Charity offers Ugandans a lifeline -- swimming lessons
02/23/07 -- Associated Press - KAMPALA,
Uganda (AP) -- When many people think of aid to Africa, they imagine sacks of
grain for the starving or blankets for the homeless.
But in Uganda, one charity is offering something different: swimming lessons.
"After AIDS and malaria, drowning is the biggest cause of death in our local
communities here on the lake," says Patrick Tumwijukye, manager of a charity
that is coordinating swimming lessons on Lake Bunyonyi, in the country's far
west.
In the past five years alone more than 1,000 residents have drowned in Uganda's
lakes, though officials say the actual number is far higher -- only a small
fraction of drownings are reported to authorities.
Marine police do not keep records on how many victims have been claimed by the
67-square-mile Lake Bunyonyi, Africa's second-deepest lake.
Landlocked Uganda's 10 major lakes are a lifeline for much of the population,
providing fish, water and fertile ground for growing crops. The government Water
Resources department estimates Uganda's fisheries earn the country $150 million
each year.
But poor public transportation links on Uganda's lakes means residents often
rely on homemade boats and dugout canoes to fish and transport goods to markets.
These makeshift vessels are often unstable or overloaded and frequently cause
fatal accidents.
And in spite of their reliance on these waters, the majority of Uganda's 25
million people cannot swim.
"Even me, I am just now learning to swim," Simon Peter Okoshi, the marine police
chief, told The Associated Press. "Swimming is not in the culture here, many
people are hydrophobic."
Water Minister Maria Mutagamba welcomed the swimming lesson initiative and
suggested it could be replicated on other lakes. "I think it's a good idea that
so many people have acquired this important skill," she said.
Tumwijukye said the program, run by the nonprofit Lake Bunyonyi Development
Company, has taught 2,200 Ugandans to swim since 2003. The group, a
government-registered charity, also pays for programs for HIV/AIDS education,
orphan care, agro-forestry and small livestock distribution, as well as offering
scholarships for local students.
"At first the ladies were resistant to (swimming) lessons because they didn't
want to expose themselves and get wet, but they are changing their minds and now
they enjoy swimming," Tumwijukye said. "We don't have anyone ready to compete in
the Olympics yet, but we hope to do that in the future."
Twenty-two local and international instructors are providing lessons to children
and villagers in Lake Bunyonyi. Money for the program comes mostly from profits
made by an associated eco-tourism lodge.
Bryony Smith, 23, is a swimming instructor from Toronto who has been
volunteering at Bunyonyi for four months.
"Word is spreading about the lessons and interest is growing. They're becoming
really popular," she told the AP. "I definitely think the lessons have saved
lives."
