When people imagine a tropical beach with volcanic sands, warm waters and dream surf waves, they are describing El Zonte, in El Salvador. It is difficult to think that this natural paradise was once the battlefield of the wildest and most violent gangs in Latin America for decades. According to a UNICEF report, the homicide rate in 2015 was 103 percent inhabitants. The result was that thousands of orphans and vulnerable children to be recruited by drug cartels, where the only option for a better life seemed to be migrating to the United States.
Chimbera was born in the community of El Zonte, where the opportunities were divided by a path that separated the beach from the mountains. “In the past if you were born on the beach, you were a fisherman, like my father and grandfather. If you were born in the mountains, agriculture; while women were mainly housewives. The only hope of a better future for young people was emigrating to the United States or in the United States. We sadly learned that opportunities were the opportunities, the land of freedom where dreams come true. of Syming Sying.
Chimbera looks at the sky before continuing to reflect on dreams. “We believe in God and in the Law of Attraction of different things, but it is essential to believe in something that moves him to compromise and work every day for that dream. At first, the dream was to help children have more opportunities in the community, keep them out of crime and make them begin to dream.” The problem, Román highlights, is that many times they say “fight for your dreams”, but they don’t give you the tools or knowledge to achieve them. “Thus our dream began: Jorge met with the children on the street, supporting them and inspiring them to dream of a better future.
It is difficult not to get excited with Jorge Valenzuela, since he explains with crying why they decided to create Hope House. “We try to give these children the opportunities that our friends did not have and the reason why many of them are no longer here with us.” As most El Zonte residents, he also has a story to tell. About twenty years ago, Jorge made a living with agriculture. He had a heart to surf and the waves, but the sad reality around him forced him to keep his feet on the floor. At that time, the labor market only offered two options: to become a member of a gang or be hired as private security on a property. The sad and violent reality of those years presented a dead end. “There was a lack of employment opportunities, education and personal development in general. Faced with this, many sought to emigrate and look for them elsewhere,” Jorge explains clearly.
During those years, in the morning, when the sun began to look on the mountains, Jorge knew what he wanted to do. He would take his table and go to the black sand beach. There, on his back, with his table trapped in the sand and his eyes on the horizon, Hirvin was waiting for him. Together they learned to read the sea, to feel the direction of the wind. They used to warn strangers about the treacherous treacherous people who dragged those off the world, and over time they began to transmit their knowledge of the sea and surf the younger members of the community. Patience is the greatest virtue of surfers, for those who know how to expect are those who manage to mount the perfect wave. Both passed their afternoons sitting on their boards, looking for the best strategy to get ahead, to help their community. He was there, floating in the sea, where Hirvin and Jorge identified an area with enormous potential. “We took tourism as a main tool, such as a window that would connect us with other countries, with whom we could show the beauty of our land and invite them to visit our community.” They were sure they could generate new jobs in the city. “He was a surf instructor at that time and I felt that this sport would be fundamental for everything that happened later in the zonte,” says Jorge.
No one could have imagined that on that beach, surrounded by humble houses and dirt roads, the first Bitcoin circular economy in the world would emerge. Soon, Jorge and Hirvin’s paths would cross with the person who would change their lives. “For some destiny turn, people like Mike, Melissa, Carlos and Alex decided to move to El Zonte and dedicate their time and effort to help our community,” Jorge recalls. The beach and surfing were their meeting point. “We were children, I remember that they began to teach us English, they contacted us with the tourists who were coming, and that cultural exchange was what began to change my mind. This allowed us to dream, something we were not used to in the zonte. They showed us that, regardless of circumstances, if we have dreams and commit ourselves, things can change.” Jorge evokes the figure of Mike Peterson and, at one time, realizes that his life could have been very different if he had not known him.
With the incorporation of Mike into the project, they began to systematize community work on the beach. The idea was simple: create opportunities and hope for young people. Empower them as leaders and give them the necessary tools so that they do not have to emigrate or get involved in gangs. Fill the “child amor tank”, as Jorge defines it in his own words. “When we were little, they taught us some words in English, they helped us read and write better, but it was when my daughter, who is 17 today, was born that I understood that we had been children with an empty love tank.” A community where children grew up without parents or older brothers present to give them love, support and an example to follow. “We all have a tank, it can be empty or can be full of love and hope. That is what the children of our community need.”
Mike was not just a blue -eyed gringo who came to El Zonte and fell in love with his beaches and people. Peterson arrived as a surfer, but soon became a creator of dreams.
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