The Drowning Prevention Project, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies is a community-based initiative designed to reduce drowning deaths especially among children and young people in high-risk, water-dependent communities like fishing districts.

It responds to a serious but often overlooked crisis in Uganda, where thousands of lives are lost to drowning each year, many of them preventable.

What the project focuses on:

• Survival swimming skills – teaching young people how to float and swim to safety
• Water safety education – raising awareness about safe behaviors around water
• Community training – equipping local responders with rescue and first aid skills
• Access to safety equipment – promoting use of life jackets and safer practices
• School and community engagement – integrating water safety into everyday learning spaces

The project also includes building community swimming pools and developing structured training programs to ensure these lifesaving skills are widely accessible.

It is implemented in partnership with government and other stakeholders, combining advocacy, education, and practical skills-building to create long-term, sustainable change.