Here is a photo of our lovely ambassadors, Tennille and Alexi wearing Quiksilver Womens! We were so stoked to see them in the office rocking Quiksilver Womens and pleased to hear about their future projects, you guys will be seeing a lot more of them soon.

In 2005, Tennille and Alexi formed E P I C, Everyday People Initiating Change, a non profit organization whereby they build sustainable water systems in Africa. Through their partnership with Quiksilver, they have raised enough money to complete six water wells in Africa.

Thank you, Tennille and Alexi for embodying the spirit of the Quiksilver brand as well as you do, you inspire and empower us to do the same!  We wish them luck in all of their upcoming endeavors!

To find out more information about E.P.I.C, Everday People Initiating Change click here!

To shop Tennille’s capitan flannel shirt, click here.

We just recieved this beautiful photo for our “Summer Stories” Contest by our very own brand ambassador Alexi Panos. Alexi, we dont know where you travel to on your summer vacations but next time we want to go!!! AMAZING!

Photo: Alexi Panos

Such a perfect picture to put anyone in that summertime beach mood! Are you inspired yet?  Submit your “Summer Story” on our facebook page for a chance to be published and win clothes from the new collection.

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Through our travels Alexi and I got to see firsthand how very important even the smallest of things can be for a village.  We visited three villages this past summer, all in which were relatively close to each other but not considered to be walking distance. This makes it very hard for the villages to communicate and share water. These villages are also very far away from the main town; they are so rural, and do not have access to any shops, markets, hospitals, or other necessities.

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In one of the villages where they have a small primary school, the government has provided a borehole well to help with their water problem. This well is efficient to them, but still too far away for the other villages, who are in dire need of water, to access. For example in one of the nearer villages where they are building a secondary school, the people wait in a line to collect their water from a small hand-dug well. This process is neither safe nor provides the people with clean water.  While out there, this really hit Alexi and I.

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After talking to the local people in all these villages about their problems and facing these problems with them first hand to experience what they deal with in their daily lives, it became apparent to us that what these people needed were bikes. In hearing some of their stories and knowing how hard transportation is for them, it became clear that with the help of bikes these people would be able to access other nearby villages, and bike into town to buy much needed supplies. Before having bikes, these people were unable to get to the hospital if someone was sick, or provide the right doctor for a pregnant woman having her baby. As you can see a lack of transportation caused a lot of restraints for these people and with this, Alexi and I decided it would be best for us to provide them with this necessity. By giving these people what they desperately needed, the bikes, we would show them that we had begun our commitment to sharing in their needs. We also decided that we would drill bore-holes (hopefully this year) for the two villages that did not have clean water.

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The excitement amongst the local people after we brought them the bikes was so inspiring that it definitely gave us the encouragement to keep moving forward. It also showed us, again, that it truly is the little things that count in creating a bigger whole. This small gift would help the villages with many obstacles. We now know that in getting to know these people better, and by understanding their individual problems on a personal level, we are better able to help with their needs.  With our help, the healthy growth of each community will soon follow.

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This idea of “a little going a long way” was reinforced by our newly found friend, Peter Allen Luis. Peter, we found out, had left his life in the States to live full-time to help run a secondary school for the Masai school in a small village in Arusha (near the top of Tanzania). What Peter has been able to accomplish in this community is truly inspiring; he understands fully the importance of a slow, steady growth, and recognizes that by keeping your focus small, you are able to produce huge and highly effective change.  After meeting the children at his school, it is impossible to not be affected by their enthusiasm about the way their community has grown since Peter first arrived.  He started with nothing, and now, only a few years later, the school is arguably one of the best in Tanzania. His students are extremely bright, each one having the potential to do amazing things within their communities, and even for their country at large.

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However, even with all these accomplishments, Arusha still does not have access to clean water because of it being located very high up in the mountains. Because of its location, it makes it difficult to drill a borehole well in the village. Talking with Peter we decided to work with him and the community to find a solution to their problem; this would be a perfect place for a well because we knew the water would be used effectively. We will begin drilling in Arusha later this year!

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This village of Arusha, as well as all the other villages Alexi and I visited this past summer, is truly what gives us the motivation to come back to the States to continue our goal of providing more villages with more water. Sadly, even though we are out there drilling wells for villages, the problem of not being able to access clean water is not going away anytime soon. However, every time we come home from being out there we feel more confident in our struggles to provide villages with much needed, water. This water makes for a lasting impression, and is the first step in providing these people with the opportunity to grow. By helping them to help themselves, we know that the changes we will see in these villages in the years to come will be what inspires us to continue on with our journey.

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We are so thankful to have the support of Quiksilver Women for our work with E.P.I.C., because without them, it would be so much more difficult to provide help to the people in the world that need it the most. We look forward to beginning the drilling process in these new villages and to see the continued “ripple effect” that comes with it; this life saving drop of water that forces community growth.

