Staff Spotlight: Meet Rabeca, Advocacy Advisor at Tree Aid
15th May 2025
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Meet Rabeca Lauriciano, Tree Aid’s Advocacy Advisor and climate finance specialist.
Rabeca works to influence policies and funding flows so that local communities in the drylands of Africa can lead the way in restoring land and tackling the climate crisis.
In this spotlight, discover Rabeca’s journey into advocacy, what gives her hope, and a memorable encounter at COP.
Where it all began
Hi, I’m Rabeca! I’m Tree Aid’s Advocacy Advisor, and I’m excited to share a little about my journey, my work, and what inspired me to get into advocacy.
I’m half English, half Mozambican, and I grew up mostly on the motherland! Because of my parents’ profession, I hopped around between South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda, getting my education from international schools. That experience was really cool because I got to meet such a wide range of people—it really shaped my worldview and inspired me to go on to study international development at university.
How I got into advocacy
Growing up in places where inequality was highly visible, I always felt uncomfortable with how unfair things could seem and feel. But I didn’t really know how to create change, or even where to begin—until I was 16 and in school in Uganda. As part of the curriculum, we had to do community service. Around that time, I was friends with a local young woman who invited me to join her campaigning work for girls’ access to education and entrepreneurship.
Through that, I met an amazing group of girls who totally inspired me. Their determination, their creativity in mobilising public support—it hit me: this is what it means to really do something. From there, I discovered the nuance between advocacy and campaigning, met some incredible mentors, and now, a few years later… here I am!
When I was little…
My career dreams changed a lot from grade 1 through to grade 12. First, I was sure I’d be a vet (I love animals), then I thought a hairdresser made perfect sense because I liked playing with my Bratz dolls’ hair. I even thought I might be a singer—until I recorded myself and listened back! Eventually, I found my way into something I genuinely feel good at.
Why I love working at Tree Aid
So many things. The brilliant expertise of my colleagues, the collaborative environment, and the fact that I get to work directly with communities in parts of the world facing some of the most unique climate challenges. Together, we work to create lasting, meaningful change—and that’s incredibly rewarding.
Career highlight so far?
Tree Aid project participant, Awa Convolbo, centre, accepting a Local Adaptation Champion Award at COP29.
Attending COP with one of our community members, Awa, who was recognised as a climate champion for food security. She—and people like her—give me so much hope. Without their historic and local knowledge of the land, restoration efforts wouldn’t be nearly as resilient or sustainable. Locally led initiatives are a real game changer.
Also, a bit of a fun highlight: I ended up sitting next to Theo James at COP. Yes, that Theo James. It was very random—but made for a great story!
What gives me hope
In the fight against climate change and land degradation, communities give me hope. Their innovation, resilience and leadership are unmatched. People often underestimate the power and knowledge that lies within local communities—but they are the backbone of successful, long-term restoration.
If I could change one thing
In the world’s approach to reforestation and land restoration, if I could change one thing it would be the distribution of funds. Our research last year showed that climate finance for agriculture, forestry and land use (AFOLU) sectors isn’t fairly allocated to climate-vulnerable regions. Until we fix that, the communities most affected by land degradation will remain underfunded and under-resourced. We need serious reform in climate finance to ensure equitable, direct, and long-term funding for locally led restoration.
The biggest misconception about tree planting?
That “just planting trees” doesn’t make a difference. That’s simply not true. When you look beyond the simplicity of the phrase and really understand what it takes to plant trees at scale, and the resilience they bring to communities and ecosystems—it’s clear that it matters. A single tree species can carry immense biodiversity benefits. The value of trees goes way beyond carbon.
What's coming up next?
Rabeca presenting for Tree Aid at COP29 in Baku.
This June, I’ll be heading to the Bonn Climate Change Conference. This is a mid-year meeting, where countries can come together to negotiate and work towards agreements on climate-related issues. This conference will set the stage for what we can expect to take place at COP30, which will fall at the end of the year.
While in Bonn, I’ll be closely following dialogue, championing our advocacy messaging together with coalitions on climate finance, and meeting with governments that Tree Aid provides technical support to on climate policy.