(Best-in-Class) Survival Swimming Centres, South Africa

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Survival Swimming Centres
South Africa

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BEST-IN-CLASS

Andrew Ingram
Drowning Prevention Manager 
National Sea Rescue Institute 
South Africa

Andrew Ingram has dedicated 15 years to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in South Africa. As the founder of the drowning prevention department, he leads various initiatives such as Safety Education, Survival Swimming, Pink Rescue Buoys, Beach Safety Cameras and Survival Swimming Centres. Andrew’s expertise lies in designing innovative solutions to reduce drowning statistics in South Africa, where approximately 1500 fatal drownings occur annually. His focus is on understanding demographics, locations and developing prevention strategies.

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Swimming pools
from shipping containers 

The NSRI in South Africa has ingeniously transformed standard 12-meter maritime shipping containers into portable swimming pools, in an effort to decrease mortality rates among young South Africans. These unique containers come with a skilled instructor, teaching children four essential water survival skills: mastering breathing control, understanding body orientation in water, learning to float and navigating  a minimum distance of 5 meters through the water.

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Community
development

In South Africa, the ability to swim is a rarity, with only 15% of the population having this vital skill. The Survival Swimming Centres provide a safe environment where children can be taught to swim, and which can be moved to regions of South Africa without other safe swimming facilities. Children can be given a life skill that they would never have had the opportunity to learn, and a culture of swimming can be developed in a community where otherwise there was no chance of this happening.

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A collaborative approach  
to overcoming challenges

Coordinated by Andrew Ingram, the Survival Swimming Centres have been created by an ecosystem of companies from the swimming pool industry. They are an example of how organisations can join forces to tackle the challenges of a project efficiently, effectively and sustainably. By leveraging each other’s strengths, resources and expertise, they have created a powerful platform that makes the most of the knowledge and experience within the swimming pool industry.

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An educational project
that fosters communities

The Survival Swimming Centre project is an initiative that not only teaches children the basics of water safety, but also helps create spaces that foster communication and collaboration within local communities.