Please, tell us more about your life. What are your interests?
I am Eben Ezer Ccallocunto Mejía, I am 16 years old, and I am in the 4th year of secondary school. I live in Pirhuamarcca, an indigenous community in Quispillaccta. Since I was six, I have been part of the Maqta Chuya children and youth network, where I am now one of the delegates, supported by ABA-Ayacucho.
In the network, I have learned a lot about environmental care, its importance, and key practices such as rainwater harvesting and storage. Thanks to these lessons, I am now an extensionist, which means I bring the knowledge of my community to other towns and places. I share my experiences and teach about building qochas (lagoons), something that fills me with pride.
I understand that this is a great responsibility, and I cannot neglect it. That is why my goal is to continue training, learning more, and sharing this knowledge with other communities.

General Comment No. 26 has been in effect since September 2023. How important is it for your work?
General Comment No. 26 is essential to my role as a delegate because it highlights how climate change directly impacts children’s rights. This document provides us with a clear framework to act and raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment.
In our work as leaders, we use creative tools such as jingles, drawings, and songs to deliver the message, especially to children and youth, encouraging their active participation in building a sustainable future. Our goal is for everyone to understand the need to care for our environment and to ensure that future generations can grow up in a healthy and balanced environment.

3. What are the most important environmental and climate change issues for children in your community, country, or region?
The most important issues for the children in my community are climate change, drought, and wildfires. To counter these threats, we must continue practicing and sharing our ancestral knowledge with other children from different communities. Practices such as rainwater harvesting and storage from my community significantly help mitigate the effects of climate change; this is our greatest contribution.

Can you share a notable activity for children and youth in your community or country that helps protect the environment?
In my community, we have an ancestral practice highly valued by children and youth that helps "create water" in areas where it is scarce. This practice is called rainwater harvesting and storage. Additionally, we perform other ancestral practices like para qipiy (carrying the rain) during dry seasons.
We also engage in activities such as river and canal clean-up campaigns, tree planting, and more, where the active participation of children and youth is fundamental. These actions strengthen our connection with nature.

You are working hard to protect the environment. Do you have a personal dream that inspires you?
Currently, the children and youth in the network are influencing important issues as multipliers or extensionists to protect nature and communities. For instance, to counteract the effects of climate change, my friends and I have taught communities in Guatemala about our rainwater harvesting practices so they can use this knowledge to protect themselves from droughts.