Last week we shared the story of Misión México, a little orphanage in Tapachula where many of the children have learned to surf – and some of them have even begun to teach surfing themselves, as part of an awesome program called misionsurf mexico.
One of these incredible young surfing protégés is Moacir.
Originally from Nicaragua, he has escaped a life of poverty and domestic abuse. After being abandoned by his mother and moving to Misión México, Moacir soon settled in to family life with Pam and Alan, the orphanage’s founders.
He quickly assumed the role of ‘older brother’ to the other children at the refuge, helping Pam and Alan out where he could and often being mistaken for their biological son – a mistake they often didn’t correct.
And why would you? Everyone looked up to Moacir and everyone wanted to be his friend. But while he was loved and respected by everyone at the orphanage, Moacir faced many difficulties when trying to move on and achieve his own ambitions. It was almost impossible to get a formal education in Mexico due to legal problems associated with his residency paperwork. But he never gave up. Moacir studied hard and it paid off: he passed a bunch of English exams in Tapachula and soon bagged a scholarship to study Business Management in Surfing Studies in Australia. Could you think of a more perfect course title?!
So, what’s he up to today? He's actually back in Australia living with his Aussie girlfriend and his family. But he hasn’t forgotten Misión México. Far from it: he spends much of his time as an ambassador to help with fundraising, as well as helping Pam and Alan get misionsurf mexico up and running online. What a legend!
While there are many sad tales surrounding orphanages like Misión México, there are also so many inspiring tales like Moacir’s. Next time we’ll share more hopeful surfing tales from the small family refuge in Tapachula, with a big heart and a whole lot of love.
Visit lovelifehope.com and missionsurf.mx for more.