4 months - 3 years
over 3 years
over 3 years
uSwim helps design children's program for nile swimmers
Recently uSwim has been developing a swimming program for the Nile Swimmers Program.
This inspiring program is the idea of two young British Nationals, Tom and Dan. The idea came out of a desperate plea from a contact in war torn Sudan. The River Nile is often the only thing linking tribes and communities in Sudan who have often been in the middle of political and religious battles for power. Tom and Dan have a srong background in Life-Saving and are trying to teach these techniques to the men who live close to the River Nile.
Many people drown in the Nile each year without any statistics being kept, which devastates communities and families.
The following is from their website:
"The Nile Swimmers Alliance is an exciting new alliance of organisations and individuals who want to identify, investigate, and reduce episodes of drowning on in the River Nile and the surrounding area. The Alliance was officially formed in May 2011 at the World Conference on Drowning prevention in Vietnam.
The River Nile and its tributaries are a lifeline to the people of North Africa. The river is used for many activities including bathing, fishing, drinking, cooking, recreation and transportation. However the river is also a great life taker; few people living along its banks don't know of someone who has drowned on the river.
Promoting Cooperation and Peace
In addition the River Nile passes through areas that have seen much conflict over recent years. The civil war in the Congo, the terror unleashed by the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda and South Sudan, the Sudanese civil war... the list goes on. As tension also continues to increase over the use of the Nile water, we believe the Nile Swimmers Alliance can offer a cross-culture, multi-ethnic, multi-faith forum for dialog at a grass roots level.
Encouraging Engagement
The Nile Swimmers Alliance offers an excellent opportunity for regional and global organisations and individuals to cooperate and coordinate a unified and strategic response to drowning prevention. As an Alliance we hope to be able to give a voice to those who are often unheard, share knowledge and experience, collate drowning statistics, and encourage funding investment in drowning prevention.
The Nile Swimmers Alliance is run on a voluntary basis, kindly given institutional support by the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth, and Rights and Humanity. "
uSwim was approached by Tom and Dan so that not only can the men learn to rescue drowning people, but also teach their own children the basics of learning to swim.
Please check out their website:
