Natalia Moreno

Natalia was born into a family where education was always the means to achieve dreams. Although she won her first scholarship at the age of seven, she also faced significant challenges at school from a young age – including the painful experience of being bullied. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Natalia saw that others were also struggling with difficulties and traumas: many children were left orphaned, some had to repeat the school year, and others did not have the money for education. Natalia’s eyes were opened: from that moment on, she felt the need to help others, and when face-to-face schooling returned, she had a new purpose. Aware of the reality of many children in Peru who lack access to education and resources, she wanted to do something about it. Together with a classmate, she created Libros con Sentido (Books With Meaning) – an organisation that seeks to promote quality education through reading. Natalia set to work mobilising her classmates to donate books, explaining to them the importance of reading and how it could change lives – even offering students free snacks if they did so.  

As the founder of Books With Meaning, Natalia has promoted meaningful social change in her community and beyond. She and her fellow pupils have dedicated themselves to offering free classes to children and adolescents from low-income families, recognising that education is a powerful tool to break the cycle of poverty. Natalia also wanted her classmates to understand the reality of those less privileged, so she organised visits to shelters and care centres for people experiencing homelessness. As a result of connecting with people and sharing stories, she saw her classmates begin to appreciate more what they had, and start to feel motivated to help others. With effort, Books With Meaning has now obtained official recognition from SENAJU (Secretaria Nacional de la Juventud) and the municipality of Lima – a milestone that marks the beginning of a new phase in transforming lives.  

Over time, Natalia has developed greater self-confidence and learned to embrace her unique gifts. A second project she developed, “Food For All”,  identified an opportunity to meet a specific need within the community by providing free snacks for all students. Having made sure it catered to their varied preferences, with both healthy-eating and ordinary snacks, the initiative was a resounding success. 

If she wins the Global Student Prize, Natalia will use the funds to strengthen and expand Books With Meaning. She plans to establish some face-to-face services, allowing the programme to reach more children and adolescents from low-income families with education and personal development programmes. Additionally, she would use some funds to expand book donation drives and free classes, with the aim of reaching more marginalised and remote communities – and she would implement innovative educational technologies and online platforms to facilitate distance learning and reach a broader audience. In the long term, her vision is to transform Books With Meaning into a strong, sustainable foundation that has a lasting impact on the education and wellbeing of children and young people across the country.