The Ebola epidemic that is taking place in West Africa has been referred to as “the worst peacetime challenge” the world has ever faced and is affecting many lives. The surf community can make a difference.
Please support our campaign to keep the emerging surf destination of Robertsport, Liberia, Ebola-free. Robertsport is home to some perfect left pointbreaks and the individuals from the community are some of the nicest and most genuine people you might ever meet.
Helping is as easy as trading your next burrito for a homemade PB and J and donating the money you saved to help Liberia.
In 2012, Daniel Hopkins and I started Kwepunha Retreat in Liberia in order to help change the public perception of the West African nation. In a country that does not have the best reputation, we have a surf school run by Liberian surf instructors, a handful of cozy rooms for rent, delicious, hot meals, and we offer a variety of nature treks and fishing tours. We have hosted guests from more than 40 different nations and employ more than 15 Robertsport locals, each of whom helps to support their family and friends.
Due to the tragic situation going on in Liberia at the moment, we have been forced to temporarily stop taking guests. This has created a major challenge for our staff, who depend on the surf tourism in order to provide their families with food, schooling and healthcare.
Additionally, we are raising funds for a public awareness program in the community of Robertsport to educate the community on the best practices for staying safe and to dispel commonly believed rumors about Ebola.
With your help, we can keep Robertsport Ebola-free. Please donate if you can and help us spread the word. For more details about the “Rise Above Ebola” campaign, please continue reading below and here.
Liberia is currently in the middle of the worst Ebola outbreak in history. For the last two years, we have worked tirelessly to bring tourism to our community of Robertsport, Liberia, by starting a sustainable surf camp. Our goal has been to use surfing as a catalyst for tourism in Liberia given the world-class waves that Robertsport has to offer.
Unfortunately, we have put our business on hold and shut things down to avoid any unnecessary travel in/out of Liberia and to protect the health and safety of all members of the Robertsport community.
With Liberia having an 85% unemployment rate, we understand the immense value that a job creates not only for the employee but for the family and friends that these employees help to support. On average, one Liberian earning an $80 monthly salary will support between 4-6 additional people through food and medical assistance.
Because of this, we are asking for help to achieve a minimum of two goals:
Goal #1: Raise funds necessary to provide a minimum of 6 months salary for our 15-person team at Kwepunha. The World Health Organization estimates this epidemic to take at least 6 months to be contained.
This requires $1,200 per month x 6 months minimum totaling $7,200.
Goal #2: Raise funds necessary to provide one week of Ebola awareness programming in Robertsport via the Kriterion Monrovia Group. 20 University students training community leaders and going door to door to raise awareness and answer questions pertaining to Ebola and everyday life.
This requires $7,000 for transport, meals, daily student rate, printed materials, accommodations and all other necessary items.
Ancillary Goals:
We would also like to raise additional funding to continue our monthly beach/community cleanups, sanitation projects and education projects which will create additional jobs for dozens of deserving community members.
This requires up to $1,500 per month and would employ up to 20 additional community members and help to support over 100.
Please help us achieve these goals by making a donation to support our staff and community here.
