Making a Living

Merlene Ellis has lived art all her life and while this is not an easy profession to follow in Guyana she would tell you that for over 12 years it has been her only means of income.

Thirty-eight year old antenna maker Chetwin Moriah has been making antennas for the past 20 years.

For the last 15 years Christmas Day has found 49-year-old Jennifer Gulliver pounding the streets of Georgetown selling newspapers.

Upholstery is traditionally seen as a man’s work, but single mother of five Winifred Watson who lives in Stanley-town, West Bank Demerara, does it along with some amount of joinery to provide for her family.

From as early as 4 am, 56-year-old dhal puri maker Tony Favourite is at work at his 4585 Roxanne Burnham Gardens home, kneading an estimated 50 pounds of flour, which will give him 400 dhal puris.

On a hot, lazy afternoon, Ian Jackson sits outside a bicycle shop, working away on a broken cycle chain.

Twelve years ago, when Joe Pierre was just 13 years old, his mother died, leaving him with no alternative but to leave school and assist his father with providing for himself and siblings.

In the Essequibo River island of Wakenaam, Ram converts coconut milk to oil in a process that takes days.

Every day, five days a week, 40-year-old Carey Gill can be found opposite the Central Immigration Office, Eve Leary, selling passport holders.

It is 6am on a Monday morning and Kenrick Josiah is busy behind his pineapple stall at Robb and Wellington Streets.

Early on a Monday morning, seated on the pavement in front of Guyana Stores Limited, Daniel Ramiah is already at work patiently sculpting images on calabashes.

Deonarine Ramsook, 55, of Belvedere, Corentyne enjoyed being creative from a young age, not realizing that he would later develop his skill and earn a living from it.

Curing fish is not just a means of making a living for the Deodat family, it is a family tradition that has been passed down for several generations.

Come rain or shine, Trevlin Pilgrim can be found on the road with a broom in hand and a bundle on her head.

It’s a cold nippy Wednesday morning – a holiday. At 6.15, the Meadowbank Wharf is buzzing with sellers and buyers of fish.

At Davson and Davson Port Plaza Store making household items is not just a job, it’s a family trade that has survived from generation to generation.Located

Located at 72 John Street and Stone Avenue, Campbellville, is Major’s Woodworking, a little workshop that specialises in the making of wooden shutters.

“It’s a slow dollar but it’s better than working with people and it keeps me out of trouble,” says Keith Stanley, a 45-year-old man who repairs shoes and umbrellas.

Satrohan Sookdeo of Sookdeo’s Fishing and Boat Building began building boats at the age of 15.

“I’m one of the rated sno-cone men pun me park,” says sno-cone vendor Ulan Joseph.