My Impact Leader Vision

“I am the present and the future. But soon will be part of the past. I want to be as a seed for young girls in the world to let them know we need to transform this present to be able to get a new future. The future we want. The future we deserve.”

I live in between the rainforest of the pacific coast and the cloud forest at the central range of the Andes. Since I was little, I have had a strong connection with nature and have always known that I am part of it. Living in a country where war has been a constant presence for the last 50 years has not been easy. Everything touches my heart – the war, my country, the disappearing forests, and the intense impact of climate change.

While I was growing up I found my spirit trapped in emotions that prevented me from living fully. At fifteen, I was completely lost; with no present, without a future. I was devastated. Then one beautiful day in the rainforest I found my way, my vision. I realized how deeply I wanted to write, to communicate, to listen, and to tell stories – my stories and the stories of others. Through sharing my story, the stories of others, and the story of the land, I hope to reveal to women all over the world our strong connection to nature and how we can become its protectors.

Women hold the vision for our species. We have femininity in our spirit and we are the key to protecting the land as we protected the fire, the cave, the home, and the community. We understand that what happens in one corner of our planet is not happening to one lonely woman but to all of us. We feel it in our bones; we dream it each night.

What is the issue you are trying to solve?We are facing a global warming threat that will not disappear if we do not change our habits. We need to protect our rural areas and preserve their pristine nature as best we can.

The world will be a more peaceful place to live in when people understand their natural connection to Earth. By living in a way that brings our planet back into balance, not only will we live more peaceful lives but we will also leave a healthy planet for future generations.

For this to happen, everyone needs to realise how much we depend on trees. We need to protect them and plant more in our lifetime. Protected areas are a key to our sustainability; governments need to be developing conservation and preservation policies, schools need to include environmental studies in their curriculums, and everyone can become an activist to protect and maintain at least one tree as part of their lives.

What is your solution?I want to create a network to connect women around the world and educate people about how to protect our land. I want to join hands with women and help them understand that together, we can save our planet. I want women to be the connection to their communities and help others realise what they can do to counter the many serious issues nature is facing.

I envision a world where all women are connected to their feminine pulse, to their own community pulse where they encourage others to speak, to heal, to build, to continue, to be part of the change we need; women connecting through the understanding of how important we are to nature and how important nature is to us. Spiritual and physically, people’s lives will improve for having been connected to nature. When you walk into a forest, when you feel a real connection with a tree, your life will change forever.

Iam afraid for many species. I am afraid for my species. I am afraid for our future… for tomorrow... for next month. For the water and the blue skies. For clean rain and clean air. For people all over the world making strong efforts to save our world while others make so little. With all the millions of dollars, there is no other planet we can buy. No other air that is possible to create.

In what way will the lives of specific individuals be improved because of your work?Twenty years ago, I left my city. I felt that the way of life in cities is not the way we can keep going as a species. We need a more natural connection to our land. I feel it in my skin, in every fibre of my being.

My son has become a new man because of that decision. He is always thinking about new solutions for our planet as part of his studies. I have seen how connecting with nature works on an individual scale. Now it is time to scale this idea as far as I can. We have time to change our present and our future. And that time is now.

If each of us could at the very least help to grow a tree, I know this will be a different planet...a more beautiful one, for us and our children, and the children to come.

Impact Goal:To have 1,000 women pledging to protect the environment, to train 50 women, to educate 100, and to have an indirect impact of 100,000 people working to sustain our planet.