Joaquín Leguia - Peru

Joaquín Leguia was born in 1966 in Lima, Peru.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. There he concentrated his work in children’s role in sustainable development. In 1995 back in Peru, while living in the Amazon, he formed a non profit organization called Association for Children and their Environment – ANIA (Asociación para la Niñez y su Ambiente). ANIA mission is to help build a healthy society by promoting children’s development and identity in harmony with nature through safe spaces, guidance and recognition.

ANIA created a program called Children’s Lands with the goal that 1% of the country’s territory is sustainable managed with the involvement of children who represent 40% of Peru’s population. A children’s land is a piece of land given officially to children where they learn to use, protect and value the natural and cultural resources that sustain their lives. A children’s land can take many forms: it can be a square meter within a home garden, a school backyard or 100 hectares of forest. According to the ecosystem where the children’s land is implemented it can become a “children’s wetland”, “children’s forest”, “children’s lake”, “children’s mountain”, “children’s desert”, “children’s garden”, etc. The pilot project called the Children’s Forest (el Bosque de los Niños), that started in Madre de Dios in year 2001, is today being adapted throughout the Amazon and in other Peruvian regions. To date, more than 300 hectares have been granted to more than 1000 children in different ecosystems in Peru. In Acre – Brasil 5 children’s forests have started in Chico Mendes Reserve.

Joaquín is an Ashoka Fellow and AVINA leader. His work is being recognized in Peru and abroad. Recently National Geographic World magazine published an article about his work.

Children’s Lands

Joaquin’s philosophy is that the state of the world is the reflection of the collective state of our hearts. Therefore if a child has a piece of land where they can build a better world, rooted in the truth and love, their hearts will be planted with life and hope. He envisions children’s land’s multiplying all over the world and as hope in our hearts.

Children’s lands: a path to sustainable wellbeing

The Association for Children and their Environment (ANIA), an NGO founded in Peru in 1995 by Joaquin, has a program called Children’s Lands with the goal that 1% of Peru’s territory is sustainable managed with the involvement of children who represent 40% of the country’s population. A children’s land is a piece of land given officially to children where they learn to use, protect and value the natural and cultural resources that sustain their lives. A children’s land can take many forms: it can be a square meter within a home garden, a school backyard or 100 hectares of forest. According to the ecosystem where the children’s land is implemented it can become a “children’s forest”, “children’s lake”, “children’s mountain”, “children’s desert”, “children’s garden”, etc. To date, more than 300 hectares have been granted to more than 1000 children in different ecosystems in Peru. In Acre – Brasil 5 children’s forests have started in Chico Mendes Reserve. Ania`s efforts are now centered in strengthening its capacities to multiply children’s lands in Peru and the world.