Ongoing Education and Volunteer Programming off to Great Start in Lobitos



November 8, 2008    WAVES started ongoing Educational Surf and Adventure Voluntourism programming in Lobitos on October 27th. Five international volunteers and 3 WAVES staff members worked with local community members and officials to coordinate two weeks of special classes and activities to jump-start continual in-school and after-school programming.

The first activity was held at the meeting house of the local fishing cooperative. Local WAVES representative and certified surf instructor Holggers Clavijo offered a workshop on Surfboard Theory and Maintenance. Youth got some hands on learning while going through the process of repairing a surfboard.

The programming attracted many new youth to participate. In total, nearly 38 youth between the ages of 8 and 26 attended WAVES after-school classes and activities. Swimming and surfing classes were held twice each week for interested boys and girls. Youth and their parents had a chance to learn about the importance of Environmental Conservation and how it relates to the ocean at community screenings of two Surfrider Foundation videos. Volunteers and local youth also collected 12 bags of trash from the beach at a Saturday beach clean up.

Volunteers were able to interact with even more youth by coordinating with local teachers to assist in English and Physical Education classes at the secondary school. Three volunteers will continue to assist teachers in the local school throughout the end of the school year, in addition to offering English classes to interested community members in the evenings.

Making WAVES at the 2008 WCT Movistar Mancora Peru Classic




November 4, 2008    For the second year in a row, WAVES was present at the WCT Pro Woman's surf competition in Mancora, Peru. The first day of the competition, WAVES representatives handed out stickers and explained WAVES to contestants, fans, journalists, and local officials.

The second day of competition was held in Lobitos due to small waves in Mancora. The move provided a great opportunity for the local youth WAVES works with to check out the competition and meet some of the competitors, including Karina Petroni, Jacqueline Silva, Silvana Lima, and defending world champion Stephanie Gilmore.

WAVES Receives Visit in Lobitos from Representatives of the Huarmey Tourism Board and the Asociacion Ancash




October 29, 2008    Two representatives from the community of Huarmey, a coastal community located north of Lima in the department of Ancash, visited WAVES' program in Lobitos. The purpose of their trip was to observe WAVES' Educational Surf and Adventure Voluntourism programs and consider the possibilities for starting similar programs in Huarmey. The pair were accompanied by the tourism director of Antamina's Asociacion Ancash, who provided support for the visit.

The group observed English and swimming classes, and even participated in a surf class. They also met local officials from Lobitos and visited nearby caves. The group also had the opportunity to get to know WAVES staff and volunteers while living, cooking, and sharing meals in the home of a local family.

The delegation from Huarmey returned home with a presentation of WAVES and their experience to share with the other members of the Huarmey Tourism Board and the local government. The vistors left excited about the possibility for WAVES to offer an Expo and Huarmey's Festiverano celebration in February.

WAVES Representatives Make Presentation at Rotary Club Lima Sunrise



October 16, 2008    WAVES Executive Director Dave Aabo and Operations Director Kevin Fitzpatrick made a presentation to the Rotary Club Lima Sunrise at the Hotel Marriott on October 16th. The pair enjoyed the club's weekly breakfast together with club members before making the presentation. The presentation included the history of WAVES, a video demonstrating current programs, and a look at the future of WAVES. Dave and Kevin also let participants know how they can get involved through spreading the word about WAVES, volunteering, and fundraising.

WAVES for Development Switzerland holds Fundraising Event


September 6, 2008    WAVES for Development Switzerland held a special fundraising event on September 6th. Sylvain Gaeng, President of WAVES Switzerland, gave a presentation of WAVES' programs and work in the community of Lobitos. The presentation included the participation via video conference of WAVES for Development International Director David Aabo from New York and a WAVES Volunteer from Talara, Peru.

Attendees enjoyed Peruvian food and drink, including cheviche, aji de gallina, and pisco sours. Guests danced to live performances of traditional and modern Peruvian music. The event raised more than $1,500 dollars for WAVES programming in Peru.

Check out the 24 Heures article and Radio Chablais program about the event. (Both in French)

Phase II Huge Success; Draws more Participants and a Visit from the Peruvian Sport Institute



August 20, 2008    From July 28th until August 8th, WAVES for Development held Phase II of its Educational Surf and Adventure Voluntourism Programs in Lobitos, Peru following the success of the Pilot Project in February.

Forty two local youth participated in the program which included language & arts, earth connection & entrepreneurship, and swimming & surfing. Combining all of the elements, the participants painted a mural of their vision for the future on the "new" 'WAVES Clubhouse' within the school compound. With the help of current and past students from the school and volunteers, the derelict original school building, most recently used only for storage, was converted into a fully functional classroom that houses the program's boards and wetsuits. The reparation was a learning exercise.  English was spoken while painting, connecting the language and arts. Plastic bottles were sold to be recycled, connecting social entrepreneurship with the conservation.

A delegation of representatives from the Puira and Lima offices of the Peruvian Sport Institute visited the program. Although Agusto Milliones flight was delayed and missed the closing ceremony barbecue (with over 300 hamburgers for participants and families), he did offer glowing praise for the programs and suggested the WAVES model be applied to other sports!

Soul Surfers Foundation “Summer Tour with Care 2008” raises more then €2000


August 10, 2008    From the 15th to the 25th of July the Soul Surfers Foundation “Summer Tour with Care 2008” took place. The summer tour visited the Dutch / Belgium surf camps in France to create awareness for Sports and Development and specifically for WAVES for Development's projects in Peru. The Summer Tour was welcomed at the camps of Breakloose, Brunotti, Dutch Surf Experience, O’Neill en Surf in Beachcamps. Soul Surfers started the tour in by participating in the Village Green at the Jack Johnson Concert in The Hague, The Netherlands were they sold over 50 shirts.

The tour offered participants the opportunity to play bingo and tombola games for prizes from Billabong, Brunotti, Etnies, Ocean Minded, O’Neill, Rip Curl, Vans, Quiksilver and Surftech. Bufo donated a recyclable board which Soul Surfers Foundation will raffle off on the 19th of September.

WAVES for Development Switzerland Participates in Peruvian National Day Affair in Lausanne, Switzerland.


August 8, 2008    WAVES for Development Switzerland introduced its organization and educational program in Peru to the Helvetic audience members that visited its stand. WAVES Switzerland made posters and videos available to the public. Additionally, WAVES Switzerland was able to collect its first donations. The next event is planned for September 6th in Vevy, Switzerland.

WAVES Featured in Article on Inter Press Service


July 8, 2008    Visit the Inter Press Service website to read the article “DEVELOPMENT: Tourism's New Wave,” by Enrique Gili. The article describes the work WAVES for Development is doing in Peru and it's vision for using surfing and voluntourism to change the lives of coastal community members around the world. WAVES founder David Aabo was interviewed for the article. He explained how the idea for WAVES originated and why voluntourism and surfing are the perfect match for communities like Lobitos, Peru.

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