Xerente women create the first women’s forest fire brigade in the country

In the municipality of Tocantínia, Tocantins state, indigenous women from the Xerente indigenous people created the first female forest fire brigade in Brazil

The initiative came from residents of the Cachoeirinha village. In August, the community hosted a training course for 29 women, with support from the City Hall, the US Forest Service and the National Indian Foundation (Funai).

In addition to firefighting work, the group also performs environmental education actions in the region. “It is a job that all of us firefighters are enjoying. It’s a learning experience, because of the direct contact with older people, with young people and children. In this face to face work, we show the reality and what happens to nature when there is fire”, said Vanessa Xerente, 33 years old, resident of the Cachoeira Brejo de Ouro Village and head of the Xerente Women’s Brigade Squad.