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Woman on manslaughter charge uses time out of jail to make and distribute masks
A 33-year old woman who is on a manslaughter charge is using her time out on bail to turn her life around.
The woman who hails from Region One was recently charged via skype.
Sharing some of her masks with a Kaieteur News reporter
It was alleged that she fatally stabbed her husband after he choked her and threatened to push her head into fire.
‘Dianne’ (not her real name), is currently pregnant, was placed on $300,000 bail.
However, with no finance or family members to post bail ‘Dianne’ was forced to spend almost a week in remand until a reputable Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) learnt of her plight.
The United Bridge Builders Mission (UBBM) led by its founder Bonita Montaque, was able to secure multiple donations which aided the young accused to post bail.
On Thursday last an emotional ‘Dianne’ spoke of how she is trying to turn her life around with the opportunity granted to her by UBBM.
The woman who is assigned to a psychologist said that she wants to use this time to become a better individual.
According to ‘Dianne’, she was the eldest of eight children born to parents who were staunch Christians. At age seven she was baptized and joined the New Testament Church of God which was located in her village.
Growing up in a Christian home and in a farming community her goal was to complete her secondary education and become an independent young woman.
Unfortunately, at the age of 13 financial constraints caused her to drop out of secondary school.
Despite the disappointment she developed a passion for sewing.
“My mother was a seamstress and I would watch her cut and sew for members of the community and just like that I developed an interest.”
“When my mom was not around I would gather the discarded scraps of cloth and practice until I became perfect and eventually mastered the skill.”
This self-taught skill would come in handy later when she met her reputed husband, a farmer. One of her goals was to give her child the education opportunities that poverty had denied her.
But her seemingly perfect life then took an ugly turn when her spouse walked out on her.“He just disappeared, never said anything, no phone calls he just disappeared,” recounted ‘Dianne’.
Once again in poverty, she ended up in another relationship which ended badly as well.
Visiting a Hospital in Berbice
She alleged that he became physically abusive and drank heavily. It was reportedly during one of these moments that she allegedly stabbed her spouse while defending herself.
She said depression led her to contemplate suicide. However, she overcame these thoughts by focusing on her religious teachings. Nevertheless, she was certain she would never be a free woman.
“I could not find appetite eat or sleep. I just felt sad. I spent most of my days crying when I remembered what happened”.
But she was granted a glimmer of hope when the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBBM turned up at the police station where she was being held. She was then taken to a home.
As part of her healing process ‘Dianne’ now spends her days with the NGO using her skill to sew masks for distribution across Guyana. She has also been able to teach other women and girls housed at the organization her skill.
“I feel great that I am able to impart my knowledge to these women as a way of helping them to become self dependent”.
She has also been actively involved with UBBM distributing masks to orphanages, hospitals, homes and to other women with similar experiences as hers.
“I might not be able to go back in time and change things but this pre-trial liberty has opened doors for me and I trying to change the course of my life”.
Founder of UBBM Miss Montaque told reporters that the focus of her organization is to fight for justice on behalf of abused women and men, and to rehabilitate persons who have been through mental trauma.
She said her organization depends on the contributions from persons who support such a worthy cause.
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