Andrea Cáceres Almendrades is the Founder and Executive Director of The AWA Project, a youth-led organization advancing equality between people and water. Born in Mexico City and raised in Lima, Peru, she is based in Madrid, Spain. Over the past five years, she has led a global network of young changemakers from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, driving education, advocacy, and initiatives on inclusive water and sanitation governance.
{###Andrea María Cáceres Almendrades###Ms.###Mexican/Peruvian###Female###The AWA Project###Founder and Executive Director}
Short Bio
Andrea Cáceres Almendrades is the Founder and Executive Director of The AWA Project, a youth-led organization advancing equality between people and water. Born in Mexico City and raised in Lima, Peru, she is based in Madrid, Spain. Over the past five years, she has led a global network of young changemakers from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, driving education, advocacy, and initiatives on inclusive water and sanitation governance.
Under her leadership, The AWA Project received special accreditation to participate in the UN 2026 Water Conference, engaged in two UN-Water consultations, and represented youth at World Water Week 2024, the Ministerial Water Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regional dialogues. Andrea has designed and led youth training programs, in collaboration with the World Bank and other partners, on menstrual hygiene, climate anxiety, gender and water, Indigenous perspectives on water management, and South-South collaboration.
She holds a BA in Human Geography (University of Toronto) and a Master’s in International Development (IE University). Recognized as a Bicentennial Youth Leader by Peru’s Congress and one of The Bloom’s 30 Under 30 in Social Impact, Andrea continues to champion youth participation in global water and sanitation movements.
Motivation/Commitment to the GSC
The water and sanitation sector can feel inaccessible, even to professionals, due to its technical complexity and fragmented governance. Youth, local communities, and emerging leaders are often excluded from conversations that directly affect them because of this reality. Through leading The AWA Project, I have worked to democratize access to water and sanitation knowledge, amplify youth voices, and connect local realities with global policy spaces. In the GSC, I aim to bring this perspective to SuSanA, ensuring Latin America’s voices are heard, fostering intergenerational, south to south, and cross-sector collaboration, and advancing resilient sanitation systems that leave no one behind.
Is there anything else you would like to say to the SuSanA community?
SuSanA has a unique opportunity to lead the way in including youth in sanitation decision-making. Young people are disproportionately affected by unequal access to water and sanitation, yet only 2.4% of multilateral climate finance explicitly considers them, and less than a quarter of Nationally Determined Contributions mention youth. Resilient sanitation systems are essential for community adaptation to climate change. By creating accessible spaces for youth, fostering intergenerational collaboration, and amplifying voices from underrepresented regions, SuSanA can drive more inclusive, resilient, and equitable sanitation systems worldwide.
With this in mind, I am deeply honored to be nominated as a candidate for the GSC. I am especially grateful to the Latin American women leaders who have opened doors for emerging youth leaders like me in SuSanA, providing guidance and opportunities to learn and grow as professionals committed to advancing water and sanitation for all.
