In Vietnam, more children die from drowning than road accidents.

On Friday 28 October 2011, ABC news ran a story by Monique Ross, on Asian floods expose child drowning epidemic.

The Vietnam Swans are proactively involved in raising funds and awareness on child drownings in Vietnam. An extract from the article is reproduced below.

The deadly floodwaters currently ravaging Asia are shining a light on the “silent epidemic” of child drownings in the region.

Children account for almost a quarter of the estimated 800 deaths reported since July across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines, according to the United Nations.

There are fears the toll could actually be much higher, as many drowning deaths go unreported in Asia because no death certificate is needed for burial.

Former Fairfax journalist John MacGregor works with an NGO in Cambodia that is bringing supplies and medical help to remote flood-affected villages.

He visited one village that knew first-hand the pain of losing a child to the floodwaters.

“The commune we went to [on Wednesday], that was Chreas commune, they told us that two kids drowned on Monday in the floodwaters,” he said.

“A lot of them can’t swim. They’re not like Aussies. So if they get into water that’s over their heads, they drown.

“These people are on little strips of land six or eight feet wide, perched above the floodwater, sleeping on the mud on bits of plastic – that’s been going on for weeks.”

Justin Scarr, the drowning prevention commissioner of the International Life Saving Federation, says the issue of child drowning in Asia did not begin with the floods sweeping the region.

“Most people would think that drowning is at its highest for children during flooding, but it’s actually an issue in everyday life, particularly in rural communities across Asia,” he said.

“We describe it as a silent epidemic. The numbers are a little bit debatable but anywhere between 200,000 and 300,000 children drown across Asia every year.”

That compares to around 40 child drowning deaths in Australia last year…

To read the rest of the article, click here.

The Vietnam Swans, Montgomerie Links and Swim Vietnam worked closely with Justin Scarr and the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia to organise last May’s inaugural Swing to Swim Charity Golf Day which raised $25,000.

Next year, the 2nd Annual Swing to Swim Charity Golf Day will be held on on 17 March 2012.