More than 5,000 primary and secondary school students in Dar es Salaam are set to receive water safety training aimed at equipping them with swimming, survival and rescue skills.
The programme, organised by Agnes Swimming Foundation (ASF) with approval from the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (Tamisemi) and financial support from Equity Bank Tanzania, is scheduled to run from October to November this year.
The training will target schools located near water bodies, where students face a higher risk of drowning and other water-related accidents.
Speaking in an interview, ASF event coordinator Patrick Kimimba said the programme was designed to give young people practical skills that could help save their lives and those of others during water emergencies.
“Experience has shown that young people are often among the victims of water-related accidents, knowingly or unknowingly. Some lose their lives because they lack the skills to respond to such emergencies,” he said.
He said the training would cover swimming and rescue techniques, adding that the programme would help students understand how to respond safely when faced with water-related emergencies.
Mr Kimimba thanked Tamisemi for supporting the initiative and Equity Bank Tanzania for providing financial support, saying the partnership would enable ASF to reach more young people with essential water safety skills.
Meanwhile, Mr Kimimba said ASF plans to organise a water safety and rescue course in Kyela, Mbeya Region, next year as part of activities to mark World Drowning Prevention Day.
He said the course would bring together teachers, students and civil servants from Songea, Iringa, Njombe and Rukwa, as well as participants from the host region of Mbeya.
Participants will be trained in swimming, lifesaving, survival swimming, water safety and rescue techniques.
“Next year, to commemorate World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25, we plan to hold a lifesaving course in Kyela, Mbeya. Our aim is to train many people in water safety and rescue techniques, with participants expected from Songea, Iringa, Njombe, Rukwa and the host region of Mbeya,” he said.
Mr Kimimba appealed to well-wishers and other stakeholders to provide material and financial support to enable the foundation to conduct the course successfully.
ASF commemorated this year’s World Drowning Prevention Day through activities held at Navy Beach in Kigamboni last month.
The United Nations adopted its first resolution on global drowning prevention on April 28, 2021, recognising drowning as a major public health problem and designating July 25 as World Drowning Prevention Day.
ASF was established in March 2020 and registered with the National Sports Council (NSC) on January 28, 2022. It took over activities previously conducted by Kimimba Swimming Promotions (KSP).