Saving Lives: How AWSOM Is Teaching Vital Swimming Skills to Children in Vietnam

For children in Vietnam, learning to swim is a necessity due to the country’s sprawling waterways and frequent floods. The AWSOM (Australian Water Safety on the Mekong) project is an inspiring initiative that brings Australian swim instructors to Vietnam to teach children essential swimming and water safety skills.

Based in Perth, the AWSOM project was established with a simple yet profound goal: to reduce drowning incidents among Vietnamese children. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children in Vietnam, often linked to a lack of swimming proficiency and water safety awareness.

With Vietnam’s tropical climate and extensive network of rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, swimming education is critical. However, resources to provide this education are often limited. The AWSOM project addresses this gap by pairing skilled instructors with eager learners, fostering an environment of empowerment and safety.

All AWSOM swim instructors are volunteers who give up their time to teach children in the Mekong Delta region. These are children who might never otherwise have the opportunity to learn to swim and who are at risk of becoming one of the 32 children who drown in Vietnam every day.

At this year’s ASSA conference, our Splash About Australia team met Bev from AWSOM projects. She shared heartbreaking stories from her 2024 volunteer trip to My Tho, including witnessing parents transporting their children to school in bags to protect them from rising floodwaters.

Inspired and humbled by these stories, our Managing Director, Kylie, decided to sponsor 10 children through the Survive and Thrive Program. These children will now receive vital swimming and water safety lessons from AWSOM volunteers. The Survive and Thrive Program is specifically designed for disabled children in Vietnam, ensuring they receive regular lessons throughout the year as well as transportation to and from the pool.

We were delighted to receive updates from the project introducing us to the ten children chosen for the weekly 36-week course. With the help of their volunteer instructors, we hope these children will thrive in their local communities, gaining confidence in a skill that could save their lives and allow them to live without fear.