Over 4,300 children in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue were taught swimming skills during this year’s summer under a project funded by Nordic Assistance to Vietnam/ Norwegian Church Aids (NAV/NCA).

Children are taught to swim

The children are students of 43 primary schools in the coastal and rural districts of Nam Dong, A Luoi, Phu Loc, Phu Vang, Quang Dien and the towns of Huong Tra and Huong Thuy.

Over the past three years, the project has been carried out across 110 primary schools in the province, benefitting 11,000 students.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Dung said the project has helped reduce drowning accidents in the locality.

He pledged that the province will continue teaching swimming skills for local primary pupils while enhancing communication work to raise the public awareness of preventing drowning accidents among children.

Besides the project, the NAV/NCA has provided assistance for the province in social issues, such as poverty reduction, gender equality, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and climate change adaption and natural calamity mitigation, according to Dung.

A UNICEFF survey showed about 7,000 children die from drowning each year in Vietnam./.

VNF