Our Story
Check out our journey from our first ever surf lesson to where we are now. From surf competitions to national news features, it has been an epic journey since day one!
01
Where it all began
Our story began in November 2021 when Brayan decided he wanted to do something different to give back to his community of Cerrito de la Virgen. For our first lesson we had to knock on the doors of the houses in the community to allow us to take their children surfing. The majority of the community members do not know how to swim, so convincing their children to surf with us was quite a feat! We were entrusted with three children for our first surf lesson, generously facilitated by the Onechako Surf School.
02
Casa Surf Cerrito
We realised that having our own space was essential for the sustainability of the project, so we created a Founding Family to raise enough money to build a surf school. In March 2022, we opened the surf school that lies in the heart of Cerrito de la Virgen. This is a place where we store our surf kit and, most importantly, establish a home away from home for the children where they can feel safe.
03
Growing and Expanding
As our program grew, we found ourselves adding another surf class in April 2022 as more and more young people wanted to join our surf lessons.
04
Comp time!
Our young surfers were already shredding and three entered the 2021 Easter junior surf competition, putting Cerrito on the map and getting some serious experience.
05
Surf Cerrito In The News
In July 2022, our work was recognized on a national scale when we were featured on Peruvian TV, an accomplishment that inspired us to continue our efforts to enrich the lives of our community.
06
Levelling Up
We embarked on further development projects, including the construction of a bathroom in August 2022 and a platform at the back of the school in October 2022.
07
Networking and Celebrating
In November 2022, we attended the Congreso Regenerativo - a Regenerative Surf Conference hosted by Waves Lobitos, a forum where we shared experiences, advice, and ideas with organizations from all over Latin America. Our one-year Surf Cerrito anniversary celebration followed, marking a significant milestone in our organization's history.
08
Further Progress
We continued our momentum with fundraisers in Edinburgh and Huanchaco in December 2022, raising over 1000 pounds.
09
Surf Cerrito Road Trip
That same month, we swapped surf for sand and took the kids on a Christmas trip to the dunes of Conache, celebrating an epic year at Surf Cerrito.
10
New Year, New Skills
In January 2022, we expanded our curriculum with Jiu Jitsu classes, a new initiative designed to develop our students' strength, respect, and self-control.
11
A Word of Gratitude
Thanks to everyone who has donated and supported us so far on our journey. We are grateful for the opportunities we have had to inspire and empower the next generation of surfers and are eager to continue our work in the months and years ahead.