LESOTHO 2023
The Help a Star Foundation went to Lesotho in October/November 2023 in a mission of support for children.
Our Help a Star team is both excited and proud to announce this project in Lesotho which took place in 2023 and was a big success!
The aim of this mission was to provide disabled children with the basics they need to prevent them from becoming victims of accidental drowning. Drowning is a serious worldwide issue especially for children living near large standing bodies of water or flowing, wild rivers.
We trained about 40 hearing & sight impaired children in basic swimming & drown proofing techniques that will, hopefully, protect them from accidental drowning. We have developed our own curriculum that was utilized for the first time. This project was a success.
Lesotho is a kingdom in the South of Africa. This country is fully enclosed by The Republic of South-Africa. Lesotho is very high on the list of countries where children die because of drowning. Because of this the Help a Star Foundation wants to do something and teach children the basics of swimming so that they don't panic if they accidently fall in the water, but know how to save themselves and avoid drowning.
Our two founders, who are certified swimming instructors, – Sushmita & Tariq Getrouw will lead the team with additional teaching & training support of David Getrouw as well as a small team of qualified volunteers.
With the Swim For Life Project, our two founders have been in Lesotho in 2016 and 2017 to instruct children and teach them the basics of swimming. This was a big success and we want to repeat this experience to give more children the opportunity to learn how to swim.
We invite you to join on this important mission and other important future missions by providing a (small) donation to cover the expenses of this journey as well as following its progress on our social media outlets.
All the help is appreciated. Donations can be done via this link: https://www.geef.nl/en/donate?action=28008&backLink=https://www.geef.nl/nl/actie/voorkomen-verdrinkingen-in-lesotho/donateurs
It is also possible to wire a donation directly to our bank account in the Netherlands. The bank account details of the Help a Star Foundation are:
Bank account IBAN: NL32INGB0007642462
Swift Code: INGBNL2A
Bank: ING Bank (The Netherlands)
We thank you kindly for your donation and support
Preventing drowning of sight and hearing impaired young people in Lesotho
Too many children are drowning worldwide! This has to stop right now! Every drowned child is one too many! In 2023 it should no longer be the case that children die from drowning. We therefore want to do something about this immediately with our Help a Star Foundation by providing swimming lessons. Please help us help children and make the world a safer place for them. Therefore donate. Any amount is welcome
In October 2023, the Help a Star Foundation organized a training course for about 40 children in Lesotho to prevent drowning. This fits within the mission of Help a Star, see https://www.helpastar.org/mission.
The Help a Star Foundation provided training with experienced and qualified instructors for a number of deaf and blind children. The Help a Star Foundation needs funding to get the instructors in Lesotho, to arrange a place to stay for them, and to pay for the necessary facilities such as a swimming pool where the lessons and trainings can be given.
With this training, the Help a Star Foundation will show again that it is good at enriching the lives of children.
40 Deaf (hard of hearing) and blind (visually impaired) young people participate
Drowning is a worldwide (underestimated) public health problem. It is one of the leading causes of death in almost every country. While drowning injuries and deaths are high in the western world, the problem is much worse in the developing world. According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), drowning rates in lower-income countries can be as much as 50 times higher than in higher-income countries. Unfortunately, Lesotho is very high , viz. place 7, in the overview of the number of drownings, see https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/drownings/by-country/ . Fortunately, the vast majority of drownings are preventable with exercise.
Certified trainers and mentor program
In addition to the already existing swimming training in Lesotho, Help a Star offers qualified and experienced trainers the opportunity to gain extra swimming skills for children with a disability with a special program.
Please support HAS Lesotho '23: Help children
Contribute and show your support
Please help us to realize this and other of our projects which will be organised in the future, so that we (Help a Star and YOU) together can provide these children more safety. There are many ways on how to contribute.
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Make a direct donation through wire transfer to the Help a Star Foundation. Our bank details are listed here:
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Bank account IBAN: NL32INGB0007642462
Swift Code: INGBNL2A
Bank: ING Bank (The Netherlands)
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Donate through our direct donation link on the geef.nl. website. The link is here: https://www.geef.nl/en/donate?action=28008&backLink=https://www.geef.nl/nl/actie/voorkomen-verdrinkingen-in-lesotho/donateurs
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The link to our donation page (in Dutch) on the geef.nl website is: https://www.geef.nl/nl/actie/voorkomen-verdrinkingen-in-lesotho/donateurs Feel free to share this link.
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Donate through The Help a Star Facebook page.
ANBI status in the Netherlands for the Help a Star Foundation
The Help a Star Foundation is an ANBI. This means that the foundation must ensure that at least 90% of the donated money ends up with the children who need it so much. Costs are therefore always very carefully considered and the available financial resources are consciously used.
In addition to the this project in Lesotho, we are also preparing other projects.
Note: A gift to Help a Star Foundation is tax deductible in The Netherlands because of our ANBI status.
