About us
Ni Meraya not only preserves the magic of the Amazon, Ni Meraya is:
- A chance to reconnect with yourself and the environment.
- A place to get in touch with plants and animals.
- An opportunity to experience reciprocity with the earth.
Our history
The team
Currently, the Ni Meraya family is a group of people with different backgrounds and experiences, but with a common goal: to preserve our planet and especially this part of our Amazon.
Cecilia, Silvia and Luis carry out the projects related to the ACP Ni Meraya thanks to the fundamental collaboration of Apolinario and the support of friends who have contributed to the development of ideas and activities: Alban, Fiorella, Nestor, Michele, Mariapaz, Julimer, Nestor Jr, Kalisi, Norma, Francesco and Silvia.
Cecilia
Adventurer in constant search of wonders. Italian with a Peruvian heart. Philosopher, capoeira teacher, yoga practitioner, always fascinated by the connection between the elements, in her work she supports public and private entities in the design and management of services and projects aimed at sustainable local development, paying special attention to participatory dynamics and the creation of shared value. She is particularly interested in projects aimed at empowering young people and involving them in the development of local regeneration and sustainable processes.
A plant-lover and visionary, she believes reconnecting with nature is key to human existence, because it is our connection to nature that makes us human.
“Ni Meraya is a way to leave something positive on this earth, to contribute and fight. We started with Luis, Silvia and Apolinario, and new visionaries have joined us. I hope many more will join us!!”
CECILIA
Silvia
Lawyer, yogi, ayahuasquera, huachumera, goldsmith, capoeirista and environmentalist. He has been working on public policies based on Human Rights for more than 20 years. He has experience working with innocent people deprived of liberty, in the reform of the PNP, human trafficking and anti-corruption. She has come to hold important positions in the Peruvian State as Police Advocate in the Ministry of the Interior and Executive Director of the Aurora Program. Currently, she is the Neighborhood Participation Manager of the Municipality of Metropolitan Lima.
Her passion is to defend and protect the vulnerable, which is why together with Ceci and Lucho she started the Ni Meraya project.
“It is a personal dream that goes back to my maternal grandmother, with her I discovered the magic of the forest. I hope that this dream is shared by more and more people, because this is how we will change the world.”
SILVIA
Luis
Piurano by birth, Lima by adoption and Italian at heart. Geek since childhood and nerd since adolescence, capoeira teacher, civil engineer, data scientist, lover of travel and landscapes, music and photography, son of the Pachamama and friend of the Wachuma.
Since moving to Italy in 2008, he has not lost touch with his land and the sensitivity and concern he feels for the animals and plants of our planet. As a civil engineer, his work promotes the responsible and ecological use of resources (green and sustainable building and infrastructures). This concern led him to wonder how to protect one of the planet’s most important resources: water and air.
“I was tired of watching the Peruvian Amazon being devoured by indiscriminate logging and illegal mining, and when the idea of creating a private reserve was born together with Ceci and Silvia, we did not hesitate!”
LUIS
Apolinario
Agricultural technician with several years of experience in environmental conservation projects and training rural and indigenous communities in conservation projects. Before Ni Meraya, he worked for 11 years as a park ranger in the Pacaya Samiria Reserve.
Has been a collaborator with international organizations such as the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and national organizations such as the NGO Amazónicos por la Amazonía. He is also a consultant for conservation projects when there is a need for it.
“I joined Ni Meraya to share my experience and knowledge and to spread a culture that promotes the conservation and protection of our natural resources. I think it is important to involve communities, especially children and young people, to give them the opportunity and the tools to actively contribute to the conservation and preservation of our land. I believe that teamwork is the only way to protect our planet’s natural resources and ecosystems.”
APOLINARIO
Those who plant trees, though they know they will never sit in their shadows, have at least begun to understand the meaning of life.
Rabindranath Tagore
