Things remained quiet for the Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP) in April. March and April are school summer holidays in Thailand, and since all our programs are school-based, this is our slow season.
Australian Direct Aid Program GrantIn April, our Australian Aid-funded CWSDP program in Phrao continued working with Warm Heart Foundation, our NGO partner there. We are planning the last three courses for this grant period. They will be offered from May 27 to June 7, June 10 to June 21, and June 24 to July 5. We will offer survival swimming and water safety instruction to the last 80 of the 140, 4th grade students at the Ban Chaeng Khu Ruang School (ร.ร.บ้านแจ่งกู่เรือง). We have already taught sixty of their students survival swimming and water safety.
We continue to work with Evelind Schecter and Khun Nian, who are our local CWSDPP representatives in Phrao. Evelind is co-founder with Michael Shafer of the Warm Heart Foundation.
Petchabun Training of local instructors in Petchabun will take place in May and the program will begin in late-May and run until July. We anticipate between 100 and 140 4th-grade children will be taught survival swimming and water safety. Our Rotary contacts at the Rotary Club of Petchabun Muang and Rotary Club of Lom Sak are actively planning for our training courses. We will be sending two of our best swim teacher trainers (Kru Benz and Kru Garn) and they are already planning for the trip.
Patong Beach
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Larry Amsden Swim Safe Programme, under the leadership of program chair, Johan Storck, will continue the program with the Ban Sai Nam Yen School this year, with approximately 100, 4th-graders. We are also planning a special swim teacher training program for May/June when Eve Fraser and her trainer-volunteers from the Oz Swim Aquatics/Global Swim Aquatics will provide Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association international certification-level courses for our Larry Amsden Swim Safe Programme team in Patong Beach.
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Larry Amsden Swim Safe Programme, under the leadership of program chair, Johan Storck, will continue the program with the Ban Sai Nam Yen School this year, with approximately 100, 4th-graders. We are also planning a special swim teacher training program for May/June when Eve Fraser and her trainer-volunteers from the Oz Swim Aquatics/Global Swim Aquatics will provide Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association international certification-level courses for our Larry Amsden Swim Safe Programme team in Patong Beach.
Chiang Mai, CMIRC-Kru Payu Sponsored ProgramWe are now working with Khum Tomm at the Municipal Schools to plan a certificate ceremony for approximately 200 children who completed the CWSDP program between October and February. The ceremony is planned for July; visitors and donors are welcome to attend.
We have requested CMIRC funds to continue the program for the next Rotary Year beginning in July and the CMIRC Service Projects Committee and Board have approved the request.