For the Month of May is WATER SAFETY Month. Time to educate teachers, parents and caretakers, because drowning doesn’t stop, unless you know more about it!
Every 90 seconds someone is drowning on this earth. Drowning is a leading cause of death for children aged 1-4 years and followed by pre-schoolers aged 5-9 years. Parents and caretakers need to know what to do and especially not to do in, near or around water.
South-East Asia has the highest drowning rate globally and we need to change that.
When at home with your child, never leave it unattended near, around or in water.
Supervision is key – without being distracted. It takes less than 30 seconds that your child drowns. Empty after each use all buckets, sinks, bathtubs or inflatable pools. When a child goes missing, check areas with water first. Every second counts! Lock all doors or have an alarm system set in place when a door opens. If you have a pool in the backyard have a fence around it with an alarm system. Let’s make our homes safer and prevent drowning! Drowning is silent, fast but 100% preventable.
[Written by: Bianca Riel, May 2020.]