The thing about swimming…

A lot of people have asked us recently why we focus on providing swimming lessons in the summer holidays. Why swimming?

According to the Vietnam Ministry of Health, around 10 children drown per day in Vietnam. This is markedly higher than many other countries; in the UK for example, around 1.2 people drown per day. In the province of Thua Thien Hue, where Hue Help is based, death by drowning is particularly high. The province is coastal, subject to annual flooding, and is home to South East Asia’s largest lagoon.

But of course it’s not simply the fact that there’s a lot of water in the area contributing to such a high rate of drowning, but also the fact it is common for people to be unable to swim. By teaching swimming, and providing basic prevention skills and advice, we can limit the human cost of extreme weather conditions and environments.

For the past two years, we’ve been focusing on children living in shelters (orphanages) in Hue, and we’ll be doing the same this year. Aside from the safety benefits, it’s also a great form of exercise, and the six week summer course provides a great opportunity for kids in Hue shelters to get together to do some productive. Over 150 children have been taught to swim through our Swimming for Safety program over the past two years.

However, most of the drowning actually occurs in the rural areas. Next year, we’re hoping to expand the project to the Southern district of Phu Loc, and the Northern district of Quang Dien; two coastal areas at either end of the lagoon. This is a greater challenge for us to implement, as there are no swimming pools in these areas. Instead, a system of nets and posts can be used to construct a temporary ‘pool’ in clean water lakes. It is not an ideal situation, but it is nonetheless possible to create a safe environment for swimming tuition in these conditions, and provide children with a valuable life skill that will ultimately limit death by drowning in the province.

You can learn more about our Swimming for Safety program to date, and stay updated on our 2009 program, by visiting our project page here.