Refugee children from Melbourne’s Karen community are having fun in a program at Laverton that could save their lives.
Life Saving Victoria (LSV) is running a Swim and Survive program for newly arrived children, one of the groups most vulnerable to drowning.
Twenty-eight children aged five to 15 are attending 10 weeks of swimming and water safety lessons at the Laverton Swim and Fitness Centre.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of preventable death in Australian children, with 47 drowning deaths in Victoria last financial year.
LSV multicultural projects manager David Holland said the Swim and Survive Fund aimed to help children who previously had very little exposure to swimming and water safety.
He said this included children from low- socioeconomic areas and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
“The fund not only helps children to have fun while being active and making new friends, but participating in this program helps to build their confidence in the water, while learning vital swimming and water safety skills that may one day save their life,” Mr Holland said.
For more information, or to make a tax deductible donation, visit www.swimandsurvive.com.au.
Goya Dmytryshchak
