About 5,000 people die in water related accidents in Uganda every year.
According to John Ssempebwa, the proprietor of Ssemagulu Royal Museum in Lubaga Division of Kampala city, whereas many water accidents go unreported, what hit him hard was the death of his close friends, Templar and his wife Sheila in the fateful boat cruise on Lake Victoria on November 24, 2018.
“Templar was more than a business partner. He was a friend and brother. I Iasked what I could do in remembrance of my friends and I never got an answer until I organized an inter schools history quiz at Kaazi in Wakiso district.”
Ssempebwa met with scouts in Kaazi who told him about their organization ‘Swim Safe’ which has only managed to train 200 people to swim in its lifespan. They needed a jab in the arm in terms of management and resource mobilization to reach more people.
Ssempebwa, now the chief promoter of Swim Safe, says his organization is committed to turning around the tide of deaths on Ugandan rivers and lakes.
Swim Safe have unveiled musician Irene Ntale as one of the three ambassadors to demystify swimming and water transport. Ntale will be joined by another artiste, Maro and Buganda kingdom prince, Omulangira Simbwa, who is one of the survivors of the MV Templar catastrophe.
“Our role is to teach water safety,” Ssempebwa told Watchdog Uganda, at the weekend.
The former Uganda Tourism Board deputy CEO added, “we are going to break hydro phobia in order to make Ugandans learn to survive on water.”
The initiative launched by Tourism state minister Godfrey Kiwanda, is a noble initiative inspired by the fact that more than 90 per cent of people who use water transport in Uganda cannot actually swim, which puts them at risk in case an accident happens when they are on board.
Kiwanda, who is famous for promoting the controversial beauty contest for plus size women, said on Friday in Kazi while launching this initiative, that, he was himself afraid of water in a vessel of more than 40 litres, which made this initiative noble.
“I am proud to associate with this drive,” the minister said.
Ssempebwa says, while a quarter of Uganda is filled with water bodies, which would be a major resource for development, however the fear of water is an impediment to what can be done on these bodies. He says Lake Victoria alone could earn Uganda more money in water sports and tourism, if Ugandans could play and manipulate water.
Ssempebwa says he wants a mass movement of people with swimming skills across Uganda in the next five years.
“We have received a Canadian swimming instructor who shall volunteer her time to roll out this program”, Ssempebwa who took over Swim Safe, an organization with a humble budget, said.
Ssempebwa says he will be mobilizing funds for the organization, to enable Swim Safe train doctors, lawyers, journalists, manufacturers, bankers among other corporate entities. The program is starting on May 1, 2019, with mass swimming skilling for media personalities.
There will however be mass training for Islanders, people living along lake shores, government and private employees who work on jobs that require them to use water transport.
The training will take place at Kaazi Campsite Swimming Pool.
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