How It All Began

It all started with a conversation in 2004. I was standing next to my father by the Huallaga River in Huánuco, Peru. With tears in his eyes, he watched as garbage trucks—some from the very municipality meant to protect the environment—dumped waste and construction debris into the river. He turned to me and asked, “Don’t they realize they are poisoning the very water that gives them life? That they are drinking their own poison?”

The value of nature

That day, we spoke at length about the heartbreaking paradox of Peru—a country blessed with incredible natural diversity but cursed with a lack of awareness and governmental neglect. My father pleaded with me: “If you can ever do something to help people see the true value of nature, do it.” At the time, I had no idea how, but those words stayed with me.

Years later, in 2016, I met British environmentalist Martin Hutchinson, who traveled to Huánuco and documented the devastating pollution of our rivers and shores. After witnessing the destruction, he told me: “Rubbish everywhere! Maybe it’s time for us to move on and let someone else take care of this planet.” That was the wake-up call I needed. I began raising funds to clean the river in my hometown.

In 2019, I shared my vision with Samuel E. Suárez, a fellow Huánuco native. He proposed founding an NGO—the best way to raise awareness and secure funding for real change. We both remembered a time when the river was clean, a place where children played and swam. Now, stepping into its waters was almost toxic. After organizing our first cleanup campaign in February 2019, we knew we had to do more. That’s when Saving Rivers and Lakes was born.

Trial & Error

Since I was living in Denmark, we established the NGO there with the support of Vanessa Sánchez and Johannes, both experienced in environmental activism. While Vanessa and Johannes brought expertise, Samuel and I had to learn everything from scratch—reading books, studying environmental NGOs, and researching funding opportunities. It was a journey of trial and error, highs and lows, but every challenge strengthened our mission.

There were times when it was difficult, and I wanted to give up. But seeing the young generation within our NGO—the ones who will take over this work—gave me the strength to continue. Their passion and dedication inspired me to keep going, even when most of my efforts were voluntary. Knowing that they are ready to carry this mission forward fills me with hope.

Us Today

Today, Saving Rivers and Lakes is making an impact—not just in Peru but across South America and Africa. Our goal is simple: to spark a movement, to inspire others who will, in turn, inspire more people. Because in the end, it’s not nature that needs us. The Earth has existed for 4.543 billion years; we, humans, have only been here for approximately 300,000 years—a mere blink in its vast history.

The truth is, we cannot save rivers; what we need is to change our vision. It is not the rivers we are polluting—it is ourselves. Every plastic bottle, every toxic spill, every piece of garbage we throw away is a reflection of how we treat our own future. The real question is: Will we choose to be a force for destruction, or will we fight to preserve what gives us life?