This past Sunday, volunteers from Swim India’s August 2009 Nepal programs came home after one of the most successful trips yet! The group, led by program supervisor Lindsey Brown, worked closely with the Nepal Swimming Association, an organization that trains lifeguards as well as coaches Nepal’s Olympic athletes.
Over their three week stay, our volunteers taught the water safety education program 23 times to 1,140 individuals! Many of the students were children but they also taught police cadets and army personnel in Kathmandu. In Pokhara, they taught many of the boat operators who make a living transporting people back and forth across Phewa Lake.
The team also had an opportunity to meet with lifeguards in Kathmandu. Many lifeguards don’t receive any formal training., so our team took the time to teach them and practice rescues and escapes as well as how to deal with head and spine injuries.
The volunteers also made the most of being in Nepal by experiencing the culture everywhere they could. They visited Buddhist stupas (temples) in the Kathmandu valley, got invited into homes, and saw one of Nepal’s major festivals. They even had an article published about their trip in Kathmandu's Nepali Daily "The Annapurna Post" (see above). They transcended the typical ‘tourist’ experienced and truly became a part of the community.
Thank you to everyone who supported these programs. We truly made a difference in the lives of many Nepalis and our volunteers. Thanks also to the volunteers whose hard work and commitment to Swim India's mission has been demonstrated through their success.
Please visit our SmugMug gallery to view pictures from the trip. The blog has all of their posts from the road and you can read our volunteers’ accounts first hand.
Ben Schaub
Executive Director, Founder
No comments:
Post a Comment