SurfAid International

In 1999, physician and surfer Dr. Dave Jenkins went on a surf charter to the Mentawai Islands with one goal in mind: to find perfect waves.

The surf proved to be everything he had hoped for. What he also found, though, were the Mentawai people---mostly women and children-–-suffering and dying from the ravages of malaria and other preventable diseases. Troubled by the inequity of lifestyles and moved by compassion, Dr. Jenkins went on to establish SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs.

With the support of the New Zealand and Australian governments, the global surfing community, and most importantly the Mentawai people of the affected areas themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.
Together with an impassioned, motivated, and talented team of volunteers, staff, and supporters, the SurfAid journey has begun.

Soon after, Dave was contacted by investment banker, Andrew Griffiths, a fellow Kiwi in London preparing for a surf holiday in the Mentawai Islands. Andrew had heard about Dave’s Mentawai initiative through a friend and set up a meeting, where the two immediately clicked. A plan was quickly hatched a to raise a couple of thousand dollars through friends and contacts - enough to buy mosquito nets and permethrin (the insecticide for treating the nets) - and pilot a small malaria net distribution program to the villages adjacent to the breaks Andrew would visit.

Andrew's first SurfAid mission was a success. Hooked, Andrew swapped his life in London for a tiny project in a small Mentawai village. Working as volunteers out of Padang, West Sumatra, Dave and Andrew began laying the building blocks of the SurfAid International Mentawai Health Program.

In the years that have elapsed since the founding of SurfAid, others have joined in the effort, including individuals, international corporations, government agencies, and global health organizations. Coupled with the support of volunteers, the international surfing community, and most importantly the Mentawai people themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.

SurfAid has expanded to include 53 villages and over 37,000 beneficiaries in our programme, which is a community development health initiative focusing on malaria control and childhood health. SurfAid is also laying the foundations for the communities to run their own health programs and build on the prevention of other diseases.

Mission Statement:

The mission of SurfAid International, a non-profit humanitarian organization, is to improve the health, wellbeing and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing.

Vision:

To develop and synthesize a series of proven, high impact and cost effective approaches that create lasting improvements in the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities at increasing scale

Core Values:

• SurfAid seeks the alleviation of suffering through health project that enhance local capabilities and promote community-base, self-help solutions, guided by the aspirations of its beneficiaries.
• SurfAid embodies positive values inherent in surfing, namely individualism, courage, dynamism, and adaptability, and seeks to harness these attributes in implementing projects with measurable results.
• SurfAid believes that development should be sustainable and encompass the social, spiritual, cultural, and economic wellbeing of its beneficiaries.
• SurfAid believes that the ultimate test of development policy is its long-term effect on the most vulnerable sectors of society, particularly women and children. To this end, SurfAid values and supports the central role of women in development.
• SurfAid is a grassroots organization that recognizes that its strength lies in the strong participation of its members. SurfAid recognizes the value of an involved membership and seeks to encourage that involvement with accurate and transparent communication.
• SurfAid believes that in all promotional activity, members should ensure that the dignity of beneficiaries is recognized and advanced.
• SurfAid recognizes and values the professionalism, skills, and experience of our staff and their contributions to institutional learning and development.
• SurfAid embraces the spirit of surfing exploration and works to ensure that the consequences are positive for communities of surf-rich areas