Panje : Drowning prevention

PANJE | #DrowningPrevention from Steve Won

With free swim classes, three brave women of three different generations are fighting to change the old cultural picture of the women in Zanzibar.

Many women on the island still don´t know how to swim even when some of them working in the sea. Or traveling the sea by boat.

The last decades many boat incidents happened where only men was able to safe themselves.

The project PANJE by a local charity foundation in Zanzibar wants to educate and inspire women to take action.

With free swim classes for young and old, they learn to feel safe and connected to the sea.

The picture of the women floating in the water symbolizes their empowerment.
World Drowning Prevention Day, declared through the April 2021 UN General Assembly resolution A/75/L.76 “Global drowning prevention”, is held annually on 25 July.

This global advocacy event serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer life-saving solutions to prevent it.

An estimated 235,600 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years.

More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in rivers, lakes, wells, domestic water storage vessels and swimming pools in low- and middle-income countries, with children and adolescents in rural areas disproportionately affected.