Single mother capitalises on her talent to make an honest living

March 1, 2018

DPI, Guyana, Thursday, March 1, 2018

“Life is not so simple. There are many futures. The life of a single person is like a great tree: every branch, every twig, every leaf is a possible future.”- David Gemmell,

For 46-year old Joan Winter, life has not always been smooth sailing. The single mother of six earned an income to maintain her family through farming and selling groceries until she began jewellery and craft making

Some of Joan’s handmade products on display at the 3rd Annual Rupununi Music and Arts Festival.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Winter of St. Ignatius Village, Region Nine (Upper Takatu/ Upper Essequibo) explained that previously she first began designing items to sell during Heritage month observances.

“I have been doing this for five years now. I find it so interesting. First, when I started the craft, it was during the heritage month time; now I am doing it a whole year. I get orders from my customers to do dream catchers or chains”, Winter explained.

Over the years she built a wide customer base and eventually expanded enough to open her own shop – ‘Joan’s Craft Shop’ in St. Ignatius. Today Joan also utilises Facebook to advertise her products and to receive orders.

According to Winter, her customers come from Georgetown, Lethem, and Brazil as well.

She explained the process that usually goes into designing some of her products, “I normally use local beads and local feathers. I would take one hour to make a double chain, they are easy to make. The dream catchers are easy to make as well.”

This year, Winter attended the third annual Rupununi Music and Arts Festival for the first time to exhibit and sell her products. The response over the three-day the festival was very positive and she plans to attend the yearly event.

Additionally, the multitalented mother also uses her ability to cook indigenous foods for various festive events, as another means of acquiring income. Winter encourages mothers and other Guyanese to capitalise on their talents to make an honest living in society.