The Day A Street Child Taught Me To Surf.

When I visited the Umthombo Street Child project in Durban South Africa, I never expected that a street child would give me a gift.

One of the common causes of being a street child is experiencing abuse at home and believing in the perception that it would be safer to live on the streets of Durban or any other city in the world.

So when they get to the city they often experience hardship, further abuse and live in very dangerous circumstances.

So you can imagine my surprise when I received a special gift from a street child on the beaches of Durban.

One of the projects that Umthombo have truly made a difference with, in Durban, is the Umthombo surfing project.  The video below gives a good overview of the benefit of that program to children living on the streets of Durban.

Street children being taught to surf, and having the daily discipline of surfing and training.  This work builds up confidence, stamina and a sense of meaning that has often been battered out of those kids living on the streets. It also shows them a different alternative to crime and drug abuse. They stop being just a street child and become someone fulfilling their potential.  Some of those street children have gone on to be international surfers competing in competitions around the world.

I was fortunate to be able to join those children in 2009 and one of them taught me how to surf.  He spent two hours showing me how to do it and you know what?  It was hard!  It was skilful and it showed me how much hard work would need to be put in to be good at surfing.

That day, I actually managed to stand on my surf board and surf for a couple of seconds.  In that time I felt such a rush of excitement and adrenalin and strangely freedom.

If I felt like that being a British tourist who has infinitely more than most of those street children, then I wonder how a street child must feel when they surf and people look at them as people of value again?

I was grateful for that gift that the street child gave me.

It is projects like these that Amos Trust supports in countries all over the world, this is why I am jumping out of a plane in July.  Please support me. Thanks.