With schools being closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), many residents of Karaudarnau Village, Deep South Rupununi, have retreated to their respective farms in the nearby forests to avoid the outbreak, however, they are still being negatively affected by restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.
Karaudarnau is home to more than a thousand persons, most of whom are from the Wapichan tribe.
During a telephone interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Cheryl Stephens explained that in contrast to many developing indigenous communities, many persons in Karaudarnau still depend on farming and hunting for a living.
“Here, there are many people who have two or three houses. They have homes in the village, where they reside during the week when school is opened and they either have a farm house in the forest or a house at their small ranches,” she explained while noting that the houses outside the village are miles apart.
With no opportunity for employment in the village, an opened school or church is the only factor that keeps the people in the village and with multiple restrictions in place banning social gatherings, most persons have opted to leave the village in favour of their respective farms miles away in the forest.
“When school closes, this is what they do so it is nothing strange. They close up their homes and go into the forest, where they hunt, fish and farm for their food,” a village councillor and retired teacher told Stabroek News adding, “but this is a good thing and I dare say if the disease makes it way to this village, many lives will be saved.”
Stephens expressed similar beliefs but noted that even with the little communication they have with the rest of Guyana, the villagers are aware that a disease is wreaking havoc all around the word. She recalled a conversation with another parent saying, “Some people are saying that they don’t want to come back into the village until the pandemic passes. Just the other day, a villager told me his child who goes to the nursery school told him that he does not wish to come back into the village to avoid catching the virus. So while there are some who are not sure of what is going on, a lot of people have a fair idea and so retreating to the forest is their way of dealing with this.”
She added, “Maybe this is out of habit but it’s definitely our way of life and I do believe it will save our lives because we are basically isolated in the forest, with only family members for company.”
However, leaving for the forest does not mean they are not affected by the coronavirus pandemic and not everyone in the village has the option of leaving their homes in the village.
While they noted that it is necessary, residents are concerned that they were not taken into consideration when many restrictions were imposed, According to the residents, the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) has imposed additional restrictions on South Rupununi communities on top of the ones imposed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) without having a system in place for those who cannot farm, fish or hunt for a living.
Those restrictions are mainly affecting elderly persons in the village who are unable to fish or farm to survive.
Vehicles are reportedly being allowed to travel to Lethem for food supplies on certain days and are expected to return to the village before six pm or else sleep in the savannahs until the gates along the South Rupununi routes are opened. “I understand that restrictions are in place for a reason but they are locking us out and we are only going for food supplies and necessary items to ensure people don’t starve. They do not take into consideration that we could break down on the road and then reach late,” a Karaudarnau businessman lamented.
As a result, business persons are refusing to make the trip to Lethem which results in a shortage of food supplies in the village. Last week officials went into the village to pay the elderly their monthly pension and this effort was applauded by many. However, once paid, they were unable to purchase any food supplies because there were hardly any
Stephens noted that while the closed gates have since decreased the number of outsiders entering the communities, systems need to be put in place to assist vulnerable residents in the villages.
In addition, residents are worried about the lack of health care in the village and are wondering what is going to happen if someone contracts COVID-19. The Health Centre has reportedly been closed since the health worker retired. “There is no isolation facility here – nothing, and if someone contracts the disease it could be devastating for the community,” Jeanette Thomas said.
Teachers are concerned about the effect closed schools will have on the students. One teacher (who did not want to be named) said, “When school reopens, the children here will not be on par with the students on the coast because we do not have access to the internet and computers and most of the systems in place to help students are online. Yes, they are sending workbooks but this is hardly a solution,” she stated.
Carlson (only name given) told Stabroek News that one of his daughters is in grade six while another will be writing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate this year. “I feel my children are going to be left behind. I am not even sure what is going on with CSEC exams,” he said before adding that his son who is in the fourth form is expected to complete his School Based Assessment and lamented that they have no way to get this done because they have no access to internet and computers nor do they have access to educational books.
In addition, with schools being closed, the school feeding programme’s hot meal has also been suspended leaving many persons without a market for their crops or a nutritious meal for the children.
Stephens explained that with the recent decline in fish and wildlife, people rely on shop keepers for meat or poultry and most families depend on the feeding programme for a meal for their children. “We are farmers here and we grow our own staples but for the protein side of things persons depend on fishing or hunting while others mind pigs and cows at their ranches but only a few have those luxury,” she explained adding that people have come to depend on store-brought chicken, which is also scarce.
