No more children drowning

More than 7,000 children drown every year in Vietnam, according to the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF). The catastrophe is attributed to 22.6% of child dealths, ranking behind the mortality caused by traffic accidents, while the rate is up to 70% among children under 15 years old. Most cases happen when children are playing at a river, lake or beach.

Situated near Hoa Binh Dam in Da River in North Vietnam, Tan Mai and Tan Dan communities in Mai Chau district have large water surfaces because local rivers and lakes are deep and most banks are sloping. Meanwhile, many children stay at primary and secondary boarding schools all week, where they freely play at rivers or lakes- though they can’t swim.

“The risk of drowning in children is high,” says Dinh Van Manh, Chairman of Tan Mai People’s Committee. At least five children are injured by such accidents every year, according to statistics from the local health station.


To cope with the situation, World Vision’s Mai Chau Area Development Programme, in cooperation with local authorities and schools, ogranised swimming clubs for nearly 160 children during the summer holiday.

At the course, the children learnt that it’s unsafe to swim outside during noon, swim without warm-up exercises, cross rivers during heavy winds, or and sit on boats without wearing life jacket. They were also equipped with basic skills such as floating on water, rescue, and first aid.

More important, parents were invited to join with their children at the clubs.

“About 90 parents participated in the activity. After this course, they will definitely change their mind and won’t let their children play alone at rivers and lakes,” says Bui Van Thao, leader of a village development board in Tan Dan community.

Photos and Vietnamese text by Nguyen Van Tien.