Natoya Pearson, mother of five, determined to break the cycle of poverty

However, what we want versus the reality of our existence sometimes doesn’t match up and for many, what exists is far from ideal. Still, the tenacity of the unbeatable Jamaican spirit means that we not only can never surrender to the struggle but we have to fight valiantly to keep our heads up and keep our hopes, dreams and aspirations alive no matter how dire the circumstances.

For Natoya Pearson, being a mother is a joy and a privilege. But while she acknowledges her blessings, her passage through life has not been easy and currently her present economic situation is far from joyful.

As a mother of five, Pearson’s journey so far has been difficult as she is currently unemployed with no subjects or defined skill set. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old is not giving up as she is determined to make a brighter future for her children, regardless of their initial circumstances.

“It is not where you come from, is where you going” she quipped in an interview with Old Harbour News. “I know I have to try and give them a good start in life so that they can make it and turn out to be something in life. They are doing well in school. Matthew, who is five, wants to be a policeman and the three-year-old says she wants to be a teacher. I have big hopes for their future.”

Pearson lives in Reynolds district in Point Hill, St Catherine, where she has made a one-room board house with four of her five children their home. Eldest girl Alicia currently resides with her father and is preparing for PEP exams. She’s with her dad because she needs the academic structure and tools that Pearson is not currently able to provide.

“I haven’t been working for a while now and with the last one being so young, it is hard to go out and look for a job but I am willing to work as I know I need an income,” she tells me. “I used to work at the Traffic Court in Kingston and on the side I used to do babysitting but when I got pregnant with the last child, I couldn’t manage and then they laid off some of us. I have been home ever since.”

‘Home’ as she described it, is her grandmother’s old residence that has definitely seen better days. It is not much to either look at or live in as it offers little comfort and just basic protection from the elements and a roof over her children’s heads at night.  Her life, she feels, would have been easier if her childhood and adolescence years were relatively stable. 

Though born in Reynolds, she moved to Bog Walk to live with her father when she was very young but that did not last and soon she was sent to live with her grandmother. Life was tough, she noted. Her parents had eight of them in all with her being the second child for both and finding the basics sometimes was a herculean effort.

“My mother is a higgler, she still sells in Spanish Town Market and my father is now deceased but he used to drive bus and taxi to make ends meet back then. They didn’t have much but it was a loving family and we took care of our own. I went to Tacius Golding High School but I couldn’t afford to graduate so I left school early in Grade 11. I left without any subjects so I don’t have any CXCs or CSEC subjects,” Pearson said with an air of despair that became audible the longer the interview went on.

Not having a steady job means that she has had to rely both on the state and the fathers of her children for survival. The father of the last three children has fortunately been trying his best to provide through his trade as a mechanic. Often however it is not enough and so she got her children on the PATH programme which offers the financial consistency to attend school and have food, one less headache to worry about.

Her main challenge now is a house because the one-room board structure is in a bad condition.

“The board dem a rotten down right now. It’s just one room, no inside bathroom, no kitchen, no nothing. If I want to use the bathroom I go to my family member’s house which is nearby and I try not to have to bother them at night. I put in the paperwork to get one of the Food for the Poor homes from 2015 as I got permission from my grandmother and my aunt to build on the land I currently reside on, but all now they haven’t gotten back to me.  The former councillor for the area was helping but then he died. The new one told me to send in copies of the paperwork which I did but I still haven’t heard anything,” she told of her efforts so far. 

Nevertheless, she is not giving up on her dream of providing her children with a comfortable place to live. She knows she first has to secure employment or become an entrepreneur. However, because the last two are young, she does not want to leave them with just anybody as the horror stories you hear about child abuse and neglect are all too real in her mind.

“I just need a decent job. I have a knack for doing hair. I’m pretty good at it so that is an avenue for income that I want to pursue. When it comes to my children I will ensure that they make it in life, no ifs or buts about it,” she said.

If you want to assist Natoya Pearson, contact her at 876 322 7569.