ASSIST A FAMILY
If you are driving on the Narsaloo Ramaya Road, Endeavour, Chaguanas, you will see a little boy selling vegetables.
He is usually there on Saturdays, but now that school is closed, he is there almost every day. He is ten years old, and sometimes his eight-year old sister is with him. They sell vegetables, which are grown on a small piece of land behind their house in Cunupia.
The house is a wooden, flat, one-bedroom structure with a tiny kitchen. They plant seasonal crops, and these days they are selling cassava,
chives, and celery.
Their father stays at home. He is physically challenged and uses a wheelchair. Two years ago, the driver of a truck lost control, and his vehicle slammed into their car. The children’s mother was killed in that accident, and the father was injured. He was in the hospital for three months. During that time, neighbours cooked and watched out for them. The father works in the garden; his wheelchair cannot go on the dirt, so he
drags himself on the ground. He said that if he had transport, he would go to sell on the side of the road, but his car was written off
in the accident, and the little compensation money he received was used for his medication.
He was told that although he has a physical disability, his garden is a source of income; hence, he does not qualify for a disability grant. He sought assistance from his councillor and MP, but no help has been forthcoming.
Now, out of desperation, he relies on his children to sell the crops. He worries about them when they go out on the road to
sell. He feels sad that his young son is forced to be responsible for his little sister.
Without any other source of income, he knows this is their only means of survival. On an average Saturday, depending on what they
are selling, the children will earn about $300. Most of their customers are regulars, neighbours, and others who know them from the
area.
The money they earn is used to buy basic food items: rice, dhal, sugar, flour, oil and salt. Twice, some bigger boys robbed them, so now, every week, when they have finished selling, they will go to the grocery store and buy basic items in small quantities. This way, they feel safer walking home. The family’s income for the month averages $1,000 to $1,200. The bulk of this is spent on basic food items, transport for school, and pain medication for the father. In weeks when they do not sell enough, they cut back on both food and school transport.
If they cannot afford to travel to school, they will take turns so that they both get a chance to attend school.
During the July/August vacation, they hustle a little more because they have to buy books and school supplies. The little boy will enter Standard Four in September, so he needs to get all his books. For this to happen, the girl might not get hers. They both love school and wish that they could attend every day. He loves to read, and his teacher lends him storybooks to take home.
Last year, one of the teachers purchased second-hand books for them so they had money to buy new school uniforms. The principal and teachers are aware of their situation and try to help them with a box lunch; sometimes that might be the only meal they eat for the day.
When their garden was flooded and they lost their crops, they stayed home for two weeks. They do not know a life other than working in the garden, selling the crops, and going to school.
The little boy used to be ashamed when he started selling two years ago. Now he just feels happy when he sells something because it means
that he will have money to go to school, and he loves school. Some of the other children make jokes about him, but he has friends who play with him, so he is happy. He hopes that he can sell enough vegetables this vacation so he can buy a new pair of shoes for his little sister for school.
When he grows up, he wants to be anything other than a gardener, maybe a mechanic so he can fix trucks so they don’t crash and kill people, like the one that killed his mom.