The Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin has launched a new project aimed at preventing drowning accidents involving children.
On Monday (Mar 15) 55 students from Ban Bo Fai School took part in a pilot course at the Greenway Hua Hin Resort resort swimming pool where they learnt how to swim and how to be safe when in water.
Also in attendance were Mr. Phil Lawrence, Project Chairman, Alan Cooper, Charter President and Project Assistant Kamolthip Sangsripet, as well as members of the club.
The Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin supported the project by recently sending 10 volunteers to attend a course in Phuket where they became certified swimming and water safety instructors and were able to pass on their knowledge to the local children.
The event also saw Mr. Nopporn Wuthikul, the Mayor of Hua Hin, and Mr. Theeraphan Jadpol, the Director of Public Health and Environment, present certificates to the newly certified trainers.
The objective of the event was to increase awareness of water safety among the people of the Hua Hin community, and to provide them with knowledge about swimming safety.
The Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin hopes that this project will help reduce the number of drowning accidents and increase awareness of water safety in the community.
According to the World Health Organization, drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children in many countries, including Thailand.
While drowning remains the primary cause of death for children under the age of 15 in Thailand, recent years have seen the number of fatalities fall.
From 2000 to 2018, there were over 22,700 cases of drowning among children under 15 in Thailand.
This averages to approximately 1,262 children per year, or a staggering five children per day, according to the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD).
At its peak, drowning accounted for roughly 56% of child fatalities, followed by road accidents at 25% and falls from heights at 8%. The number of drownings is said to be highest during school summer breaks.
According to reports, the deadliest period for such accidents occurs during a 12-day period from April 12 to 23.
The number of child drownings in Thailand has been decreasing over the past two decades due to improvements in swimming and water safety lessons.
Meanwhile, last year the Department of Disease Control reported that from January 1 to September 14, 2022, there were 184 incidents of drowning resulting in death, with 174 fatalities.
The majority of the victims were children under the age of 15, who lacked swimming skills and survival techniques.
By 2027, the Thai government has set a goal to decrease the number of drowning deaths among children under 15 years of age to 2.5 per 100,000.
