Huong Khe strives to have over 80% of children know how to swim safely.

Popularizing and equipping children with safe swimming skills is an important solution to prevent drowning in the mountainous district of Huong Khe (Ha Tinh).

Huong Khe is a mountainous district with many ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, irrigation dams... With this terrain, in fact, in the past, there have been many unfortunate drowning incidents, especially among children.

In the whole Huong Khe district, 12/21 localities in Huong Khe have called for support for the swimming teaching fund and implemented a free swimming teaching program in 2023.

Vice Chairman of Huong Khe District People's Committee Tran Quoc Bao said that teaching children to swim in the area is becoming very urgent. However, as a mountainous district, many households do not have the conditions or funds to send their children to swimming classes as well as equip them with drowning prevention skills. Based on this situation, in 2022, the district has developed and issued an inter-sectoral plan to implement a safe swimming program to prevent and combat drowning in children.

In the past year, the district has organized 480 swimming classes for 7,200 children; over 7,000 children after the course knew how to swim, a rate of 97.2%. More specifically, the swimming classes are implemented completely free of charge with socialized resources.

The swimming pools are designed simply while still ensuring safety.

In 2022, units and localities mobilized and encouraged organizations, individuals, agencies, units and businesses to contribute to the Free Swimming Teaching Fund with an amount of over 500 million VND. In particular, some localities have mobilized, donated and supported large resources such as: Huong Trach (55 million VND), Huong Thuy (38 million VND), Huong Giang (30 million VND), Huong Khe town (30 million VND) ...

By 2023, the district strives to open at least 300 swimming classes, teaching 5,000 children to swim safely in water; strives to have over 80% of children from 8 to under 14 years old know how to swim safely in water.

Most of the children were excited about the swimming program.

According to local records, since the beginning of the summer vacation, localities in Huong Khe have been actively implementing swimming classes. In order for swimming classes to be professional and technically correct, coaches have also participated in training courses, and have been fully equipped with skills in safe swimming techniques as well as first aid methods for drowning organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Provincial Youth Union.

Up to now, the whole district has more than 180 coaches who are physical education teachers, team leaders, union officials, soldiers, police, volunteers...

In addition to coaches, swimming classes also attract many volunteers to support and instruct students in drowning prevention skills.

Mr. Le Van Viet - Deputy Military Commander of Gia Pho Commune (swimming coach) shared: “I am participating in the 5th free swimming class. In the 4 classes I attended in 2022, 100% of the students after training knew how to swim. We are working hard to open more swimming classes and hope that all participating children will know how to swim safely in the water environment.”

It is worth mentioning that organizing free swimming classes not only aims to improve children's drowning prevention skills but also creates a truly useful and fun playground for children during the summer vacation. Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao (11 years old, village 9, Huong Thuy commune) excitedly said: "The summer is hot, so my friends and I really enjoy learning to swim. My parents are also very supportive of me learning to swim. Thanks to the help of the coaches, after a few sessions I have started to know how to swim and am practicing other underwater skills."

Just opened at the end of May, the free swimming class in Huong Thuy commune has attracted dozens of children in the area.

Nguyen Hoang Gia Bao - Huong Thuy commune (standing in the front row, 3rd from left) excitedly participates in swimming class.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Thuong - Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Huong Khe district said that currently, 12/21 communes and towns in the district have implemented the swimming teaching program. Localities have also called for more than 50 million VND to invest in facilities for the swimming teaching program. The remaining localities are preparing conditions to launch and implement the swimming teaching program in the coming days.

“We are actively promoting widespread propaganda on the radio system, media channels, social networks, through meetings, activities of youth unions, associations... about the meaningful purpose of the safe swimming program; preventing and combating child drowning to receive more and more support from businesses, individuals and the whole society in socializing resources. In addition, we are propagating to people about regularly caring for, monitoring and looking after their children, especially during the summer vacation, rainy and stormy season; warning about the situation of injuries and drowning of children; mobilizing people to proactively take their children to swimming lessons, learn safe swimming skills in the water environment" - Mr. Nguyen Trung Thuong said.

Localities in Huong Khe have deployed warning signs, installed drowning warning loudspeaker systems, and installed mobile rescue cannons at locations with high risk of drowning.

In addition to swimming teaching and learning programs, recently, localities in Huong Khe have also deployed warning signs, installed drowning warning loudspeaker systems, and mobile rescue cannons at high-risk drowning locations.

According to the plan, in 2023, the district strives to have 95% of households have access to information, knowledge, and skills on preventing and combating child drowning accidents. 100% of families sign a commitment to prevent and combat child injuries and drowning accidents.

Duong Chien

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/song-khoe/huong-khe-phan-dau-co-tren-80-tre-em-biet-boi-an-toan/249386.htm