask, and I will give it for free,” she said.

Walking to Sell Clothes
At 62 years old, age is just a number for Radica Thuknauth, who has been actively walking to sell trendy clothing to the public for the past 22 years.
She started this trade when she received barrels of clothes from overseas to sell. Later, she began buying locally sourced clothing and even travelled to Suriname to purchase clothes for resale in Guyana.

Thuknauth explained that her husband, Hemchand Dooknauth, 64, also sold clothes the same way when he was employed at the rice mill at Burma Road, Mahaicony, to bring in extra income for their household.

A mother of three, she described how she visits hospitals, police stations, shops, and nearby villages to sell clothes. Over the years, she has become well known as the “Indian clothes lady,” a business that enabled her to raise her three children, provide for their needs, and send them to school.

“Raising three children is no easy task. You have to spend money. You have to make sure they have what they need, and walking to sell clothes empowered me to earn an everyday dollar,” she said.

On the day the Pepperpot Magazine visited her community, it was her birthday. She was thrilled to have reached another milestone, and her only daughter had planned to take her out for dinner, showering her with gifts.

A hardworking woman, Thuknauth also tends to a kitchen garden in her yard and takes care of general household chores, including cooking daily meals.
Her home and yard are impeccably tidy, and she enjoys spending her free time with her grandchildren, who often visit.