Story and photos by Alva Solomon
The sprawling community of St Ignatius in Region 9 is peaceful and quiet and residents there thrive on their ‘self-help’ customs to develop their environs.
St Ignatius is located within walking distance of the region’s capital, Lethem, and generally the village is hot, although on some days it can be breezy given its situation on the savannah.
With a population of approximately 700 persons, the village received its Amerindian land title in the late 1970s. It was named after the Roman Catholic Church which was established there in the early 19th century.
The settlement was home to Macushi and Wapishana Amerindians, while the Arawaks also ventured there at a later stage and augmented the population. Today there is a mixture of races living in St Ignatius and according to residents, as time progresses, the population is likely to increase given the influx of people from far flung parts of the Rupununi and even the coastland, who have been settling there.
According to the recently elected Toshao of St Ignatius, Yusa Xavier, the community is a progressive one where the residents work together to build homes, renovate roads and even carry out farming activities to develop the area. Xavier stated that most residents work in Lethem as clerks and other office staff and at the main business places in the region’s capital.
According to residents of St Ignatius, there are several notable features which have brought credit to the community both regionally and nationally, and one of them is the exceptional performances of students from the secondary school in the area. Headmistress of the school, Yvette Archer told Stabroek News during our visit that the school’s performance at the Caribbean Secondary Educational Certificate (CSEC) examinations has been one of the many bright spots for the region. She said that currently the school offers some 20 subjects to students, all of which are written at the CSEC examinations: “We have a good record here in the region and we offer all the subjects at the examinations each year.”
She noted however, that there are a few issues affecting the school and these included the growing school population, a shortage of teachers and more critically, a shortage of furniture.
A short walk from the school is the St Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, which according to Xavier is one of the oldest churches in that part of Region 9.The church has a community-based programme in which the menfolk are trained in the art of carpentry .
The current priest is young Fr Ronald Fernandes, who has been travelling around Region 9 ever since he was sent to the community several years ago by the Roman Catholic Diocese. A Jesuit priest, Fr Fernandes told Stabroek News that the residents are proactive and driven, and are always willing to participate or assist each other in activities which are not only religious but which also benefit the community.
Xavier too elaborated on the spirit of togetherness which drives St Ignatius. “It is because it is the only way of doing this,” she said. She went on to say that there are several areas of development which the new village council is embarking upon and which hinge on ‘self help.’ These include the completion of the second phase of a water supply project which has effectively erased the water woes from which residents have suffered over the years. The second phase will see several dozen homes, in addition to the 105 households already served, benefit from the project in the coming months.
There is also a multi-purpose facility which is being upgraded so workshops and training seminars among other activities, can be hosted there. In addition, the residents are working to address the domestic issues, including domestic violence affecting mainly the womenfolk. “We are writing to NGOs and other organisations to assist us in these projects,” Councillor Sandy Ruffino noted. She said that the issue will see the formation of committee groups to address issues.
This newspaper also visited the Helping Hands Women Producers Cooperative Society factory at St Ignatius, where the women said that their input into the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded programme has brought many benefits to them as well as to their community. The factory produces packaged snacks including cashew nuts and cassava bread. The group also makes a cassava bread with peanut butter snack pack, which is distributed to the schools in the area.
The residents of St Ignatius access health care at the regional hospital at Lethem and while there are a few instances of petty crimes, the police group there maintains law and order. There is also a nursery and a primary school there and residents often congregate at the community centre group to celebrate activities including St Ignatius Village Day.
St Ignatius can be accessed by road, and falls within the network of the transportation services offered at Lethem. The mainly pegasse roads make almost every home in the community accessible.
The St Ignatius Nursery School
