Rebecca Xavier

Rebecca Xavier is a proud Amerindian woman, a descendant of the Wapishana nation. She has a sound primary school education, followed by experiences in the Wowetta Youth Environmental Club, and then further education at the Bina Hill Institute, Annai where she trained in ICT, agriculture, basic maths, English and leadership skills. She is fluent in Wapishana, Makushi and English, and has worked for the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), a local Indigenous community-based organization, in different roles over the last twelve years. This includes in the North Rupununi Arapaima project, Participatory Video, the Makushi Research Unit, and Community Owned Best Practice for Sustainable Adaptive Management (COBRA) Project. These experiences have given her a chance to work with different group of Indigenous people in and around the Guiana Shield countries, and expanded her passion for community development and to be a resourceful person in her community.