The summer has sped past and we have already begun the third and final program of the year. Word has spread around town about the swimming classes and children and their parents are clamouring for places. We have 180 new children enrolled on the basic learn to swim program which means that the program has taught a total of 700 children to swim.
Headline news, hot off the press this morning, is that building of
the new swimming pool in Hoi An has begun. Previously there has been no public pool in Hoi An and we have had to rely on the
generosity of local hotels to allow us to use their pools. A local
business woman, the owner of Yaly dressmakers, is currently building
a pool for use by the community and where we can run our swimming
program. This will allow us to teach many more children. The ETA
of the finished product is 40 days and plans are already underway to
hold an inaugural swim meet.
 We have been lucky enough to have some extremely experienced volunteer teachers who have brought varied and specialized skills to add to the program. Young Sophie from Australia was a great hit with all the children. Then descending from Dubai like our guardian angel came Vanda, accompanied by her children, Molly and Sam, bringing a seemingly endless supply of donated equipment and enthusiasm. They brought 574 pairs of goggles which enables us to provide each child with their own pair. She brought swim caps for all the girls which we insisted they all wear. After some initial reluctance, which was met with scant sympathy, they now enjoy wearing them and being “professional” swimmers. Many thanks to all the kind people in Dubai who donated money, noodles and other equipment. We have purchased more kickboards and now all the teachers have our own swim coach uniform which we wear with pride.
 Last month we had Carol, a fully qualified cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid trainer from Australia. She ran a series of CPR and rescue courses for 15 people which included our swim teachers, supervisors of the beach lifeguards, charity workers and locals who run businesses on the beach. It was good to be able to help the local community in this way. The beach can be treacherous and there has been a high number of drownings here.
 We have started advanced classes for some of our best swimmers. You can see them compete in the kids aquathalon in the Tribob International Triathlon in Hoi An on 29th August (www.vietnamtriathlon.com). For those coming over for the triathlon, please note our 4 supporting hotels are Palm Gardens Resort, Hoi An Pacific Hotel, Southern Hotel and Hoi An Trails Resort. Many thanks to the all the supporters of the program, particularly to our main corporate sponsor, Barclays Capital.
Feel free to forward this update onto anyone you think would be interested. Alternatively, if you want to be removed from receiving any more updates just send me an email. If you are interested in assisting with the program in any way please do contact me.
Joanne Stewart
Swim Program Director
Tel: +84 (0)935728960. Email: joanne@tribob.com.
Website: www.vietnamtriathlon.com/home-learntoswimprogram.php
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