The hot summers and prominence of dams on apple and pear farms make for a deadly combination in the rural growing regions of South Africa’s Western Cape.
Young children who congregate at dams on farms, particularly in the inland areas not close to safe places of swimming to cool down the summer heat, are at risk from drowning.
The country’s National Sea Rescue Institute is helping to save lives on fruit farms through its WaterWise programme, which is aimed at educating children to be safe when they use these dams.
According to the NSRI an alarming 600 children drown each year in South Africa, and WaterWise education is the best way to help save lives.
NSRI WaterWise Instructor Eoudia Erasmus says almost every farm school will have a sad story about preventable drownings and that is why she is so passionate about the work that she does. She has been conducting training at the Welvaart NGK Primary School near Ceres which is aimed to raise awareness amongst children of the dangers dams pose to them.
“That is why the schools are so appreciative of our efforts,' says Erasmus. 'We estimate that nine double decker buses full of children drown in South Africa each year.'
Aside from the obvious instruction that it is dangerous to swim in dams and areas without adult supervision, Erasmus teaches the children what to do when they or a friend are in difficulty.
She says most of the children in the rural regions walk past dams twice a day on their way to and from school. “So the threat of drowning is a real one,” she notes.
De Kock Hamman of Ceres Fruit Growers, one of Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing’s grower shareholders, says growers are aware of these tragedies as there have been drownings in the past even on a Tru-Cape farm adjacent to the Welvaart NGK Primary School where the WaterWise demonstration is taking place.
The programme includes both young and older children and has been enthusiastically endorsed by the farming community.
Tru-Cape’s managing director Roelf Pienaar said that if 31 per cent of children drownings in South Africa each year are in dams, then everything possible must be done to prevent this.
“The outstanding rescue work that the NSRI does on beaches saves many lives but we must all remember that WaterWise education is the best defence. Tru-Cape salutes all growers who contribute to the NSRI’s fund raising activities. It costs R236,470 per WaterWise trainer per year but considering that over one million children have had the benefit of WaterWise training since its inception in 2006 this is a tried and tested system that we know works to help save lives.”
