3 minute read
NAMIB SUSTAINABLE WAVES
Born out of a desire to give back to the community and share a love of the ocean, Namib Sustainable Waves is a project that has humble beginnings, but big dreams.
Oliver Peters, founder of Salty Jackal, and his partner, Iris Hysko, manage Salty Jackal Backpackers & Surf Camp, an accommodation establishment in Swakopmund centred around the cultures of surfing and free-spirited travellers. Apart from running the backpackers, the couple shares a passion to uplift and inspire the impoverished children from the local community.
Oliver always had the idea to run a community project as a part of Salty Jackal, especially after becoming involved in development coaching through South African surf coaches a few years earlier. Iris, who joined Oliver’s business in 2019, is originally from Italy and came to Namibia to do volunteer work at schools in Swakopmund’s informal settlements.
As a result of Covid-19 and the halt of tourism during the beginning of 2020, the couple started taking a number of children from the local informal settlements out for a day, teaching them about gardening, how to surf as well as providing a meal for them. The youngsters enjoyed it so much that soon they wanted to bring their friends along – Oliver and Iris therefore turned the outings into regular events. Apart from surfing and providing meals for the kids, other educational activities were added, like visiting the museum and the aquarium and working with organisations like the Namibian Dolphin Project and Good Food Namibia. Oliver and Iris have also been able to invite personalities like Dickie Chivell from Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and pro surfer Koa Smith to speak to the children about their profession.
“Our mission is to provide an inspirational experience that promotes a healthy lifestyle, raise awareness of their potential in life and the opportunities out there to achieve more than they can think of,” Iris says about the project.
The couple is in the process of registering a charitable trust with a vision of eventually being able to set up a community centre where these children can spend time after school, not only for fun and surfing, but also where qualified teachers and counsellors can help them with school work, career advice and issues at home. “We want to create a safe space where they meet one another and other people from the community with whom they can have fun,” says Iris.
