-Edited- In August this year NSRI rescue organisation service in South Africa achieved a record number of 120,000 swimming lessons taught across all 9 provinces – a huge achievement for this non-profit organisation.
“Teaching children how to stay safe around water is critical to reducing the burden of drownings,” says Dr Jill Fortuin who heads up the NSRI’s Drowning Prevention department. She says the NSRI has 39 instructors in the drowning prevention team who raise awareness about the dangers of water, what to do if someone gets into trouble, how to perform bystander CPR and who to call for help.
Since the project’s inception in 2006, it has reached over 4 million people with these life-saving skills. “At a cost of just R10 to teach a child to be water-safe, it is the support and generosity of thousands of individuals and partners who have made this achievement possible and will continue to help us strive to hit that one million lesson mark in 2024,” Jill says.
She recounts that in November 2022, statistics released by the NSRI for the period 2016-2021 showed 1477 South Africans, mostly young children, drown each year with this number expected to increase due to the devastating floods in KwaZulu Natal province in 2022, which claimed the lives of an estimated 435 people.
TThe NSRI is well on its way to achieve its target of 750,000 this year and is gearing up its plans to hit its goal of 1-million children taught in 2024.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is the charity organisation that saves lives on South African waters – both coastal and inland. NSRI’s goal is to prevent drowning through rescue operations, education and prevention initiatives.
Operating from base stations along the SA coastline, and on inland dams, the rescue volunteer members are on call, at all hours, every day of the year. NSRI rescue crew receive no payment and there is no charge for rescues of people”
