Child Drowning

The intervention developed a formal set of processes for training, certification and supervision of all
involved as well as use of best practices appropriate for the setting of rural Bangladesh. Some examples
are:
Children in the crèche were taught hygiene and sanitation (e.g., hand washing and use of latrines)
and were required to practice it.
Anchal mothers and assistants were trained in injury risk reduction for children, trained in first aid
and first aid kits were provided. Supervisors monitored the conduct of the crèche and visit
reports were filed and monitored.
Crèche locations were selected to avoid injury hazards and were required to have sanitary
latrines.
Programmes that teach children to swim cannot rely on a similar body of experience. As noted, placing
millions of very young children in water to teach them to swim also potentially places them in harm’s
way. 61 Great efforts are therefore needed to minimize risk while maximizing coverage of swimming
classes.
Operational research has been underway for four years to resolve the issue of how to safely provide
survival swimming instruction in the available swimming venues. This represents a major limiting factor
in achieving the needed coverage levels. The research has focused on the required adaptations of the
SwimSafe curricula for the different natural water bodies across the region, with safety as the primary
concern. 62 There is an accumulating body of evidence from SwimSafe Thailand and SwimSafe Danang
that provides information for safety and risk management as well as necessary programme adjustments
that take into consideration the different socio-cultural norms regarding water safety across the region.
Research undertaken in the PRECISE project has shown that village ponds can safely and effectively be
used to teach survival swimming in rural areas. However, the ponds are only suitable for use during the
rainy season and have problems with maintenance and water quality. These limit the potential coverage
levels achievable in rural areas of Bangladesh. In addition, ponds are unavailable in urban areas. Many
LMICs in Asia do not have the same pond density as Bangladesh in their rural areas, making access to
suitable water bodies an issue. 63 Given this experience, one focus of research has explored alternatives
to natural water bodies.
Research has been underway for four years in Thailand (SwimSafe Thailand) and Viet Nam (SwimSafe
Danang), and recently in Bangladesh, to test, modify and develop portable pools for survival swimming
training. The programme has focused on safety aspects of teaching, suitability for use in different
environments, costs, durability and developing operational experience in urban and rural settings. The
research has shown that portable pools are effective and safe for teaching children to swim. They have
a number of advantages: controlled water depth, excellent water quality when properly maintained and
a very safe training environment. They cost significantly less than in-ground pools and last up to five
years. When installed in primary schools with large numbers of children as they are with SwimSafe
61 Scarr, J. et al. ‘The Scale Required for Impact on Child Drowning in Middle and Late Childhood and Implications for Safety’. In:
Scarr et al (eds), World Conference on Drowning Prevention, Danang, Vietnam, 2011. International Life Saving Federation,
Leuven, p 77 accessed at: www.worldconferenceondrowningprevention2011.org.
62 Rubin, T. et al.‘SwimSafe – A survival swimming curricula’. In: Scarr et al (eds) World Conference on Drowning Prevention,
Danang, Vietnam, 2011. International Life Saving Federation, Leuven, p. 86 accessed at:
www.worldconferenceondrowningprevention2011.org.
63 Hussain, J. et al. ‘Limitations of Ponds and Natural Water Sources for Swimming Teaching’. In: Scarr et al (eds), World
Conference on Drowning Prevention, Danang, Vietnam, 2011. International Life Saving Federation, Leuven p. 60 accessed at:
www.worldconferenceondrowningprevention2011.org.
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