Summertime swimming

Nearly 60 children in Lang Chang district in Thanh Hoa province just completed the first swimming course in summer 2015.

“Children swimming course” is a joint initiative of World Vision and local authorities in Thanh Hoa. After 20 days practicing, 57 children are now able to swim.

“Child drowning still occurs every year in the district,” said Pham Van Hung, official of Lang Chanh district’s Department of Education. “However, we haven’t incorporated swimming in any school curriculum yet because we don’t have adequate facilities for that. With this initiative, we hope our children will stay safe when commuting in the areas dense with rivers and streams.”

“Before, I was very scared of water. After 10 days practicing swimming, I’ve started to swim about 12 meters each time. Now I know how to swim. I’m very happy,” says fifth-grader Le Thi Yen Nhu.

World Vision and the local partners also organised communication sessions for local residents to raise their awareness of child drowning and how to prevent it.

“We expect the children to be equipped with one of the most important survival skills and their parents to understand the importance of survival swimming in child drowning prevention,” says Le Ba Cuong, a local community leader.

World Vision in Lang Chanh will be facilitating more swimming classes within the summertime.

Photos and Vietnamese text: Le Gia Bien, Lang Chanh ADP