Streaking down the front of a curving wave, a girl balances fleetingly before tumbling — she is one of dozens of poor children in El Salvador getting a chance to surf their way out of poverty.
El Zonte is a world surfing mecca, where powerful Pacific swells explode onto pristine beaches an hour’s drive from the capital, San Salvador.
The 11-year-old girl is one of about 20 local children from economically disadvantaged families being offered an opportunity to surf their way to employment.
Photo: AFP
Schooled by volunteer instructors, the goal is to prepare them to become watersports professionals, part of a multimillion-dollar government project to develop the watersports industry.
“We are opening an opportunity to learn how to surf and other activities, so that these girls and boys can be empowered leaders of their communities and can escape poverty,” said Yasmin Solorzano, 34, a coordinator of the volunteer program called Medusas.
The children also learn English from their instructors and are encouraged to study up to the university level, added Solorzano, speaking before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the program.
“It’s a path for them. We want them to use what they learn here so that they can have a professional career and at the same time surf,” instructor Mariam Lopez, 37, said.
The program started two years ago, initially for girls to take surfing lessons two Sundays per month, but it now also welcomes boys who live near local beaches.
El Zonte’s laid-back ambience is a world away from El Salvador’s notorious gang violence and central to a plan by Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele to present a tourist-friendly face to the world.
Surfing draws tourists from the US, the Netherlands, Canada, Brazil and Germany — and many have chosen to stay.
Learning to surf in El Zonte is not cheap. Classes alone can cost between US$10 and US$50 per hour.
However, instructors at the entirely volunteer-supported Medusas program — many of them foreigners — do not charge and boards are rented out at a minimal cost.
“I really like children and I also really like helping people — and I don’t just come here to enjoy the waves, but also to give something to people,” 33-year-old Nette Klement from the Netherlands said.
The children also take lessons on the environment and art provided by Medusas one Sunday per month in the courtyard of a small hotel.
El Zonte is part of a US$200 million Surf City development project promoted by Bukele to turn this part of El Salvador into an international destination.
“Surf City is an ambitious project with which we want to position El Salvador as one of the best destinations for surf and beach tourism in Latin America,” Salvadorean Minister of Tourism Morena Valdez said.
The pandemic prevented El Salvador from putting itself on the world surfing events calendar when this year’s ISA World Surfing Games event, due to be hosted by the nearby El Sunsal Beach, was canceled. Up for grabs at the event were qualifying spots for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Kite-surfing fabrics, car tires and shortened shoelaces helped Kenyan Sabastian Sawe and Adidas crack the two-hour marathon barrier. When Sawe on Sunday shattered one of athletics’ most elusive barriers in storming to victory at the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, it did not come from just physiology and grit, but from design choices drawn from far beyond the course. Sawe debuted Adidas’ lightest-ever racing shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. “It starts with the mentality of the athlete, the coach, and the team behind the product, which is: What can we do better? What is the 1 percent
RSS