Suzy Ugaz knew she never wanted to stay at home and settle down to life as a secretary.

But the 22-year-old could never have envisaged marrying a man who would save her life in South America.

When she decided to travel for a year she believed she would return to go on to higher education.

But four years later she is the wife of the stranger who rescued her in a bar in Lima and has set up a Brighton-based charity helping street children in Peru.

Suzy's love affair with her husband Selvy and his native Peru sprang from her restless life as a teenager at Blatchington Mill School in Hove.

She ignored the advice of her careers adviser to become a secretary and decided to take a gap year after completing her A-levels.

She said: "I used to hate school, being told what to do. I've always been like that. I loved being creative and I loved travelling."

Suzy, who stays at her parents' home in Hove Park Villas, Hove, when she is in England, joined an organisation which sends young people around the world during their gap years.

She travelled to Paraguay and worked in a clinic with children for six months, changing nappies, teaching and looking after the youngsters.

Then she travelled independently around South America to Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Brazil, immersing herself in similar projects.

At one point she even bought a horse and rode through the desert.

She said: "I knew one day I would live there. I think when I went to South America it just struck something in me."

She returned to Hove in 1998, but leapt into action when Peru suffered devastating environmental catastrophe by El Nino, which brought terrible flooding to usually arid areas of countries.

The disaster left thousands of people homeless.

Suzy then launched Kiya Survivors and a series of fund-raising events throughout Brighton to help the people of Peru.

Suzy said: "I sent some of the money to my friend Diana and I then flew out and put up shelters and organised emergency food rations."

When the emergency was over she continued to work with street children near Lima. It was then she met her husband-to-be in an incident which could have cost her her life.

She said: "I went into Lima to celebrate someone's birthday and we were attacked when we were going into the club.

"Two of my friends were rushed to hospital. I went back into the club to get a friend, but was left by myself."

Suzy said she had a drink of beer but remembers nothing else of the evening.

She said: "I woke up and I was surrounded by Selvy, his mum and grandma. My drink had been spiked and I had collapsed. They were really kind to me."

Suzy began chatting to Selvy, whom she describes as gorgeous, and realised they had the same dream of helping youngsters on the streets of Peru.

Selvy, 22, also worked with alcoholics and drug addicts and three days after their meeting he proposed.

She said: "I was independent and loved getting involved in exciting new projects, so meeting someone who had such an impact on me, especially as I was so young, was quite a shock."

The couple teamed up and spent the next months working together on a variety of projects to help street children before returning to Hove and tying the knot at Hove Register Office in 1999.

The couple now want to return to Peru to start a centre for street children.

They also hope to have a team to join their trek into the country, which will not only raise money for the organisation but take skilled people to help. To help call 01273 721092.