SWIM FOR LIFE Mission
Swim For Life Mission
Our non profit organisation, Swim For Life, rebuilds hope where it’s been damaged or lost. Our focus is to provide children in underprivileged communities with physical education, food aid, and academic opportunities.
We began Swim For Life in Lesotho, Africa, through a connection between our Suriname Ambassador and the Lesotho Ambassador. We have already worked with over 100 children just as a start up! Eventually we want to expand Swim For Life into other countries as well.
Right now, we are providing the children of Lesotho with swimming lessons. Not only does it give them a physical outlet for their energy, but swimming lessons also teach the kids to avoid drowning, which is very common in Lesotho. This is a unique service there, as there are only three pools in the entire country! We use one of them for the children to learn in.
Eventually, we want to expand our physical education program into more sports. We understand that there are 'different strokes for different folks' (please excuse our swimming pun!) and more sports will encourage more children to get involved in activities that keeps them off the street.
When we got to Lesotho and met the children, we immediately realized that swimming lessons would not be enough. Many of the kids lived on the streets full time. They didn't know where their next meal was coming from, and we couldn't ask these kids to focus if their stomachs were rumbling. So, we decided to spend a bit of extra money and buy snacks for them. At the time with our limited funds, we were only able to purchase fruit, juice, and chips for them, but the looks on their faces said that even this was much appreciated.
In the future, we want to hold a dinner for them, and also be able to provide regular meals while we are there. Hunger is such a basic, but pervasive problem in many countries, but through Swim For Life, we know we can help.
We also see a need for educational opportunities in Lesotho. Not only are many of the kids living on the streets, but education can be even further out of reach than a home. To start fulfilling this need, we had motivational talks with the kids in Lesotho. We told them about our story, our struggles coming from another small country, and we let them know it is possible to accomplish their dreams.
This is just the beginning. Our desire is to help these children access scholarships to schools and colleges in foreign countries. This is a big part of restoring the hope to the Lesotho community. As Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". At Swim For Life, we know education has the strongest potential to better the community. If we can provide a bridge for the children to access education, then we know we can made a lasting positive effect on the people of Lesotho.
WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE IN NEED, WE’LL BE THERE LENDING A HAND, A SMILE, AND AN ENCOURAGING WORD.