Every Wave Carries a Lesson: What 2025 brought to us and How It's shaping 2026
Written by:
José Bourbon
March 6, 2026
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2025 was a year that moved at two different speeds.
On one hand, our pilot SUP-Therapy program in Príncipe proved its value. With the support of the HBD hotel chain, which funds the project on the island, we were able to relaunch a new edition of the program in October with the stability needed to ensure continuity and impact.
On the other hand, 2025 was also the year we had to acknowledge that the conditions were not in place to sustain a successful program in Santana, on the island of São Tomé. As a result, we made the difficult decision to temporarily pause our intervention there in order to reassess, reorganise, and rebuild on more solid foundations.
This process led to an important shift in our approach.
Instead of relying primarily on international volunteers, we decided to change the foundations of our intervention in São Tomé by investing in local capacity. In 2025 we began forming a local team of 6 young men and women, who will manage the SOMA club and, in the future, play a key role in running the social business model that SOMA aims to launch in 2026.
We believe this model will allow to finance and restart our surf therapy program in a stronger and more sustainable way, led by local people and rooted within the community itself.
To know more about what 2025 brought to us and to our girls, you can read the full report here.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Activity Plan
2025 taught us that sustainable change isn’t about perfect technical solutions. It’s about building strong local capacity, focusing on what matters most, and adapting to unpredictable challenges.
These lessons have reshaped the way we intervene: moving away from trying to do everything directly, and instead investing in structure, capacity, and long-term sustainability.
With this in mind, our main strategic priorities for 2026 are:
Decentralization of leadership and management at SOMA
Local training and capacity building through the PRO Program
Maintaining and strengthening the SOMA Club in São Tomé
Implementation of SOMA’s social business in São Tomé
Continuous reinforcement of financial resource mobilization
Redesign of the intensive surf therapy program
Implementation of the SOMA Club in Príncipe
To learn more about how we plan to achieve these priorities, and the programs and actions that will bring this strategy to life, read our full 2026 Activity Planhere
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