SHIVANIE Rampersaud is a young professional in the fields of Communications, Entrepreneurship and Leadership.

Coming from a single parent home, she spent most of her childhood with her mother and grandmother at their Canal Number Two, Polder home.

She describes the atmosphere and memories of her childhood as very warm.

“My family lives very lovingly, every weekend my mom’s brothers and their families would visit us so it was always a full house, despite being the only child in the home I always had company,” she said. “Also growing up in ‘Canal’, I would say was one of the best parts of my life; it is a true enactment of the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. Everyone was so loving and would always look out for me.”

After excelling at the Kawall Primary School, Shivanie went on to attend the Saint Stanislaus College, and has since furthered her studies in undergraduate courses in many areas including, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Leadership, Communications and Hospitality & Tourism Management, among several others.

She was also privileged to be part of several international training programmes and projects from many reputable organisations including the Commonwealth and the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) in both capacities as a lecturer, mentor, as well as a participant.

Further, Shivanie has had the privilege to work with several broadcasting entities including the Government of Guyana’s Communications arm, where she gained years of experience in the various sectors.

She is also the recipient of several prestigious awards for her writing and contributions to journalism. These include the Pan American Health Award for Best Health Journalism Coverage, three consecutive years along with the United Nations (UN) Award for the Best UN story coverage.

Additionally, Rampersaud has a special interest in the Health Sector and has been a volunteer and mentor since the age of 14.

She is the Founder of Young Pioneers, a charitable organisation in Guyana that focuses on Youth Development and Community Work.

The organisation aims to expose youths to capacity building opportunities while reminding them of their duties towards society by engaging them in charitable projects.The organisation was founded in 2013 and has conducted numerous online awareness campaigns in areas of suicide prevention, body shaming, importance of Sustainable Development Goals, Gender Equality etc, along with food, clothing and books distributions, training sessions and workshops, visits to Elderly Homes & Orphanages, fundraisers for patients in need of medical care & surgeries among others.

The group is segregated in various districts to expand its reach.
There are currently groups in three locations, namely, West Bank-West Coast Demerara, East Coast Demerara-Georgetown and Berbice with approximately 22 members.

She explained that her drive comes from her passion for helping others.

“Despite the challenges in our home financially, my mom and grandmother never failed to help anyone. I grew up watching them and assisting them in doing charity.It became my passion from a young age.There is an overwhelming amount of joy that comes from being able to help someone. It gives me a feeling that cannot be compared to any other. Also my religion, Hinduism teaches us that there is no better service than service to mankind.”

Going forward, Shivanie aspires to become a successful businesswoman in the corporate world and envisions Young PioneerS as one of the largest local NGOs in Guyana, serving as many people as possible.

On the lighter side, Shivanie is an Indian filmy dancer who uses her talent to raise funds for charities and social events. She is also very fond of children and art.

Her message to young people who aspire to be like her is “Never give up, believe in yourself and your dreams even when no one else does and always embrace failures. If you don’t fail you can’t succeed. Remember that life is never going to be as you planned. Things will happen in their own time and what is in your destiny will become yours even if it’s not what you wanted,” she said.

“Live your life with love, forgiveness and respect for everyone despite their ethnicity, sexual preference, age or religion and most of all always remain humble no matter what position you reach in life. Remain thankful to your parents and teachers or anyone who stood by you because if it wasn’t for them you couldn’t have done it.”