On July 25th, World Drowning Prevention Day, The Community Revolution calls for urgent awareness of and action to prevent drowning. Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death worldwide and has a profound and tragic impact on families and communities affected. This day focuses on offering life-saving solutions to prevent it – and the commitment needed to ensure no life is lost to this preventable tragedy.
What is World Drowning Prevention Day?
Every year, around 236,000 people drown, making it one of the leading causes of death globally for children and young people aged 1-24. Over 3 million people in the last decade have lost their lives to drowning. Urgent action must be taken to prevent this from continuing.
Tragically, the global burden of death is not felt equally:
- 92% of unintentional drowning deaths happen in low and middle-income countries
- >50% of global drowning occurs in the Pacific and South-East Asia
- Drowning death rates are highest in the WHO Western Pacific Region, 27-32 times higher than in the UK or Germany
What puts people at risk?
- Age – Children under 5 are most at risk due to lack of supervision and swimming or hazard perception skills.
- Sex – Males are twice as likely to drown as females, often due to higher risk behaviours.
- Poverty and Inequality – Many rely on open water sources and wells for daily needs like washing, increasing risk.
- Climate-related risks – Flooding and heatwaves increase water-related risks.
- Transport on water – Poor regulation of boats and ferries leads to dangerous conditions.
- Migration and seeking refuge – Displacement and irregular migration routes result in unsafe water crossings.
What can be done to prevent drowning?
Drowning is preventable. Key actions include:
- Installing barriers controlling access to water.
- Providing safe, supervised childcare away from water.
- Teaching swimming, water safety and rescue skills.
- Training bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation techniques.
- Enforcing safe boating, shipping and ferry regulations.
- Improving flood risk management.
Victor’s story: from tragedy to purpose
World Drowning Prevention Day is about sharing people’s stories to raise awareness of the risks of drowning. One of the most powerful grassroots responses comes from Victor Maina, a lifeguard and advocate from Kisii, in the Nyanza region of Kenya.
As a child, Victor built a wood boat with friends, but it capsized when they were testing it. Two of his friends died – including the one who saved his life.
I lost two friends in the tragedy. And one of the friends whom I lost was the one who rescued me… He ended up dying because he didn’t know how to swim.”
Victor calls this survival his “borrowed life” – and that burden on his shoulders has fuelled his mission ever since.
He trained in swimming and rescue techniques through the military and began saving lives, including pulling bodies from a dam in his hometown.
Without proper gear, without proper equipment, I managed to remove 12 of them.”
Despite his heroism, Victor receives little compensation and no formal support. He is known in his community as “mamba” or “crocodile” – a name given with admiration.
The need for infrastructure and investment: Prevention is better than cure
The disparities between Nairobi and rural communities like Kisii are stark. In the city, Victor teaches children of wealthy families how to swim in modern pools. In Kisii, children beg him for lessons, but lack facilities.
Until the kids of Kisii learn how to swim, I don’t think [this] will get out of [my head} because every time I sleep, I just see those bodies…”
Children in Kisii continue to die – some drowning while filling water for livestock, others on unregulated building sites. It’s a painful reminder of what happens when prevention is out of reach.
Victor’s dream is to build affordable pools and train local children in swimming and water safety. He’s even working on a documentary to raise awareness about the issue in the region.
How does World Drowning Prevention Day align with the values of The Community Revolution CIC?
The team at TCR believes that reducing the number of preventable deaths – from things like drowning – is a moral imperative. Although we don’t work directly with water safety initiatives, we help alleviate inequality in other ways: through education and sustainable development, enabling communities to grow stronger and safer.
Victor’s story exemplifies grassroots resilience and the urgent need for infrastructure investment in rural areas. His mission reflects our belief that change begins in the community.
Join our community
Celebrate World Drowning Prevention Day with us today by honouring the lives lost and uplifting those working to save lives on a daily basis. Join our community in standing up for an end to inequality and the dangers that it can cause by sharing our post and raising awareness of Victor’s story.
Follow us on social media for updates. Take part in live community engagement sessions and subscribe to our newsletter to follow Victor’s story and the work of our partners in Kisii. Explore ways of contributing to our ongoing projects through our website and socials.
We can all commit to a future where no child dies from a preventable cause. Every community deserves the tools to thrive.
