Dong Thap fights child drowning

Outstanding models include the Safe House, Safe Community, Safe School, Safe Kindergarten, swimming training programme for children and action programme for children’s safety on waterway traffic.

Huynh Duy Khuong, Vice Director of the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said that the Safe House model has been launched in 108 communes.

The localities have received financial support to prevent children’s drowning. Some 70 percent of families engaging in the model have been certified as safe, he said.

Meanwhile, the Safe Community certification has been presented to 16 communes, wards and towns.

The provincial Department of Education and Training has issued regulations on the building of safe schools with measures against accidents and drowning among kindergartens. 

So far, the model of community-based safe kindergarten has covered 1,358 pre-school facilities with 26,438 children from 18 months to 5 years old.

At the same time, the provincial Centre for Sports and Physical Training annually gives summer swimming training to 500-800 children aged from 9-15.

Dong Thap has also strengthened communications among parents on the need to intensify the training of life skills to children, including preventive measures against drowning, while mobilising social resources in building swimming pools in schools.

According to Vice Director of the Vietnam Sports and Physical Training Administration Pham Van Tuan, drowning is the leading cause of death in children and adolescents in Vietnam, especially in the summer and storm season.

He noted that an initial report showed that the ratio of children who can swim in Vietnam remains under 30 percent.

A report by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs showed that about 2,000 children lost their lives to water in Vietnam each year between 2015 and 2017.