HOME is where the heart is for Kerron Caesar, the newest medex of Bara Cara Village, deep along the Canje River in Region Six (East Berbice–Corentyne).
Caesar recently returned home to take up his post at the Bara Cara Health Centre, marking a proud moment not only for him but for the entire community.
The young health professional, full of enthusiasm, is now the only medex in his family and just the second person from the village to reach that level.
“The village showed up for me. They were there with me in spirit because that’s how we are in Bara Cara, the people will support you no matter what, and I’m very thankful for it and for them,” he shared with the Guyana Chronicle.
Bara Cara is believed to be Guyana’s only Maroon village, tracing its ancestry to the descendants of those who fought in the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion.
The community, located about 50 to 75 miles upriver from New Amsterdam, is only accessible by boat and has a population of roughly 200 people who rely mainly on farming and logging.
The village is sometimes referred to as New Ground Village or Wel te Vreeden. It is home to a school, health centre, guesthouse, and church, and is renowned for its strong communal spirit.
A JOURNEY OF PERSEVERANCE
Caesar credited medex Benn of the Ministry of Health for encouraging him to apply for the four-year Medex programme. Once accepted, he left his comfort zone and relocated to the city, residing at the West Demerara Regional Hospital dormitory in Best Village, West Coast Demerara.
He described his four years of studying, away from home as being a bit challenging but he managed to overcome that hurdle by self-motivation to achieve his goal of becoming a medex.
Now back home, Caesar oversees the Bara Cara Health Centre, which has a team comprising one midwife, one community health worker, and 19 part-time employees.
The return of a resident medex is a major boost for the isolated community. For nearly a decade, the village had been without a full-time medical practitioner since the passing of former local medex, Carl Amsterdam, around eight to ten years ago.
Caesar’s responsibilities will include managing chronic diseases, providing emergency response, and delivering general healthcare to villagers. Although a doctor occasionally visits, the absence of consistent medical attention had long been a challenge for residents.
Caesar, who comes from a small but close-knit family, said he hopes to further his education and eventually become a doctor, but for now, his focus remains on serving his people.
