Making a Living

Merlene Ellis
Merlene Ellis

Merlene Ellis – artist

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.

Jennifer Gulliver outside Stabroek News (Photo by Brenon Sukram)
Jennifer Gulliver outside Stabroek News (Photo by Brenon Sukram)

Newspaper vendor Jennifer Gulliver

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

Winifred Watson and her 19-year-old son Stephen sticking a cake to celebrate her 50th birthday.

Upholsterer: Winifred Watson

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.

‘Puri man’ Tony Favourite (left) and his nephew hard at work.

Puri man

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.

Bicycle repairer

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

Joe Pierrre collection

Glass-cutter

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.

Carey Gill

Passport holder vendor

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

Pineapple vendor

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

Daniel Ramiah

Calabash carver

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.

Ramsook with some of his items at the Church View Gift & Flower Shop

Craft maker

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.

Salted fish being sunned under the watchful eye of a worker

Curing fish

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.

trevlin Pilgrim

Broom-seller

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

Moreine Kennedy cuts about to debone a trout

Fish cleaner

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

 Making a cake tin

Small manufacturers

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

Wooden shutter maker

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

Keith Stanley

Shoe repairer

“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.

Here Sookdeo double checks the measurement on a boat that is being built at his Pump Road, Mon Repos location.

Boat-builder

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

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