United States
International
Events
Where to sleep – Reviews
Travel Gear to Use
Flying Tips
Driving Tips
Back Pain & Stress Relief
Stress free travel
Think of surfing – a rolling wave and whitewater skimmed by a skittering board and balanced rider. That iconic impression and a legacy of dudes, the Beach Boys and blondes is not what this post is about. This is about real action that a group of surfers and you too can take to help stop Ebola.
The sport isn’t usually associated with social causes but a group of San Diego State School of Tourism and Hospitality graduate students have married their love of the perfect wave with nurturing sustainable tourism.
They’ve seen surf tourism gone bad – locals leaving their farms to build too much, too quickly and too close to the beach. Without sewage treatment or infrastructure, things can go wrong quickly attracting drugs and prostitution, overcrowding and a seething frustration toward the visiting surfers. They’ve seen the inequality of outside investors ravaging underdeveloped beach resort sites and doing little to enhance local lives.
See the Go Fund Me – Rise Above Ebola video here.
Over the past two years Sean Brody and Daniel Hopkins have toiled to get it right this time in a community ravaged by war and unemployment to create the Kwepunha Retreat in Liberia. They’ve built a resort with a gentle environmental footprint to promote tourism but also provide jobs and education. The founders poured savings and worked with a small group of investors to re-condition abandoned buildings and open a 12-bedroom hostel as well as a four-bedroom house. With 15% of profits going into the community, there have been junior lifeguard classes, beach cleanups and school tutoring lessons. More than a dozen positions have been created, an impressive achievement in a country with an 85 % unemployment rate. The surf center has drawn visitors from more than forty countries eager to tackle the endless left-hand break, dip into the eighty degree water and enjoy the inexpensive, all inclusive daily rates.
Dr. Jess Ponting of SustainableSurf.org
A perfect picture of success?
It was looking so. “We were seeing people improve their lives” Brody has said.
Until the Ebola outbreak, which hasn’t affected Robertsport but is moving through other parts of the country. Now no one is traveling to Liberia unless they have to. When the Peace Corps pulled its volunteers out in July, Brody and Hopkins knew they’d have to close the resort – at least temporarily.
But ties to the community remain strong and they’ve launched a campaign to keep resort employees engaged for at least 6 months and help stop Ebola.
A little goes a long way in Roberstsport where a monthly salary of $80 allows one worker to support four to six others. They also organized twenty college students from Kriterion Monrovia to work in the community, to talk about the disease, its spread and how to stay safe. They’re working against mistrust of the government, of outsiders and admit that even when the outbreak is over, the stigma of Ebola will remain to inhibit tourism.
But that glorious ocean break and perfect temperatures will remain until Brody and Hopkins return. Help them support the community and fight the inequality to stop Ebola with a donation to the Rise Above Ebola, Go Fund Me campaign here.
Written in support of Blog Action Day 2015
#BAD2014 #Inequality #BlogAction
Listen to an interview from The Gathering Road podcast with Dr. Jess Ponting of SustainableSurf.org He speaks about creating a new generation of travel activists with surfing as the medium and Groundswell Travel. He founded the Center for Surf Research and its programs for the world’s first sustainable surf and snow resorts certification and a study abroad program.
Thank you!
Elaine this is awesome. Hanging 10 and also helping humanity in Liberia. I dig it.
shame the ebola affected them but good on them for doing good, I admire people like this!
It was a shame but hopefully they’ll bounce back. Scary times.
this was a perfect idea. not the usual surfing event to watch, and yes very timely cause too. simply looking for a good surfing topic to cover, this has given me a whole different approach, thank you!
Always nice to see people trying to make a difference.
Hats off to Sean and Daniel for their heart, hard work and determination not to give up on the people whose lives they’ve already helped immeasurably. An inspiring story for the rest of us . . .
Thanks so much, Nancy, I felt the same way when I heard about their efforts.
With all the media-fueled hysteria surrounding the topic of ebola, this post was a breath of fresh air. Let’s hope efforts like these can snowball into a strong counterpoint against inflammatory rhetoric and ignorance.
Thanks, Betsy, We have to look for the good sometimes harder than others.
Thanks for sharing this uplifting story in this very scary time.
We all have to work to stem the hysteria and I was so happy to discover the work of SustainableSurfing.org to improve lives, especially in Liberia now.
Thanks for writing, Irene. We travelers are ambassadors in the efforts to preserve the places we love and responsible development is the way forward for the locals too.
A beautiful post about generosity, hope and heartbreak. Kudos to both Brody and Hopkins for developing a business that also helped a community as well as all the people still working in Liberia against Ebola. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, Anita. This post strikes at the heart of my passion for travel and writing.
I hope your article and information about where to donate funds will go a long way to stop this dreaded disease. A proactive way to help!
Proactivity is the only way we can halt Ebola. Thanks for your note.
There is so much that needs to be done. Heartening to hear what Brody and Hopkings are doing to help out!
Thanks for sharing, Nancie.
Ebola is certainly making headlines around the world – we’ve even had a scare in Australia. Well done to the surfers for making a difference … wondering if there might be a ripple effect to the surfing world in Australia.
I’ll bet there the Australian surfing community is working with SustainableSurfing.org to help preserve and responsibly develop the areas near their favorite breaks. It’s a world wide movement. Thanks for the note.
Hats off to these surfers to better the lives of others. I am so disappointed in the slow efforts of governments to jump in with the necessary dollars and equipment to save lives.
And they are right that the stigma around Liberia will be there for a long time. We have a company that has funded water wells in Liberia for probably 15 years so it is a country where I feel a connection.
This epidemic in Africa is going to have repercussions and ripple effects across the planet. Thanks for your viewpoint and comment.
Thank you for offering a way to deal with the Ebola problem as opposed to just spreading news and or rumors about it. It’s a shame they had to shut down, but people making contributions will certainly help. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for the generous comment.