Preventing 5000 children from drowning in Cambodia

Helpcode continues to have the support of the Sihanoukville Provincial Ministry of Education,Youth and Sports in the facilitation of the Helpcode Drowning Prevention Program. The cooperation with the MOEYS enables School Principals to coordinate time for students in each grade to attend the Helpcode Drowning Prevention Program. This support is crucial in meeting the need to prevent children from drowning. 

The course importantly is a competency-based training program with participatory learning tailored for children, adolescents and adults. The course covers twelve key messages on water safety and teaches participants how to effectively perform safe water rescue and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. The course not only provides participants with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe in and around water but also provides the opportunity for participants to practice these important skills so they have the confidence as well as the capacity to take action on preventing drowning.

The program has also worked to develop a partnership with the Mermaid and Dolphin Swim Schools, both accredited organizations that are supporting Helpcode facilitate the Survival Swimming Part of the DPP. Helpcode are excited to be able to report that the Survival Swimming part of the DPP was able to commence on November 15, 2021 in line with school reopening.

Since November 2021 the program has been able to facilitate 16 Swim for Survival Programs reaching 320 children. All 320 children were passed in as competent in meeting the expected training competencies on completion of the training. The training is facilitated using a best practice standard approach of 1 trainer per 5 students. One group of 20 students is trained in the morning sessions Group A with a further group of 20 children trained in the afternoon sessions Group B. The Swim for Survival Program is facilitated over a 4-day period.

The Helpcode Program has also been able to facilitate Water Safety and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation programs for adults within the communities of the 32 school Drowning Prevention Program catchment areas. In total the program has reached 500 adults disaggregated by gender Females 305 and 195 males in the 32 targeted Primary and Secondary school community catchment areas.
Since September 2022 the program has also facilitated a train the trainer program for 40 Teachers within the programs 32 targeted schools. Each school now has one trained focal point within the school to support the ongoing program implementation within the school in a sustainable way.

Helpcode continues to plan the program implementation for 2023 in collaboration with School Directors, both Provincial and Local Government and Community Leadership Groups. The cooperation with School Directors, Provincial Government and Community Leadership Groups provided important support for the program in being able to work and achieve success within the targeted schools and communities.

The Helpcode Cambodia Drowning Prevention Program continues to demonstrate results. Based on participant’s experiences with the program in communities where the Drowning Prevention Program has been implemented training in Water Safety and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation has improved community knowledge and confidence in knowing how to stay safe in and around water and to be able to take effective action on the prevention of drowning.

Throughout last year the program has been able to facilitate 14 Swim for Survival Programs reaching 280 children. All 280 children were passed in as competent in meeting the expected training competencies on completion of the training.

Furthermore Helpcode have facilitated programs on Water Safety and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation for 3168 children (Females 1627 and males 1550) within 32 targeted Primary and Secondary schools in the Informal Settlements of Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kampot, Sihanoukville and the surrounding Islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem.

The project worked in close partnership with the Provincial Department of Education to enable engagement and cooperation with all schools in all the targeted Provinces. Close coordination with the School Directors enabled a supported implementation process of the trainings within the schools.

The training incorporates reviewing with the student’s different scenarios involving water safety. A total of thirteen water safety scenarios covering three different themes are reviewed with the students:

1) Spot the danger

2) Keep yourself safe and

3) Keep others safe.

Helpode will keep focusing on preventing children drowning through different approaches: swimming training, community engagement and awareness!

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