bitcoinekasi on Nostr: This is the story of Samuel. In 2018, a 23-year-old from Switzerland arrived at The ...

This is the story of Samuel.

In 2018, a 23-year-old from Switzerland arrived at The Surfer Kids as a volunteer.

Most volunteers stayed for a couple of weeks.
Samuel stayed three months.

That alone made him different. But what made him unforgettable was how he showed up — fully present, deeply engaged, connecting with the kids in a way that left a lasting mark.

After those three months he returned home to Switzerland and life moved on.

Or so we thought.
—
Five years later, in April 2023, we received an unusually large donation.
No name.
No explanation.
Just… generosity.
We didn’t know where it came from.

Six months later, in November 2023, we found out.
Samuel had passed away.
At just 28 years old.
Cancer.

In his final wishes he asked that people donate to The Surfer Kids — because of the impact the project had on his life.

People listened.

That donation… was collected at his funeral.
—
Let that sink in.

A young man spends three months volunteering in a small township project…

And five years later, in his final moments, that experience is still so meaningful that he directs people there, one last time.
—
His sister reached out to us to explain everything.
Samuel had returned home after his travels and was diagnosed almost immediately.
He fought.
He went through multiple treatments.
None worked.
He died of cancer at 28.

But even in that, he was thinking about others.
—
His family told us they wanted to visit.

They wanted to see this place that had meant so much to him.

And recently, they finally did.

His parents. His sisters. His extended family.
They came to see, to understand, to connect with the place that shaped part of Samuel’s life.

And it was powerful.
For them. For us.
—
But there’s more to this story.

Samuel had volunteered in 2018 — before Bitcoin Ekasi even existed.
Years later, in 2022, at around the same time Samuel passed away, a German TV crew travelled here and filmed a documentary about Bitcoin Ekasi.

In that documentary, there’s a quick shot of a photo wall.

On that wall — one of the very few volunteer photos — is Samuel.

The filmmakers didn’t know. They just filmed what looked interesting.
But somehow, that exact image made it into the final cut.

Samuel’s parents, sitting in Switzerland, watched that documentary…
…and suddenly saw their son.
—
And when they finally did visit, they didn’t just see a surf program.
They saw a living, breathing community.

They saw kids earning, spending, and saving in sats.
They saw Bitcoin not as speculation — but as a real tool, used daily.

Coming from Switzerland, their perspective on Bitcoin shifted.

Not because of theory.
Because of demonstration.
—
Samuel came for three months, 8 years ago.
He left a mark that lasted beyond his lifetime.
Rest in peace, Samuel.