By Charmaine Ndlela
Children in under-resourced Richards Bay communities will receive free water safety education and survival swimming lessons over the next three years thanks to a partnership between the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and international and local funding organisations.
The Victor Daitz Foundation and World Relief Australia are funding a dedicated NSRI Drowning Prevention Instructor in the city for three years, allowing the organisation to expand its reach among schools and communities where access to water safety training is limited.
The programme aims to equip children with practical skills to recognise water hazards, prevent drowning and respond to emergencies without putting themselves at risk.
At Kati Primary School in Madlanzini Agri Village, learners recently participated in an interactive water safety lesson and hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training led by NSRI Drowning Prevention Instructor Mncedisi Hlalatu, known to the children as Tata.
Representatives from the Victor Daitz Foundation and World Relief Australia attended the session to observe the training and see how their funding was helping children develop potentially life-saving skills.
“This partnership means we can reach more children in Richards Bay with skills that could save their lives. It’s exciting to see learners getting involved, asking questions and practising how to help in an emergency. Thanks to the Victor Daitz Foundation and World Relief Australia, we have three years to build on that enthusiasm and make water safety part of everyday life in these communities,” said NSRI Drowning Prevention Manager in KwaZulu-Natal, Siyabonga Mthethwa.
World Relief Australia chief executive officer Kath Kable said the school visit demonstrated the importance of investing in practical water safety education.
“It was inspiring to see this life-saving training in action. The instructor’s visible passion inspired the class, and the children were completely engaged in learning skills that could save a life,” Kable said.
KZN continues to face a significant drowning risk, particularly in communities where children are exposed to rivers, dams, swimming pools and coastal waters.
A peer-reviewed study of fatal drownings in South Africa between 2016 and 2021 recorded an average of 1,477 deaths annually, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for 2,114 deaths over the six-year period, the highest total of any province.
Since launching its water safety education programme in 2006, the NSRI has reached approximately three million people, about 90% of them children.
The programme teaches participants how to identify dangers around water, assist someone in trouble without endangering themselves and perform bystander CPR.
Through its separate Survival Swimming programme, the NSRI teaches children four essential skills: controlling their breathing, orientating themselves in water, floating and propelling themselves at least five metres to safety.
The NSRI estimates that about 450 children under the age of 14 drown in South Africa each year.
INSIDE EDUCATION
