Cáceres grew up to become a student activist and in 1993, she cofounded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) to address the growing threats posed to Lenca communities by illegal logging, fight for their territorial rights and improve their livelihoods.

Cáceres was a Lenca woman, who lived in a small community in one of the poorest and most isolated regions of Honduras. Her mother, a midwife and social activist, took in refugees from El Salvador. As a child, she was taught to stand up for disenfranchised people.