In Bangladesh, learning to swim continues with the BHASA Project

In Bangladesh, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has been supporting the SeaSafe and SwimSafe projects led by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) for several years.

The SeaSafe project aims to fund the training and day-to-day operations of lifeguards on the 120 km-long Cox’s Bazar beach, to ensure safety of locals and tourists throughout the year.

The SwimSafe project, a component of SeaSafe, aims to teach swimming, in the pool and at sea, to as many children as possible around Cox’s Bazar – for a long-term drowning prevention strategy in the area, preserving the safety of the local communities at sea and in surrounding water currents.

In 2022, a new version of SwimSafe has launched in another region of the country: the BHASA project (which means “to float” in Bengali).

The overall objective of this project is to reduce fatal drownings of boys and girls under the age of 16 in Barishal and in the sub-districts of Taltoli, Betagi, and Kalapara with drowning prevention awareness interventions, as well as swimming and water safety courses.

By the end of the year, 5000 girls and boys aged 6 to10 in Barishal will benefit from the project and 50 local youth will be trained as community swimming instructors.