PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
UK diplomat says drowning kills more than Malaria
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The British High Commissioner to The Gambia, George Sherriff, has said that an estimated 1.2 million people around the world lose their lives due to drowning each year than those who die from Malaria.
Speaking during a visited to the Kololi beachfront to witness a training of 30 volunteer lifeguards in essential life guarding skills and techniques, Sherriff said the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates shows that Africa has the highest continental drowning rate in the world.
The training is facilitated and funded by the UK charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Speaking to journalists, Sherriff said that through its international development activity, the RNLI is working with several African countries, including Senegal and The Gambia, to help them save lives.
As part of the opening session at the training the 30 volunteer Gambian lifeguards demonstrated some of the skills and techniques they had learnt over the past week, including recognizing when a person is in distress, and how to use rescues equipment, beach surveillance, and rescuing and treating a casualty.
RNLI has been operating for 200 years to help decrease drowning in sea, he said.
The RNLI has been working across Africa to increase the capacity of the national lifeguard to help save more lives.
Steve Wills, International Development Manager at RNLI, said the training was meant to expose the local volunteer lifeguard group, the Red Dolphins, to international lifeguard standard and also raise awareness to help the trainees to help others.
Bernard Mendy, chairman of Red Dolphins, whose volunteer group began its job in 1990 and officially registered as an association in 2006, said the training will enhance their job as a life-saving volunteer group.
Rory Sacree, RNLI’s International Beach Lifeguard Trainer, said the training for the Red Dolphins was based on the basics of rescuing methods, including rescue tube, and rescue boat for conscious and unconscious and basic first aid, Cadio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and method of patrolling the beach, and how to identify potential causalities.
At the end of the five days of training, the participants will be handed international certificates on beach life guarding, he said.
-0- PANA MSS/VAO 16Dec2013
Speaking during a visited to the Kololi beachfront to witness a training of 30 volunteer lifeguards in essential life guarding skills and techniques, Sherriff said the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates shows that Africa has the highest continental drowning rate in the world.
The training is facilitated and funded by the UK charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Speaking to journalists, Sherriff said that through its international development activity, the RNLI is working with several African countries, including Senegal and The Gambia, to help them save lives.
As part of the opening session at the training the 30 volunteer Gambian lifeguards demonstrated some of the skills and techniques they had learnt over the past week, including recognizing when a person is in distress, and how to use rescues equipment, beach surveillance, and rescuing and treating a casualty.
RNLI has been operating for 200 years to help decrease drowning in sea, he said.
The RNLI has been working across Africa to increase the capacity of the national lifeguard to help save more lives.
Steve Wills, International Development Manager at RNLI, said the training was meant to expose the local volunteer lifeguard group, the Red Dolphins, to international lifeguard standard and also raise awareness to help the trainees to help others.
Bernard Mendy, chairman of Red Dolphins, whose volunteer group began its job in 1990 and officially registered as an association in 2006, said the training will enhance their job as a life-saving volunteer group.
Rory Sacree, RNLI’s International Beach Lifeguard Trainer, said the training for the Red Dolphins was based on the basics of rescuing methods, including rescue tube, and rescue boat for conscious and unconscious and basic first aid, Cadio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and method of patrolling the beach, and how to identify potential causalities.
At the end of the five days of training, the participants will be handed international certificates on beach life guarding, he said.
-0- PANA MSS/VAO 16Dec2013
