My name is Livingstone Akhona Mabuto and I work full-time for Bitcoin Ekasi as a Senior Lifesaving Instructor.
I've been earning my full salary in Bitcoin since 2022 and my responsibilities include recruiting children for the organization's daily youth empowerment programs, teaching the kids lifesaving skills, first aid, ocean awareness and general fitness.
Milestones in my career as a lifeguard include being named Lifesaver of the year in 2019 by Lifesaving South Africa and being involved in rescues where the difference was life or death.
Lifesaving taught me the value of low-time preference. I understand Bitcoin because I understand what is required to act when lives are at stake. It takes years of training and preparation to be ready for one single moment. A moment that can make all the difference in the world.
(Above: NSRI training, Akhona, second from left)
As part of my personal goals for 2024 I've decided to compete in the IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay.
I will be competing as part of team Tri Bitcoin and hope to raise awareness for Bitcoin adoption, while competing in this prestigious sold-out event in November 2024.
I also hope to raise awareness and help inspire more youths to take fitness more seriously in my community.
Bad habits often lead to unhealthy lifestyles and, like Bitcoin, understanding the value of fitness and living healthy is a low-time preference thing. I believe that if introduced along side one another, there's a better chance that Bitcoin adoption can help encourage fitness adoption.
Bitcoin Ekasi is based in Mossel Bay, South Africa. The parent organization (The Surfer Kids Non-Profit) is a registered non-profit, founded in
2010 and is 100% donation-based.
Their
mission is to create youth empowerment in the townships outside Mossel
Bay using surfing and Bitcoin as a tool for personal and financial
empowerment.
The organization operates a daily surfing program for 60 children from Mossel Bay's
poorest townships. The program operates 5 days a week, all year round and offers
children daily nutritious meals, physical fitness training, life
skills, positive role models, surf training and lifesaving skills.
All staff salaries are paid entirely in Bitcoin.
The funding target of $4,000 covers the cost of entry plus the equipment necessary for Akhona's participation in the IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay.
A transparent accounting of costs will be published and updated here. Additional funding raised and/or not used will be donated to Bitcoin Ekasi.
