When people picture a tropical beach with volcanic sands, warm waters and dreamy surfing waves, they are describing El Zonte, in El Salvador. It’s hard to think that this natural paradise was once the battleground of Latin America’s most savage and violent gangs for decades. According to a UNICEF report, the homicide rate in 2015 was 103 per 100,000 inhabitants. The result was thousands of children orphaned and vulnerable to be recruited by the drug cartels, where the only option for a better life seemed to be to migrate to the United States.
Chimbera was born in the community of El Zonte, where opportunities were divided by a road which 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, you were a farmer; while women were mainly housewives. The only hope for a better future for young people was to emigrate to the United States or Canada. We learned with sadness that the opportunities were there, the land of freedom where dreams supposedly came true. Paradoxically, these words come from a smiling face. It is very easy to fall in love with Román Martínez’s smile; known as “Chimbera” to his closest friends and family. His contagious joy comes from someone who knows in depth the darkest sides a society can fall into. His smile tells a story of collective overcoming, where a group of people believed that a better future was possible and, without expectations but with tireless determination, transformed a fishing village in one of the poorest and most violent countries in the world into a hub of technological innovation and human development. Something unusual in modern history.
Chimbera looks to the sky before continuing to reflect on dreams. “We believe in God and in the law of attraction of different things, but it is fundamental to believe in something that moves you to commit and work every day for that dream. In the beginning, the dream was to help kids have more opportunities in the community, keep them out of delinquency and get them to start dreaming.” The problem, Román highlights, is that many times they tell you “fight for your dreams” but they don’t give you the tools or the knowledge to be able to achieve them. “That’s how our dream began: Jorge meeting with the children on the street, supporting them and inspiring them to dream of a better future.
It’s hard not to get emotional with Jorge Valenzuela as he tearfully explains why they decided to create Hope House. “We sought to give these children the opportunities that our friends didn’t have and the reason why many of them are no longer here with us.” Like most of the residents of El Zonte, he too has a story to tell. Some twenty years ago, Jorge made his living from farming. He had a heart for surfing and the waves, but the sad reality around him forced him to keep his feet on the ground. At that time, the job market only offered two options: to become a gang member or to 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, educational and personal development opportunities in general. Faced with this, many sought to emigrate and look for them elsewhere,” Jorge explains clearly.
During those years, in the mornings, when the sun began to peek over the mountains, Jorge knew what he wanted to do. He would take his board and go down to the black sand beach. There, on his back, with his board stuck 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 currents that dragged the unsuspecting out to sea, and over time they began to pass on their knowledge of the sea and surfing to the youngest members of the community. Patience is the greatest virtue of surfers, for those who know how to wait are the ones who manage to ride the perfect wave. Both spent their afternoons sitting on their boards, looking for the best strategy to get ahead, to help their community. It was there, floating in the sea, where Hirvin and Jorge identified an area with enormous potential. “We took tourism as a main tool, as a window that would connect us with other countries, to whom we could show the beauty of our land and invite them to visit our community”. They were confident that they could generate new jobs in the town. “I was a surf instructor at the time and I felt that this sport would be fundamental for everything that happened later in El Zonte,” says Jorge.
No one could have imagined that on that beach, surrounded by humble houses and dirt roads, the world’s first Bitcoin circular economy would emerge. Soon, Jorge and Hirvin’s paths would cross with the person who would change their lives. “For some twist of fate, people like Mike, Melissa, Carlos and Alex decided to move to El Zonte and dedicate their time and effort to help our community,” recalls Jorge. The beach and surfing were their rallying point. “We were kids, I remember they started teaching us English, they put us in contact with the tourists that were arriving, and that cultural exchange was what began to change our minds. This allowed us to dream, something we were not used to in El Zonte. They showed us that, no matter the circumstances, if we have dreams and commit to them, things can change.” Jorge evokes the figure of Mike Peterson and, in a moment, he realizes that his life could have been very different if he had not met him.
With Mike’s incorporation into the project, they began to systematize the 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 “children’s love tank,” as Jorge defines it in his own words. “When we were little they taught us some words in English, they helped us to 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 siblings present to give them love, support and an example to follow. “We all have a tank, it can be empty or it can be filled with love and hope. That’s what the kids in our community needed.”
Mike wasn’t just a blue-eyed gringo who came to El Zonte and fell in love with its beaches and people. Peterson arrived as a surfer but soon became a dream maker.
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