Dragons Club gives children the gift of swimming
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are given the opportunity to learn how to swim.
The Balwin Foundation together with the Dragons Swimming Club is giving back to the community by providing life skills to underprivileged communities.
They have arranged free swimming lessons for those who can’t afford them.
On December 3, they held a gala event in conjunction with the Maimane Phiri Foundation from Alexandra at Founders Hill in Modderfontein.
About 26 children competed in the pool, received certificates and were showered with Christmas gifts.
“The foundation sponsors children from different outreach groups. We have children coming from Alexandra and Klipfontein to attend swimming lessons every Saturday. Baldwin and Dragon jointly pay for these lessons. We have about 70 swimmers, adults and children,” said group public relations manager, Lisa Sinclair.
They have been running the programme for over a year.
According to Sinclair, the goal is to have one thousand children learn how to swim. They also have programmes running in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape.
“The country has so many children who do not know how to swim, including parents as well. “We are trying to instil the culture of swimming as it is a life skill. We are trying to save lives, we don’t want any of our children to become part of the drowning statistics,” she added.
Petunia Tlhakwana from the Maimane Phiri Foundation expressed her gratitude for the opportunity.
“I had children who were scared to dip their feet in the pool but now they can swim on their own. Swimming is a life skill and one of the skills people should know given the opportunity,” she said.
