EDUCATION
Mission and Goals
It is very important for us to create and promote activities that help boost the economic development and progress of the less privileged communities in the Peruvian Amazon. We believe that working together with these communities in developing different skills for its people and creating new job opportunities, not only will help to reduce poverty but to reduce activities that are damaging the environment such as, logging or illegal/legal gold mining with strong contaminating chemicals. Protecting the Amazon should be a global commitment because of its incalculable biological and ecological value.
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Our mission is to protect the Amazon rainforest from destruction. To achieve this, we work holistically. Our goals are based on the four pillars: education, environment, economic development and public health. These pillars are not to be considered separately but complement each other.
Education
We believe education is the key for making responsible decisions and achieving long-term changes.
One of our main programs is free English lessons for children, teenagers and adults. In this way, we want to strengthen the local population for jobs in the tourism industry and thus make them independent of environmentally destructive companies such as gold mining. Our goal is to offer free English lessons in more communities.
We also organize free holiday programs, as well as environmental education workshops and scout trips. Our goal is to create an environment for disadvantaged children in which they can develop physically, psychologically, emotionally and socially into strong personalities. We also want to strengthen the love of nature. Therefore, they will protect their land in the future.
Since our programs are organized and implemented by international volunteers, cultural exchange is also an important part of our educational work. This is important because environmental protection should be a global goal. On the other hand, it can create tolerance, curiosity, questioning of racist and colonialist worldviews and a dialogue at eye level on both sides.
Environment
Our environmental programs are deliberately action-oriented and can be implemented in concrete terms. Since there has unfortunately been a lot of deforestation in the province of Puerto Inca, the dry and rainy seasons are very extreme. During the rainy season, fertile soils are literally washed away and during the dry season there is a lack of natural water reservoirs and shade. To break this cycle, we want to plant at least 10000 trees in urban areas by 2025. The planting and maintenance will be carried out by our volunteers and partly through cooperation with local schools. Thus, education is combined with environmental protection.
Another program is our Wildlife Conservation Internship. Since the beginning of 2024, we have had a cooperation with the Office for Regional Rainforest Protection ACR. This is a win-win situation for both sides. This allows us to offer exciting internship opportunities to biology and other science students. With the help of these interns, the ACR can collect, process data and specifically describe the biodiversity in the reserve and demand more protection for this nature reserve.
Economic Development
Our goal is to strengthen the local economy and make it independent of climate-destroying companies. To this end, we want to make the region, which is not yet much used for tourism, known. Our volunteer, internship and tourism packages show international people the beauty of the Amazon rainforest away from mass tourism. Local shops, farmers, restaurants, bars, taxi and transport companies benefit from this. We also work with local tourist guides, who have left our international visitors with excitement due to their special knowledge and enthusiasm and on the other hand, have a stable income as a result.
Public Health
An important aspect of protecting the rainforest is not only individual education, economic independence, but also the physical and mental health of the population. Because if these fundamental needs for security are met, they also have resources to work to protect their environment. We want to raise awareness in local communities that some diseases are caused by environmental pollution.
In 2024, we began to accept the first medical students and interns. In 2025, we want to offer general and special patient training and preventive programs depending on the level of knowledge of our interns. Topics could be, for example, diabetes, dental hygiene, environmental protection and health or occupational health and safety.
We are grateful that we were able to establish a cooperation with the local health center and thus support each other. General practitioners, gynecologists, nurses, midwives, pediatric nurses and laboratory assistants work in the health center. Other medical specialists only work in the hospitals, which are located about 4 hours away in the larger cities. That is why we work with organizations that place international medical specialists for an internship lasting several months. They can then provide concrete support to the health center team to provide the population with better specialist care.
To achieve all our goals, we depend on international volunteers and interns with their different skills and experience. Only together with your help we can make a small difference.
Who we are
We are an NGO working for the economic and social development of different communities in the Peruvian Amazon. We focus on education, health, environment, ecotourism and cultural exchange. We believe that promoting the development and progress of these communities can help to stop or reduce the illegal activities as well as the contamination of the Amazon rainforest.
Christian M. Navarro
Founder & CEO
From Lima, Peru
After studying in the USA, he decided to give something back to a local community in his home country and therefore started Semillas Life in 2018 putting a lot of his energy to make it work. He is in charge of creating new projects, coordinating with Peruvian and international institutions, finding qualified volunteers, promoting Semillas Life, administrating donations, updating website and social media, etc.
