Present Hope, East Bank Essequibo, bordered by Saint Lawrence and Lookabu, is a haven to the more than 100 people who call it home. Many of them farm, while others are employed at sawmills in the nearby villages or are self-employed.
To get to Present Hope, one takes a bus or car at the Parika junction at a cost of $200 a person or uses a taxi costing $1,500. The distance is not that great, but the sad condition of the road makes the trip to the village a half an hour ride.
At one house two young men were packing bananas into a truck, which they said would leave for the market the following day at two in the morning. Next door, Rambhajan’s (only name) son was under the house sorting out citrus from their farm that would be taken to the market the following day also.