Swimming Instruction
In 2004 LBDC initiated a swimming program for the people of Lake Bunyonyi. The vast majority of people cannot swim, despite the huge part that the lake plays in their lives. Sadly, the lake claims many lives each year – children and adults. Some lives are lost due to canoeing accidents in bad weather, but many are children who fall accidentally into the lake, often while collecting water. In most places the ground slopes very steeply into the lake. Just one metre out from the shore the water can be several metres deep.
The program was started by hiring one man, a local teacher, to teach swimming lessons to children at two local schools. It was expanded in 2006 by training 14 volunteers, all local teachers, representing 7 different schools, to teach swimming lessons to children in their schools. Swimming lessons are now being offered in these schools.
This is a big step forward for this program, but there remain several thousands around the lake with no means of overcoming their fear of the lake and learning to swim. In the future we hope to partner with two other NGOs in the Lake Bunyonyi area (Edirisa and Byoona Amagara) to develop a more large-scale community swimming and water safety program, available to all adults as well as children.