UNIQUE ALOHA
Hawaiians Visit Baja AIDS and Drug Orphanages On Surf Trip

At the second orphanage they were able to really stoke the kids out with surf lessons for everyone!

After scoring epic Baja Malibu shortly after their arrival, the two made the first humanitarian stop of their trip at an orphanage for young children. Just outside of Ensenada sits the Gabriel House which provides care and much needed help to a group of orphaned children in the direst of circumstances, those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

Kahana and Kanoa arrived at the orphanage in the middle of the night. “We knew all about HIV and AIDS and how we were not at risk for contracting the disease, but we couldn’t help but put up some barriers,” said Kanoa. Already feeling uneasy about the task ahead, the two pitched a tent in an open field adjacent to the orphanage and tried to get some sleep. But sleep was uneasy and the sounds that permeated the night will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives. “When we pitched our tent across from the orphanage all you could hear were the moans and the cries of the children. It sounded like something out of a horror movie. It was truly terrifying. I’m not sure if I even slept at all that night,” remembers Kanoa.

As day broke, however, the dawn brought a new perspective. When the sun began to illuminate their tent, Kahana and Kanoa were amazed to be swarmed by an onslaught of seemingly happy, laughing children. “The next morning the kids came in the tent and were laughing and crawling all over us. They were smiling and giggling and pulling at our hair. At that instant, any barriers or stigmas I had regarding HIV and AIDS were immediately broken,” recalls Kanoa.

The two spent the following days hanging out with the kids, helping feed them, and taking them on wheelchair strolls around the orphanage. “It was so heavy to see the little innocent toddlers that looked 100 percent normal, only to find out they were born with HIV. They did absolutely nothing to deserve it,” reflects Kahana.

After a few days, the duo bid goodbye to their young friends at the Gabriel House, took their leave and headed south along the coast taking the opportunity to surf an undisclosed right point along their way. Their next important stop was another orphanage located outside of the city of La Paz.