We live in a new area of Cazale, an emerging community still in the early stages of development. The land here isn’t suitable for farming, so while we have gardens where we grow watermelons, beans, and millet, we have to walk to other areas to find fertile land for our crops. This necessity for farming land elsewhere is one of the reasons people are starting to build homes here. Many residents also buy items in bulk, like rice, sugar, and flour, and resell them for profit in the markets.
Our community is centered around the Digicel tower, which brought a new road and sparked the development of this area. When the tower was built, it provided us with better connectivity and made it easier for people to access our community, leading to more construction and growth. As a small zone within the larger Cazale area, we rely heavily on the RHFH clinic for our healthcare needs. When someone falls ill, the clinic is our first point of contact. Most women here deliver their children at home with the help of family and traditional birth attendants. However, if complications arise, they must travel to a hospital in the next town, which has more advanced facilities for childbirth. When a community member passes away, there is a cultural necessity to bury the body within 24 hours. If this isn’t possible, we must call the morgue to come and retrieve the body. The night before the burial, we hold a wake where friends and family gather to pay their respects and share memories of the deceased.
Our homes reflect the resourcefulness of our people. Most houses are built with woven sticks, rocks, clay, and tin, as cinder blocks are not yet common here. The typical home might be small, but it is filled with love and resilience. Despite the challenges, most children in our community attend school. There are several schools in the broader area, and we value education highly. Children in our community play traditional games like tag, hide and seek, marbles, and jump rope. These simple joys bring laughter and camaraderie to our community. The closest churches are the Church of God, Catholic, Adventist, and Nazarene churches, which are a bit of a walk from our area, but they serve as important spiritual centers for our community.
Since our area is still developing, we lack entertainment and recreational facilities. When there are activities or events, we usually go to Cazale to participate. This new area holds much promise, and as we continue to build and grow, we look forward to creating a vibrant community with more amenities and opportunities for all residents.
