New Baramita Toshao determined to improve lives of Carib people

Baramita Village’s first female Toshao, Sharmain Rambajue, intends, over the next three years, to work assiduously to improve the livelihood of the Carib people of Region One (Barima/Waini).

Baramita is the largest Amerindian settlement in Guyana, and the biggest Carib Village in the Caribbean. It comprises 22 satellite villages and has a population of about 3,500 residents.
According to Toshao Rambajue, she contested the Village Council elections because it was her wish to “really help the Indigenous peoples in Baramita”.
“For so long, the ex-councils didn’t really pay attention to the Indigenous peoples here…I’ve seen their needs, and so that is why I came forward and got on board and campaigned,” she explained.
“Throughout my tenure as Toshao, I will work really hard for the Indigenous peoples, and develop my community to build a better Baramita,” she said in an interview with the Department of Public Information.
In the area of youth development, the Toshao plans to establish a skills training centre. This has been deemed necessary, she added, since it will provide many Baramita youths with an opportunity to develop a trade skill. This venture will also meet the need for skilled personnel in the community.
“So, instead of bringing mechanics from Georgetown, we will have them right here,” Rambajue explained.
The main economic activity of Baramita is mining and traditional ground provision farming. Toshao Rambajue aims to encourage more subsistence farming, and will be partnering with agencies, including the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), to provide technical and other support.
She said, “We have the miners in the area and also the school kitchen. However, we have to send for greens (vegetables) and meat all the way from Georgetown. Therefore, if we have persons within the community supplying the miners and the school, again, the monies will be circulated right here, and it will also provide employment.”
Baramita, the Toshao said, is challenged by many social ills, including alcohol consumption, suicide, sexual and domestic violence, therefore she will also partner with other agencies and NGOs to tackle these issues. Rambajue explained that her ultimate goal is to eradicate the stigma associated with Baramita. She is in the process of crafting a three-year plan.
She also plans to reintroduce the toll gate system to monitor the amount of alcohol entering the community. This will also be a source of income for the village.
Members of the new council are currently acquainting themselves with the assets of the village and meeting with business persons in the area.  Meetings will also be held with the miners, after which a general village engagement will be held.
Sharmain Rambajue was elected village captain from a field of four candidates, comprising another woman and two men. Fourteen councillors have also been elected to support Rambajue and to serve the 22 satellite communities.
Rambajue campaigned under the theme, ‘A Fresh Face, A Fresh Start – Development for all of Baramita.’