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-  Tennille Amor

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Visiting Africa, for me, is always a beautiful, but hard experience; I always miss the comforts of my home, my city, my friends and my family. I hate having that overwhelming sense of helplessness at each turn and each new issue these people deal with in their nations. However, the same time, there is so much beauty in their simple way of life.
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It wasn’t too long ago that we all lived in mud huts; where we had to hunt and gather, walk for water, eat from our gardens and truly WORK to survive. Somewhere along the means of survival, we in the west progressed, creating unimaginable comforts. Now we can’t go 5 minutes without checking our blackberry or downloading a new app. Do I love these modern conveniences…absolutely! But we for sure lost something along the way–what happened to community, hard work, persistence, and love and being the greatest value? and family? When did it become all about celebrity gossip, looks, get-rich-quick and ADD? How did we stray so far from our core of what it means to be human? Sure, we don’t have to worry about survival, but move past survival on the hierarchy of needs, and you tend to lose focus on the important things that truly matter.
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So, while it is always hard to take a month off from my life and live a sort of “alter-ego” existence, it’s a month of reflection on the things that really matter. It’s a month of fighting those “live fast” qualities that a life in NYC has ingrained in me. When in Africa, I allow the walls to come down. This month of “renewal” is what keeps me going back, despite these problems and hardships we see each trip. The people in the communities we help are a constant reminder of the values I aspire to have in my life, and I am forever grateful for their lessons.
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Alexi Panos
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Each year we go to Africa, I feel like another lesson awaits. Sure, we’re new to this whole adventure, learning so many new skills with each year and each drilling experience, but this year’s lessons we’ll never forget. We will take the knowledge that we’ve learned with us in each project as we move forward.
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Last year we began drilling in a village called Kibebe, a place, like all the others, that was in dire need of water. When we first met with the community they seemed excited at the prospect of having access to clean water, but in a way they didn’t take us seriously. Think about it; there are thousands of organizations that make promises and appeals but yet never seem to deliver… what made us different to these people?
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Their expectations of a Western non-profit became apparent when we all learned that the well we drilled last year broke down. The company we hired locally to fix it, was stalling and putting off it’s repairs, thus making it very difficult for us to maintain and manage. The bore-hole wells are in fact a blending of intricately laid pipes and parts, and just like any machine, is subject to breaking down. In Africa the breaking down of these parts is nothing new. Across the continent there are literally THOUSANDS of abandoned, broken down wells that, at some point, were neglected to get repaired by either the group that placed them there or people in the community. This is due to lack of funds for new parts. So when our well broke down and the local company who we hired to fix it kept stalling it’s repair, we realized the importance of putting the power to repair these pumps directly in the communities hands.
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The broken well threw a wrench in our schedule, but we, along with our 3 volunteers, stayed in Kibebe, helping a small group of men from the community work through the night until it was finished. It took a few days, but the outcome and lessons learned were immeasurable; if every problem that arises has to be dealt with by an outside party, whether it be us or a local repair shop, the people in the community will constantly be put at the mercy of their time. So why not create a group of individuals within the community that we could train to know these pumps inside and out? Why not make them accountable for the upkeep instead of placing the responsibility on an outside party?
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That, to me, is what true empowerment is. Give a person the ability to help themselves instead of just giving a handout. Putting the people in control is the first step to gaining this empowerment and growth within each community.
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-Alexi Panos
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As most of you already know Quiksilver Women’s honors and supports leaders who are characterized as “independent, creative, effortless sexy and timeless.” Now insert, Alexi Panos and Tennille Amor, two QSW ambassadors who both embody the passion, personality and spirit we at Quiksilver love and embrace! For the past year QSW has been partners with these two incredible women in their efforts to bring change to the people in Africa. Through their non-profit Organization E.P.I.C., Everyday People Initiating Change, Tennille and Alexi travel to Tanzania, Africa consistently to drill sustainable water wells and teach the people there the importance of hygiene and sanitation. Being partners with E.P.I.C., QSW will continue to donate 3% of our T-Shirt sales to the drilling of these wells. We are pleased to say that under E.P.I.C. two wells have already been completed and more are in the process of being developed.
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Because it is important for us to show you exactly what is going on when these two girls travel to Africa, for the next couple of weeks this blog will be presenting Blog entries from both Tennille and Alexi telling us of their travels. These entries will inform you of the real struggles these girls face while over in Tanzania, and the satisfaction it brings when one gives back. We hope their stories will open up a sense of compassion within and help drive all of our readers to help support their very special cause.
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To donate directly to E.P.I.C. click here!

Alexi Panos, Quiksilver Women Ambassador and co-founder of E.P.I.C (Everyday People Initiating Change) is dedicated to helping bring fresh drinking water to the people of Africa. With the help of Tenille Amor, co-founder of E.P.I.C and Quiksilver Women Ambassador, and through their partnership with Quiksilver Women, they have made their dream a reality. With the success of two fresh water wells and the hope to drill three more in 2010, they are truly the epitome of the word DO-GOODER! Water really does change everything.
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Check out Alexi in the new True Blue campaign for JetBlue.

No water sucks! It’s true.  That’s why Quiksilver and Roxy are about to unleash a new ‘Green Campaign’ under the same name.

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‘No Water Sucks’ is a European awareness campaign aimed at water conservation to be held throughout March 2010.  The concept: raise funds to develop water protection projects, in partnership with ‘Save Your Logo’* and supported by the E.P.I.C movement, a project created by our Quiksilver Women Tennille Amor and Alexi Panos.

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Alexi Panos

Tennille Amor

The girls from E.P.I.C., Everyday People Initiating Change just re-launched their website and also created this stunning video explaining their organization, past efforts and what they aim to accomplish in the future – including the 3 wells they hope to build this year with Quiksilver’s help.

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Through their partnership with Quiksilver Women, E.P.I.C. raised enough money through royalties from Quiksilver’s eco-friendly products in 2009 to complete two new water wells in Africa. This year E.P.I.C. and Quiksilver hope to drill three more wells through the continuation of their collaboration.

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For every Quiksilver women’s ecofriendly product sold on Quiksilver-store.com, 1€ will be donated to E.P.I.C. In addition,selected Organic Cotton Tees(L’Amour,Find Your Freedom,Gimme Green) will be sold at 19€, from which all the proceedings will go to E.P.I.C.

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100% of donations to E.P.I.C are applied directly to the drilling of wells since the founders rely on personal income and grants to sustain the organization. Check it out and see what you can do to make a difference.

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* Save Your logo Save Your Logo is an endowment fund for Biodiversity. It invites brands with a logo symbolizing a natural element to commit themselves to the conservation of that same element and contributed so much to their success.