Surfing pioneer Tom Hewitt MBE was just a teen when he moved to South Africa with local activists on an anti-apartheid fact-finding trip. There, he witnessed the plight of homeless children and immediately started working toward their welfare. He formed an organization fused with mentorship and care with arts and sports programs, including surfing. The moniker he gave to the organization was ‘Surfers Not Street Children’.

Recently, at an invitation-only event for CEOs and notable individuals representing 70 major industries in Carlsbad, California, Hewitt was awarded the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award for his significant contribution to the welfare of homeless children in South Africa.

Hewitt used surfing as a tool to create change in the society

Hewitt’s vision to launch Surfers Not Street Children is evidence of his commitment. He has relentlessly worked for 28 years with the street children in Africa. Recently, the founder and global CEO, was honored with the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award for his 25 years of pioneering work in creating surfing as a tool for positive change.

The group officially changed its name Surfers Not Street Children in 2012, and the approach of combining surfing with mentorship and care evolved to be the cornerstone of operations in Durban. In Mozambique, the Tofo Surf Club debuted in 2018 under Surfers Not Street Children.

Hewitt helped many kids transform their lives after completing the Surfers Not Street Children’s program. He is also globally known for his fight against government’s “street cleanups,” which involved evicting street children from their homes and placing them in institutions. The challenges of working with traumatized street children and finding long-term solutions were a difficult task for his team.

Early struggles of putting lives off the streets

The apartheid’s struggles moved him to work for the betterment of the street kids in East London, a town in South Africa. To find and support homeless street children in Durban, South Africa, he established the Durban Street Team in 1997. His model of introducing kids to mindfulness through surfing worked wonders with African street children.

In 2004, Tom and spouse Bulelwa teamed and co-founded Umthombo Street Children. The organization’s mindful staff better understands and forms good bonds of trust with street kids. Hewitt was awarded the prestigious Member of the British Empire award (MBE) on the New Year’s in 2011 for his services to child welfare in South Africa.

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At the talk show, “SURFERS NOT STREET CHILDREN FOUNDER TOM HEWITT ON THE INSPIRED SURFERS PODCAST,” presented by Jimmy. He discussed the unexpected challenges, like the hostility that white Durban surfers encountered when young black kids from the programme joined the lineup.

Hewitt is well-known throughout the world for his contributions to the community as a surfer. His role as a public speaker and activist continues to empower the street children.

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