Story and photos by Borderless
No one who enters that bathroom at the Fig Tree Restaurant in Bequia, a tiny island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for the first time, expects to leave in tears. But it happens. Instead of the usual graffiti, the walls are decorated with children’s handwritten letters bearing messages of pure gratitude for “Mrs. Johnson’s reading club.”
That woman is Cheryl Johnson. She is a community leader, educator, and entrepreneur. She’s also quite busy, with two children, seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren, plus a restaurant and reading program to manage.
While Cheryl has called Bequia her home for nearly two decades, her roots trace back to the main island of Saint Vincent.
At a very young age, she became a primary school teacher but was forced to resign when she had a child outside of marriage — a regulation that was mandated under the British education system at the time.
Then, on April 13, 1979, a series of abrupt volcanic explosions blasted ash plumes 12 miles high over Saint Vincent, forcing about 20,000 people to evacuate their homes. Like thousands of others seeking refuge, Cheryl and her daughter had to relocate to Kingstown, where she dove headfirst into helping the community get back on its feet by connecting the displaced with projects and job opportunities, and equally important, she kept the spirit alive by arranging musical gatherings, igniting the soul of Vincentian culture with the smooth vibes of folk and calypso jams.
Upon Cheryl’s return to her village a year later, she decided to start a preschool for local children, which she continued until she was asked to come to Bequia to manage the island’s bookshop. It was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down, but at the same time a huge change in her life; Bequia is only an hour’s ferry ride south across the Bequia Channel, yet it feels worlds apart from the bustling industries of Saint Vincent. Bequia, no larger than seven square miles, hugs all visitors with its quaint Caribbean charm.
Steeped in maritime history dating back to the early 1800s, it became a whaling center when New England whalers introduced their techniques to Bequia residents, significantly expanding the culture and influence of seamanship.
Over the years, thousands of sailors have dropped their hooks in Bequia’s Admiralty Bay, and consequently, the Bequia bookshop catered to this transient crowd. From sailing charts, scrimshaw, and nautical flags to books about knots and marine life, the bookshop had it all.
But as Cheryl worked in the bookshop day after day, she noticed that the local children never wandered into the store. Concerned and curious, she asked the children if they were members of the Bequia Library.
They were not.
And Cheryl got an idea. “I asked the children if I were to start a reading program on the weekends, would they come?” Cheryl recalled, “And on the 19th of November, 2006, five children came.”
Seventeen years later the reading program is still going strong.
Program alumni have pursued higher education and international careers, including university studies in the United States and work in Taiwan. Locally, many now contribute significantly to the community, with careers in the revenue office, post office, and tourism industry.
“I just want people to be smart,” Cheryl reflects. “If you are smart, you will reason and have discussions instead of ignorant arguments. My goal in life is to see if I can impact that into a positive.”
Cheryl’s work with the community has expanded over the years to include running the “Cruiser’s Net,” a series of local announcements on VHF radio that broadcasts to all the sailors who’ve anchored in Bequia’s Admiralty Bay. They promote local events and coordinate boat-to-boat services for gas, baguettes, laundry, ice, you name it. One could argue that it’s the most hospitable cruiser’s net in all the Caribbean.
One of the largest events of the year for sailors is the Bequia Christmas Day Cruiser’s Potluck. And who hosts it? Cheryl, of course.
Niki Fox Elebaas and her husband, full-time cruisers living aboard their catamaran, S/V Grateful, helped the celebration along. “After noticing many national flags in the crowded harbor, my husband and I translated Cheryl’s invitation into Español, German, Français, and Dutch. We wound up that year with nearly 70 cruisers from all over the world gathering together to celebrate!”
And the hospitality has borne unexpected fruit. Many sailors spend their Saturday afternoons reading with the local kids. “I must give a shout out to the cruisers,” Cheryl says. “Had it not been for them, the reading program would not have survived. For all of the program’s seventeen years, when they are in the bay, they are at the Fig Tree.”
At quarter past two in the afternoon, kids start to arrive, shyly making their way to the back of the restaurant. Their faces light up with huge smiles when they see Cheryl.
The volunteers pair up with a child. And since sailors commonly visit Bequia for a month or longer, they’re able to work with the same child for multiple weeks.
Reading, comprehension, and public speaking are the three main learning outcomes of the program.
The day starts at the bookshelves, where the children get to pick their first story.
After the first book is chosen, each volunteer sits down with a child at one of the large wooden tables in the back of the restaurant.
When a child stumbles over a word or doesn’t understand a grammatical concept, the volunteer patiently explains.
Then comes recall — the children grab some construction paper and crayons.
They’re instructed to remember a scene from the book and draw it.
At the end of the day, the children make their way over to the largest table to prepare for their book report — a very intimidating task for a child, but they muster up the confidence to stand up in front of their peers and tell their story.
“I believe that word is power,” Cheryl says. “When you read, you have the power to utilize words.”
She pauses. “Additionally, and more importantly, books can take you all over the world without you getting on a plane or on a boat.”
In small societies like Bequia, Cheryl explains, children don’t always understand the ocean of possibilities that exist, and when asked what they want to be, she says, “They tell you the usual things. Hardly anybody would say that they want to be a marine biologist, and — just look around — we are surrounded by ocean.”
At the heart of the program is an impactful mission: to advance the education and prosperity of this vibrant island, starting with its children.
Reprinted with permission from BORDERLESS, which shares inspiring stories of unique individuals around the world that reveal larger universal truths of our shared humanity. There’s more about the reading program at borderlessplanet.org/projects/bequia/ – watch the short documentary, and learn how you can get involved.
On July 1, 2024, Hurricane Beryl strengthened to a Category 4 just before making landfall in Carriacou, causing unprecedented destruction to the island’s infrastructure and livelihood, as well as to nearby islands. Although Bequia avoided Beryl’s direct path, many buildings were damaged, and one life was tragically lost. At the Fig Tree, the Johnsons faced an extended loss of electricity, causing spoilage of all their food stock. The restaurant also sustained damage to its water tanks, water pumps, roof, and electrical and plumbing systems. As a result, the restaurant has temporarily closed while repairs are made, and the Johnsons are working hard to reopen. Volunteers are still encouraged to reach out if interested in participating in the Saturday reading program and to donate supplies such as books, construction paper, and crayons for the children.
