In short
The drive is a brainchild of Swim Safe Uganda, a not for profit organisation that works to reduce cases of drowning across its east Africa. The organisation estimates that up to 5000 cases of drowning are reported every year in Uganda, mostly within Lake Victoria.
A new drive to sensitize fishermen on the dangers of sailing without life jackets has been rolled out in Ssese Islands, Kalangala district.
The drive is a brainchild of Swim Safe Uganda, a not for profit organisation that works to reduce cases of drowning across east Africa. The organisation estimates that up to 5000 cases of drowning are reported every year in Uganda, mostly within the Lake Victoria basin.
Swim Safe Uganda Executive Director Moses Kalanzi says they have identified leaders from the 84 Islands that make up Kalangala district to undergo training on swimming and rescue operations. Kalangala, an island district is one of those most affected by drowning,
According to Kalanzi, 100 percent of fishermen travel on boats without life jackets which makes their survival in case of accident impossible. He says they have deployed special international water rescue trainers to tip fishermen on survival skills in case of boat accidents.
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Trainers have been drawn from New Zealand, the United States of America, and South Africa among others.
Denny McArthur, one of the trainers from New Zealand warns that the safety of people travelling across Lake Victoria is wanting. He recounts his shock upon seeing school children using a canoe without any life jacket to get to school in Kalangala.
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Marine Police says that most fishermen are reluctant to invest in life jackets. But authorities in Kalangala attribute poor usage of life jackets to their cost. An ordinary life jacket costs between 50,000 to 100,000 Shillings.
In June, six members of the same family drowned when a boat they were traveling in capsized near Kamese Landing Site in Buwuvu Island. According to the police report, none of the victims was wearing a life jacket.
The World Health Organization -WHO estimates that up to 372,000 people worldwide die from drowning annually, an average of 40 people every hour of the day. 90 percent of the deaths occur in middle and low-income countries like Uganda, making drowning one of the top neglected killers.
The drive is a brainchild of Swim Safe Uganda, a not for profit organisation that works to reduce cases of drowning across east Africa. The organisation estimates that up to 5000 cases of drowning are reported every year in Uganda, mostly within the Lake Victoria basin.
Swim Safe Uganda Executive Director Moses Kalanzi says they have identified leaders from the 84 Islands that make up Kalangala district to undergo training on swimming and rescue operations. Kalangala, an island district is one of those most affected by drowning,
According to Kalanzi, 100 percent of fishermen travel on boats without life jackets which makes their survival in case of accident impossible. He says they have deployed special international water rescue trainers to tip fishermen on survival skills in case of boat accidents.
// Cue in: " We are encouraging…
Cue out: …in the country."//
Trainers have been drawn from New Zealand, the United States of America, and South Africa among others.
Denny McArthur, one of the trainers from New Zealand warns that the safety of people travelling across Lake Victoria is wanting. He recounts his shock upon seeing school children using a canoe without any life jacket to get to school in Kalangala.
// Cue in: "In my Country…
Cue out: …its what I do."//
Marine Police says that most fishermen are reluctant to invest in life jackets. But authorities in Kalangala attribute poor usage of life jackets to their cost. An ordinary life jacket costs between 50,000 to 100,000 Shillings.
In June, six members of the same family drowned when a boat they were traveling in capsized near Kamese Landing Site in Buwuvu Island. According to the police report, none of the victims was wearing a life jacket.
The World Health Organization -WHO estimates that up to 372,000 people worldwide die from drowning annually, an average of 40 people every hour of the day. 90 percent of the deaths occur in middle and low-income countries like Uganda, making drowning one of the top neglected killers.
