Indigenous Queen champions climate change
DPI, Guyana, Friday, October 4, 2019
With roots in the village of Santa Cruz, Esther Marslowe has always dreamt of representing her community at the Regional Heritage Pageant. Marslowe won this year’s pageant. This opportunity resulted in her representing Region 1, Barima-Waini, at the National Miss Indigenous Heritage Pageant; where she captured the crown and the hearts of the Guyanese people.
So, what is she up to now? Well, as it turns out, our Beauty Queen has a passion for Agriculture and the Environment, amongst other things. She is currently hard at work at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations carrying out an internship.
“I’ve been working with FAO before entering the pageant. Climate change is something that I’m passionate about. It is evident in our society today, there is no turning back and being placed to work with a climate change project, it has made me think about what I as an individual can do to help,” Marslowe told the Department of Public Information (DPI).
The Miss Indigenous Heritage Queen is one of 20 Indigenous interns serving with the FAO under their new internship programme targeting Indigenous youth. Country Representative for the FAO, Dr. Gillian Smith shed some light on the programme. “This year, FAO has launched a very special internship programme, throughout our offices from our headquarters in Rome, right throughout our decentralised offices around the world. We sent out a call and we have got about 20 Indigenous interns. FAO Guyana has been very fortunate to have one of those interns.”
Queen Marslowe has been engaged in several advocacy platforms inclusive of Human Rights, Children Rights working with Rights of the Child and Women’s rights. She is also currently working on a project that can have major impacts on our local agriculture sector. “What I’m working on is a project that helps with accrediting agricultural agencies to access monies from the green climate fund to help them with their projects that will combat the effects of climate change.”
Climate change has presented devastating effects for Guyana and the Low Coastal Plain, and while Queen Marslowe work may seem small, it is making a difference at the FAO.
“In addition to everything that you have seen she has been doing, outside of it, she has been very focused on climate change issues, looking at Indigenous Peoples and the opportunities more importantly that are available through development programmes and partnerships such as this. So, we are very happy to have her,” Dr. Smith related to the DPI.