How Does SWA Give Back to the Community in Northern Nicaragua?

Mujeres Que Mueven is a non-profit organization in northern Nicaragua that inspires and empowers women to better self-manage their health through movement, group support, and dietary awareness. This is just one of several organizations that SWA supports in rural northern Nicaragua. We believe that travel is more meaningful when you have a chance to give back and support programs that improve the lives of locals wherever you are.
When you join a surf with amigas retreat In nicaragua, this is how you’re helping give back!

Last year SWA funded Mujeres Que Mueven’s annual nutrition challenge, and we’re proud to be funding the event again this year! The inspiring event in the village of Aserradores gives local women access to a month-long intensive program that is focused on exercise, nutrition, healthy cooking, and healthy habit forming.

Aside from the annual nutrition challenge, Mujeres Que Mueven holds exercise classes every afternoon, and each month offers one educational workshop and one women’s night. The women’s nights are built around wellness practices that include affirmations, vision boards, empowerment circles, self massage, and reiki.

MQM is empowering women in rural Northern Nicaragua to take charge of their personal wellness to lead healthier and happier lives.

At many of the monthly workshops, Nicaraguan women are invited on behalf of the organization to come to the village and teach local women about nutrition and self care. An amazing workshop was hosted in April 2022 that focused on education about the menstrual cycle and how to use menstrual cups + period panties. Over 30 cups were donated by Lenacup and MQM purchased panties to give to the women who attended. Over 25 women from the surrounding area attended and there were even families of three generations. Check out a highlight of the incredible event here.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MUJERES QUE MUEVEN AND HOW TO GET INVOLVED, CLICK HERE.

Giving Back – Books for Kids in Costa Rica

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Supporting education

Some of our goals at Surf With Amigas are to do good and leave a community better than we found it. We try to partner with a local non-profit who is doing good in the local community at all our retreat locations. We believe strongly in helping people through education and focus our efforts primarily on supporting students and schools.  Surf With Amigas gives back by donating books to kids Costa Rica.

At our Costa Rican location, in the very furthest Southern parts of the country we have teamed up with a local woman who has made it her mission to be sure all kids in the area have access to the books they need. You would think this would be the government’s job, and it is. But unfortunately some of the schools are located in incredibly remote areas and sometimes get forgotten.

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Remote Communities

A large part of the local community lives in an indigenous area, far off the beaten track. They are totally self sufficient and very remote. There are no roads, so the people travel to town along the beach on horseback and only at low tide. Book delivery can only happen via horseback and in some cases, by helicopter!

In order to do our part, we have dedicated money for each guest who joins us in Costa Rica. We recently received heartwarming photos of the books being delivered and enjoyed by the local kids.

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Sonoma Academy High School Surf and Service Trip

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High School Surf and Service Trip

Last week we had a group of fifteen students and two teachers from Sonoma Academy visit Northern Nicaragua for a service learning trip. The goal was to surf as much as possible, learn about the culture and lifestyle of the people in Nicaragua and give back to the local community by helping to renovate a local elementary school.

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Learning to surf

Most of the girls had surfed once or twice before. They threw themselves into it fearlessly. Some days we had strong offshore winds which made for challenging conditions. There were some awesome rides and exciting wipeouts.

Galloping down the beach

One of the week’s highlights was our horseback ride down the beach. The girls were so excited to gallop along the shore that the ride was the longest in SWA history. There were certainly some sore backsides but also ear to ear smiles.

We stopped half way back for some fresh coconuts pulled from the trees and opened with machetes in front of us. One of the girls noted that a coconut like that would have cost $8 at Whole Foods! Nothing tastes better than fresh coconut water!

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School Restoration – High School Service Project

Surf With Amigas is partnered with the non-profit Waves of Hope on a variety of philanthropy projects in North Nicaragua. Aiding local education opportunities is a major focus. This week we put our energy towards renovating a local elementary school. The girls spent the week cleaning and painting so that the classrooms will be in great shape for the start of the new school year.

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The trip of a lifetime

Combining adventure, excitement, and the warm fuzzies of leaving a place better than you found it leads to the trip of a lifetime. The girls said every day that that day was the best of their lives.

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Surf Completely – Coco Chanel Paddle

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How to Catch more waves with the Coco Chanel Paddle

Everyone knows the Coco Chanel logo right? The two interlocking Cs are not just a sign of luxury, but also a great way to paddle. If you want to have the most efficient paddle technique you need to increase the length of your stroke. Paddling in the shape of a C achieves that. If you use the Coco Chanel Paddle you’ll be covering more distance faster. That means more waves and fewer turtle rolls! This video will take you through some things to do and others to avoid to improve your paddle skills and have you catching more waves!

Why it’s best to learn to surf from women

At Surf With Amigas, we take a humorous approach to teaching surf skills. You’ll learn to turn with your boobs and to avoid paddling like a T-Rex. You’ll also hear that you should paddle like the Coco Chanel logo. Come learn and laugh with us! That’s the difference of a surf camp run by women!

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For more instructional videos, check out our Surf Completely page!

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Longboard Surf Coaching Retreat in Nicaragua

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The spot we surf in Northern Nicaragua for our women’s surf yoga retreats is ideal for improving your longboarding skills. This particular week in mid December 2017 had awesome super long lefts and rights that were great for all surfing levels. Some ladies were working on just standing up for the first time, while others were working on cross-stepping and trying to nose ride. No matter your current ability, we will individualize our coaching to make sure you get the help you need to achieve your goals.

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Practicing paddle techniques in the pool during Paddle School!

Other Activities

Of course it’s not all about surfing. We also offered daily restorative yoga sessions, played kickball with local ladies, hiked and then boarded down a volcano, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of Nicaragua.

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Restorative yoga
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Shoulder opening class to stretch out tired surfing muscles.

Check out the video highlights from the week!

Come and join us on our next retreat!

All our available dates are listed on the schedule page. We will be adding more for winter next year very soon.

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Gorgeous sunsets every night.