'Howe' is that! - Residents of Reckford, Clarendon hail community builder

Residents of Reckford in northern Clarendon often think about Ezekiel Howe when they turn on their taps.

The residents now have piped water in their homes, and they know that it was the relentless advocacy of Howe why they have what so many other Jamaicans take for granted.

After years of travelling long distances for water, 68-year-old Howe and a pastor penned a letter to their then member of parliament, Laurie Broderick, for help.

Broderick sought the assistance of the Rural Water Supply Ltd, which provided a grant to construct a tank to get potable water in the community.

Howe was very involved in the construction process, and on occasions, took money from his own pocket to ensure that the tank was completed.

With that project finished, he lobbied for a much bigger tank to be built, and the Rural Water Supply Ltd once again gave a grant to build one in the neighbouring community of Sandy River, which when completed, will pump water to as far away as Kellits.

"I am a community person. I believe in my community. I live here, and the people that I live among, I would like to see everybody happy. We live together, and we have good relationships with each other as well," said Howe.

Life has been made much better for the residents of Reckford since the piped water was introduced.

"We don't have to wake up that early to go to the pipe or up a spring again to catch water to bathe, or to cook, or to do yard work. Now, we can just turn on our tap and ketch a bucket of water," said Howe's nephew, Cruise.

According to Cruise, because of the access to piped water, he was able to start a jerked chicken business two months ago.

"Everything you touch you have to wash your hand because you have to be well sanitised. So as you take up some coal, you have to get little soap and you wash your hand because water is at the pipe right there.

"If the sanitary inspector should pass now, he would see me with my little sink and my water in my pipe, and I have my food handler's permit right there," added Cruise.

Howe's contribution to the community doesn't end with the piped water. As a farmer, he employs up to 10 men to assist on his large farm on a regular basis, and the shop he operates often provides credit to those who want groceries but do not have the money at the time.

Perhaps his biggest contribution to date has been the donation of personal land to administrators of the Reckford Basic School to rebuild the institution, which is now being housed in a church hall.

"Sometimes the church is having its fasting and it has a week of meeting, and all of that, so it impedes the school time, so they need to leave outside of the church," said Howe.

This was obvious when The Sunday Gleaner visited the school last Wednesday as the teachers struggled to keep the children in a learning mode while a fasting session was in full swing on a section of the property.

Shouts of "Hallelujah!" and "Praise the Lord!" punctuated the air as individuals took turns giving testimonies.

"Every fourth Monday, they have fasting, and every Wednesday they have fasting," explained principal for the basic school Althea Flyn-Lacey.

GRATEFUL

She was extremely grateful that Howe, father of 10 children and grandfather of several, has donated land to rebuild the school with the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund committing to provide the money to build the facility.

"The school is more than overpopulated because we are limited on space and we have only two bathroom facilities for the children. Sometimes you have to be cautioning them. If five want to go one time, you know you have a problem because we only have one toilet for the boys and one for the girls," said Flyn-Lacey.

"We will be getting more classrooms. We will be getting an office; we will be getting a furnished school. It will be fenced. the classrooms will be big enough," added Flyn-Lacey as she noted that they have to sometimes turn away prospective students because they are overpopulated.

Howe is happy for the children, who, if all goes well, could be moving into their new building by next year.

"Is fi mi pickney them. Them not passing me anywhere and don't call to me," he said.

nadine.wilson@gleanerjm.com