Talking Early Years: In conversation with Salas Balde

Workout to Help with Salas… and Bring Kindness to the World

Life is very serendipitous and leads to meeting some very engaging people who want to do something helpful with their time on this earth. Salas Balde is one of these people.  I heard about his work from a friend of mine who attended his workouts during the Covid lockdown and then I discovered how he developed these workouts to support people all over the world through his project ’Workout to Help’.

Salas was born in Guinea Bissau in West Africa, moved to Portugal, Lisbon when he was about 10 years and now lives in south London. His story is about how to turn something you enjoy into a way of becoming.  It is how simple ideas can be used to support people who are struggling through connections and conversations. He is the antithesis of the view shared by Mohamed Yunus Link that indifference is the enemy.  

After the pandemic lockdown rules were lifted, Salas and his friend, Nico, took their van and travelled to Africa, Brazil and Peru to support local individuals and families in need of help.  For example, they provided a wheelchair to a family in Peru and repaired a house in Dominica which included giving the family a front door and windows so they felt safe.  His ’Workout to Help’ has now become a network which he is funding from the profits of his new clothing line.  

His delightful new cartoon book,  Workout to Help traveling the world with Salas: Guinea-Bissau (and just published on Amazon) tells of his personal story which is beautifully illustrated and teaches children what kindness and empathy can look like. 

Salas is a great role model for our children and, over the next few months, will come and tell his story to schools and groups. I suggest you connect with him, not least because his sheer positivity and joy will light up your day, but his message about the need to do better for the world should resonate with all of us. Listen to his podcast and connect.