Sea Rescue’s educational initiative, The WaterWise Academy, is partnering with the Western Cape’s Education Department to teach children about water safety.
“We are exploring ways, with the Western Cape’s Education Department, to include basic water safety training for learners when they return to their classrooms in 2016,” said Sea Rescue marketing manager Andrew Ingram.
The NSRI’s WaterWise Academy has designed a series of lessons that will teach children how to avoid danger in or near water, how to rescue a friend while not endangering yourself, who to call for help and how to do Hands-On CPR.
The lessons are aimed at Primary school children.
“In South Africa there are 2 000 fatal drownings each year, 600 of which are children. That is the equivalent of nine double decker buses full of children who drown each year.”
“International averages suggest that 10 times this number of people are effected by non-fatal drowning,” says NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson.
This means that in the region of 20 000 South Africans, of which 6 000 are children, suffer the consequences of non-fatal drowning (hypoxia through submersion or immersion in water),” says Dr Robertson.
“The WaterWise Academy Instructors have taught over 260 000 children about water safety this year,” said Andrew Ingram.
“Our Instructors will carry on with the magnificent job that they are doing. But the only way to reach all 15 million children who are under 15 years of age is through the education system.”
“It is fantastic that the Western Cape Education Department is taking this so seriously, and we hope to have the opportunity to work with all the other Education Departments early next year,” said Andrew.
Children play on Camps Bay beach.
