A Journey Towards Drowning Prevention
The pristine beaches and tranquil rivers of Vietnam hide a grave danger beneath their beauty: drowning, a silent killer claiming thousands of lives every year, particularly among children. In response to this pressing issue, Swim for Life Vietnam was founded. This is our story, our mission, and our unyielding vision to eliminate preventable drowning in Vietnam.
Origin Story
Swim For Life Vietnam was established in 2014 by the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, an organization renowned for its innovative approaches to safeguarding lives in post-conflict areas. The Foundation, established in 1998, initially focused on the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war. However, in 2013 during their research on the impacts of flooding in Vietnam’s central provinces, they uncovered another public health crisis: child drowning. This revelation led to the inception of Swim for Life Vietnam, a program dedicated to survival swimming education and drowning prevention.
Heartbreaking Statistics
The statistics on drowning in Vietnam are alarming. The Ministry of Health reports 35 drowning fatalities daily, with the 5-14-year-old demographic averaging 2,000 deaths annually. Among approximately 15 million primary and junior high school children in Vietnam, only 30% possess swimming proficiency. This underscores the critical importance of our mission. Drowning claims more children’s lives globally than measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, and tuberculosis combined.
We need to foster a culture of safety and risk awareness that is crucial for the well-being of Vietnamese communities.
Early Days and Challenges
In December 2013, the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation initiated site visits in Quang Binh Province, meeting with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DOFA), the Department of Education and Training (DOET), and several primary schools.
By September 2014, Swim for Life Vietnam was operational, focusing on constructing two pools and training swimming instructors. Our first year saw the training of 19 teachers in safe swim and first aid skills, and 407 children completed survival swimming training at two primaries.
However, our journey was not without challenges. Limited resources, lack of parental awareness of drowning risks, and cultural and geographical accessibility were significant hurdles. Building and maintaining swimming pools is expensive and technically demanding and attracting and training volunteer swimming instructors proved equally challenging. Despite these obstacles, our goal was to establish pilot programs that would demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of survival swimming education, garnering broad support from officials, educators, and parents.
Growing Impact and Community Involvement
Our efforts have borne fruit beyond our expectations. From the initial two swimming pools in 2014, the number has grown to 71 pools across Quang Binh Province, (as of July 2024). These pools were constructed through a mix of public and private funding, local government contributions, and support from parents. The community has embraced our mission, and we have not lost a single graduate of our swimming program to drowning since we started.
Swim For Life’s role has evolved over the years. We now assist local officials in effectively managing and maintaining their pools, ensuring safety and water quality. We conduct water safety education events across two provinces, reaching thousands of children and promoting drowning prevention. Supported by our generous donors, our programs have successfully graduated over 15,000 students from our Swim Training program, and our community awareness initiatives have significantly raised the profile of drowning prevention.
Community and Government Support
Our work would not be possible without the unwavering support of the community and the government. We work closely with the Department of Education and Training (DOET) and other local authorities to align our efforts with their goals. Community events, art contests, and drowning prevention promotions have helped foster a collective responsibility towards improving water safety.
Since early 2020, we have been supporting the government of Vietnam, through the Department of Child Affairs (DCS) and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA), in its goal to reduce child drowning. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our efforts, adapting our programs to ensure the safety and health of the children we serve.
The Long Swim Ahead
While we have made significant strides, our journey is far from over. Drowning remains a major public health issue in Vietnam, and the leading cause of death for young children. Awareness and education are crucial components of our work, and we continue to focus on broad community awareness programs. Through signs, billboards, social media, and local media, we disseminate information on the risks of drowning and preventive measures.
Our future goals are ambitious. We intend to expand our life-saving swim programs into other remote and poor districts of Quang Binh Province and other provinces where the rate of drowning is alarmingly high. We have been approached by officials in other provinces requesting the expansion of our program, and we are eager to extend our reach. However, this expansion requires funding, and with no government funding we rely on donations to sustain and grow our efforts.
Dive In with Us
Swim For Life Vietnam has made a tangible difference in the lives of many children and their families. Our work has saved lives, created safer communities, and instilled a culture of water safety and awareness. But we need your help to do more. Donations are crucial for the continuation and expansion of our programs. With sufficient funding, we can extend our reach, save more lives, and move closer to our vision of eliminating preventable drowning in Vietnam.
Our journey has been one of hope, resilience, and community spirit. We are proud of what we have achieved, but we know there is still much to be done. Join us in our mission to make every child in Vietnam water-safe and give them the skills they need to survive and thrive.
Together, we can create a future where no child drowns. Together, we can make a difference.