He likes cooking, reading, writing, football, spending time with his family, enjoying nature and developing new ideas. He is also very interested in protecting the environment, politics and history.
Volunteers
AnnePönisch
Neyer Galindo
International Support
From around the world
Volunteers are the soul of our project. Each volunteer not only brings new ideas of teaching, renovating, promoting or supporting us, but also through the cultural exchange, they make the local community more socially and culturally rich.
Volunteers also benefit by obtaining an experience for life.Then, they take a piece of Puerto Inca and Semillas Life back in their hearts. The final idea is that volunteers spread the word around the world about the beauty of Puerto Inca as well as the problem we have with contamination.
Director
From Berlin, Germany
At the moment she lives in Germany.
She is in charge of the education projects and treasure at Semillas Life. She organizes regularly team meetings and gathers the different ideas from all the volunteers.
She is also building up co-operations with different German organizations.
She likes reading, cooking, baking, doing Yoga, living in harmony with nature, learning about different cultures and studying Spanish. She loves spending time with her family.
Andres Santome
Representative In The USA
From Lima, Peru
He lives in West Hartford Connecticut, USA.
He is in charge of representing Semillas Life in the United States of America.
He is building up co-operations with different American organizations.
He is also in charge of organizing fundraising activities to financially support Semillas Life.
He likes to play pool, reading, watching documentaries, spending time with his mother and son. He loves to take care of the environment.
He is also interested in politics and history.
Hans Gstir
Tour Guide
From Pozuzo, Peru
He lives in Codo Del Pozuzo and is part of the Austro-German community in this district.
He is in charge of creating and developing different activities with our volunteers such as cultural, tourist, sport, etc.
He is also president of the Austro-German Cultural Dance Association, Die Lustigen Jungen and one of those responsible for our alliance with the community of Codo Del Pozuzo.
He is dedicated to livestock and likes hiking through the jungle, taking care of the environment, spending time with his family, and looking for development opportunities for his community.
Coordinator & Tour Guide
From Puerto Inca, Peru
He began as one of our students but because of his open personality and his interest in our project, he started to support us by helping our volunteers being involved with the local community.
He is now working with us coordinating activities with local institutions as well as organizing jungle trips for our volunteers and tourists.
He is in the process of learning English.
He likes to practice his English skills by chatting with international volunteers.
He also like video games and football soccer.
Dora Anco
Coordinator
From Huanuco, Peru
She lives in Codo Del Pozuzo and work as a high school teacher.
She supports our organization as a local coordinator. One of her responsibilities is to receive our foreign volunteers and help them adapt to the community of Codo Del Pozuzo. Additionally, she is in charge of supervising that our activities in this location are successful.
She runs the Austrian-German Folk Dance Association ¨Die Lustigen Jungen¨.
She is also one of those responsible for our alliance with the community of Codo Del Pozuzo.
She likes to dance different traditional folk music and create choreographies for her dancing group.
She also likes to work with the youth in different educational projects.
She enjoys taking care of animals and exploring nature.
Mayorit Schmidt
Tour Guide
From Codo Del Pozuzo, Peru
She is part of the Austro-German community of Codo Del Pozuzo.
She supports our organization as a tour guide. One of her responsibilities is to take care of our cultural exchange activities in Codo Del Pozuzo. Additionally, she is in charge of taking care of our volunteers in case they need some help.
She is also part of our English classes and is slowly learning the language.
She likes to dance different types of folk music. For this reason, she is also part of the Autro-German folk dance group, Die Lustigen Jungen. She also likes to sing and make new friends.
She enjoys participating in beauty contest competition.
Erik Del Aguila
Coordinator & Tour Guide
From Puerto Inca, Peru
He is an experienced explorer of the Amazon rainforest in Puerto Inca.
He supports our organization as a local coordinator and tour guide in Puerto Inca.
One of his responsibilities is to receive our volunteers and explore the Amazon rainforest with them. Additionally, He is in charge of coordinating activities with local institutions.
He is also one of the founders of the Association PI Tree Reforesting S.A.
He likes to explore the Amazon jungle and teach people about the local biodiversity.
He also likes to play football soccer and partying with friends.
He enjoys fishing in the rivers.