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| Emi Koch works with homeless children to help improve their lives. |
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A Huge Task and a Big Heart
A surfer takes on homeless and abandoned children
by Patty Ducey-Brooks
This past month I got an email from a young woman who was sending out a plea for attention. She was seeking help from the media to tell her story, her goal to save youngsters living on the streets in coastal communities worldwide. These children have no family, with the exception of other homeless children, and no education or quality role models to guide them through life.
I was then informed that most of these homeless children turn to drugs and crime to survive. The drugs help them escape. The crime is often due to the gangs that they join, their only family.
Emi Koch, a 20 year-old San Diegan, formerly from Banker's Hill, said she spent most of her life surfing. She learned to surf because of her dad, a retired head lifeguard at La Jolla Cove. She said that she wanted to be a professional surfer, and started competing. However, one day in class at Our Lady of Peace, her life goals changed.
Koch credits her teacher at that time who spoke about the children around the world who are statistics. When she heard that one out of one hundred youngsters in poor communities around the world would get an education, she felt an obligation. Her goal became helping these neglected, homeless children of the world.
Koch is currently a sophomore at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She is an anthropology major, which she says helps students to understand the cultures, traditions and customs of humankind. She is also the founder and director of Beyond the Surface, a nonprofit corporation currently applying for 501(c) 3 tax-exempt charity status. Koch’s mission is to eradicate youth homelessness in coastal communities worldwide, and empower street children through the sport of surfing. Beyond the Surface now sponsors three international nongovernmental organizations: The Kovalam Surf Club in India, WAVES for Development in Peru, and The Umthombo Surf Club in South Africa.
I learned through Koch that in Latin America, a reoccurring cause for homelessness is abandonment by poor families unable to feed and care for all their children. In Africa, AIDS is a significant common cause. India is home to the world’s largest population of street children, estimated at 18 million.
It’s obvious by her passionate comments that Koch is serious about her role as founder and director. And she is dedicated to changing the lives of youngsters who need quality, adult role models. Already the three organizations that she’s associated with are making a positive impact on youth who have had little guidance, attention, motivation and compassion. What is unique is that surfing plays an important factor in these programs.
She says that surfing became an integral part of her upbringing, because it required dedication and commitment, is a healthy outlet and helps with building self-esteem. Those are the qualities that are integrated into the programs provided by the three organizations that she is helping through the Beyond the Surface program. Already upward of 200 youngsters are enrolled in these organizations that provide free surf education, as well as housing, food and safety.
Koch said that surfing is addicting and she knows that it has the same influence on the youngsters who’ve signed on with the programs in India, South Africa and Peru. And the directors of the program, who she communicates with on a regular basis, are seeing the youth change before their eyes, from tough street kids to healthy and compassionate youngsters with a purpose.
Koch, who was recently in San Diego to promote her organization and its efforts, met with representatives of Billabong Girls and Sun Diego. She was encouraged by the results of the meetings and their interest in her cause.
Knowing the rule of surfers, to look out for each other, she is also enlisting the support of some of her professional surfer friends and their respective organizations and connections. However, she wants the general public to share in her cause and is inviting anyone interested in helping homeless children, contact her through the organization’s Web site: ww.beyondthesurfaceinternational.org, or via email at emikoch@gmail.com.
I shared with Koch that I was touched by her compassion and commitment to saving children, and impressed with her drive to make Beyond the Surface International a highly respected and professional organization. And, I said I would encourage others to join her effort, as well as commit resources to the homeless youth of our world. We can make a difference.
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