She walks the streets pushing a trolley. The need for visibility—and with it, sales—propels her to leave the shelter where the vendors have been relocated.
On some days, the degradable goods expire because of lack of sales and she is forced to discard them. There is no joy when this occurs because she is essentially throwing her money away. She is young, middle-aged and elderly. She is a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, an aunt, a sister and a wife. She is a part of some of the hardest working Guyanese. She is a vendor.
Months ago, she sat somewhere in the jungle of competitors around the Stabroek Market area. Some had been there for many years. In sun or rain, vending is their means of survival. For many, it is their way of life. In sickness and in health, there are mouths to feed, bills to pay and bodies to clothe.