Just a reminder: SWIM Cambodia’s delivery partner for delivery of drowning prevention interventions is HTK. I know it’s been a while since we posted, sorry! SWIM Cambodia provide HTK technical advisory support, support for funding and leadership. Back in December 2023, SWIM Cambodia trained 14 new volunteers in the delivery of Water Safety & CPR education to children. Two lead trainers previously with SWIM Cambodia put on a new HTK shirt and became lead trainers with HTK.
Sarath Tek, Executive Director of HTK worked with the local education department and a local school to deliver teacher training to 32 schoolteachers. This ensures the sustainability of Water Safety education with the aim of one day having drowning awareness and Water Safety as subjects in the Cambodian school curriculum.
In the last year, over 570 children and 250 adults were taught drowning awareness and water safety education, and 390 children were taught resuscitation (CPR) skills.
Well done everyone!
A new team with lead trainers & volunteersStay close to an adult when you cannot swimLand-based reach rescue with rope and team workCPR practiceInterviewing children about their life in and around water in the last 2 days“Hands up, who knows?”CPR practice Interview with boy about his water behavioursObserving teaching practice The recovery positionSafe rescue demonstrationGroup activity about drowning riskRamo and Conrad – lead trainersAlways check the weather conditions before going in or near waterTalking through the water safety messages
Please consider giving a donation, small or large.
We have some exciting news about SWIM Cambodia delivering training to a new cohort of volunteers in Cambodia. This training will be delivered alongside our new local partner, HTK. Next week, two volunteer teams from iCAN British International School and Bambujaya Bilingual School will come together for teacher training. The three-day training will take place in Siem Reap. As part of the training, the two teams will teach children at Wat Chork Primary School in Siem Reap. So, meet the team!
Left to Right: Bambujaya Team: Som Song, Sokkorn Khong (Volunteer Lead), Sarath Tek (Exec. Director, HTK), Sounsrors Hor, Sreyteang Tea, Sreynich Song, and Socheat Nou. iCAN Team: Veasna Sin, SongHeng Poeng, Sokhary Yeun, and Korn Eam.
Learn about Cambodia
Siem Reap is a city and province in the north of Cambodia, where Angkor Wat lives. Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century, is a temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world.
Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodia, in the south-central part of the country. The Mekong and Bassac rivers pass through Phnom Penh.
We need your help!
We need more funds to stay afloat, train more volunteers, and start paying staff to reach and teach more. Our aim is to begin teaching survival swimming skills next year; we can only do so with your support.
Could you donate either a one-off oran ongoing donation? Click below:
There will be more exciting updates and photos following the training delivered next week. Follow us on our social media sites and sign up for SWIM News.
SWIM Cambodia has been working hard to develop a local drowning prevention partnership. We believe that this collaboration will be strong and effective in keeping children safe against drowning all over Cambodia. We have been supporting the formation and registration of a local NGO (charity) in Cambodia. After a lot of collaborating, thinking, planning and work, registration is complete! The new Cambodian organisation is called ‘Hile Teuk Kampuchea’ which means ‘Swim Cambodia’ or literally ‘pull water (swim) Cambodia’. We will call it ‘HTK’ for short.
A lot of online planning meetings have been held by SWIM Trustees and the HTK board
Why a new National Organisation?
The SWIM Cambodia trustees, and Cambodian advisors believe that developing local leadership and a sustainable partnership through HTK will be effective in securing greater impact for the delivery of drowning prevention interventions. HTK will deliver water safety, rescue, survival swimming and CPR education to children, parents and carers. HTK will work to gain agreement with government ministries and local authorities with the aim of integrating drowning prevention interventions into the Cambodian school curriculum.
Meet the HTK Board
The new HTK logo
An HTK planning meeting (below) with the new board and advisors. The HTK team is made up of SWIM Cambodia trainers and other inspiring Cambodians who are passionate about drowning prevention for children.
The new HTK Office & Training Space
HTK’s new office and training space in Phnom Penh
Here, above, is the new HTK office in Phnom Penh (the capital city of Cambodia). The office is shared with one of one of our delivery partners, Youth Star. We love the new HTK sign!
Next steps
There is plenty of work ahead for SWIM Cambodia and HTK. These next steps include a huge amount of fundraising work, planning our first survival swimming project and the exciting job of recruiting and training new staff to keep many more children, young people and communities safe from drowning.
With heartfelt thanks for your ongoing support
Please give generously to support SWIM Cambodia & HTK’s work to stop children drowning. We cannot do it without you.
