Providence is a village of Paramacca Maroons in the commune of

Apatou Apatou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Apatou is home to Maroons of the Aluku, Paramacca, Ndyuka, and Saramaka tribes. History The town of Apatou was founded in 1882 as Moute ...

at the confluence of the Maroni River and the Beïman Creek in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. The village can only be accessed by boat via the Maroni River, and is located about three hours south of

. The children in Providence and the nearby islands used to go to school in Stoelmanseiland, however the Surinamese Interior War (1986-1992) caused the closure of the school, leaving about 300 children in the region without access to education. In 2012, a school was constructed in the village. In 1991, gold was discovered in the Beïman Creek near the village. The main concession is the Esperance Gold Mine which is being exploited by Newmont, however the discovery has attracted ''garimpeiros'' (illegal gold miners) to the region. In 2017, the French Development Agency started a project to provide the village with clean drinking water.

References

Apatou Paramaka settlements Villages in French Guiana {{FrenchGuiana-geo-stub