News – SwimTayka

Teaching the teachers: how volunteers are supporting our Mozambique programme

A vital part of running programmes with our partner projects around the world is providing quality swim instruction to the children – which is where some of our volunteers come in.

The focus of our partner in Mozambique – Love the Oceans – is to support the local community in establishing a Marine Protected Area in the Inhambane Province, along the coastline of Guinjata. Teaching swimming is one small part of this bigger project, which is putting environmental concerns for marine life at its heart.

Triumphing after 19 hours and 35 miles: Phil’s Channel swim

Imagine swimming for 16 hours across the Channel, being within one mile of the French coast and then having to keep going for another three hours because of the pesky current.

That’s exactly what happened to Channel swimmer Phil Preece, 54, who discovered it was a case of mind over matter to ensure he successfully completed the challenge. In total his swim took 19 hours, he travelled 35 miles and he had to give it everything he had to get to shore.

Meet our Bali volunteers: teaching swimming in the tropics

For only his second time on a plane, taking a journey of nearly 8,000 miles to help teach children to swim on a tropical island was pretty intrepid for SwimTayka volunteer Brandon Carter.

But that’s just what he and fellow volunteer Jemima Brimacombe did this summer, when they spent two weeks in Bali, helping with the SwimTayka swim programme.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine…

You’re on holiday… on a wonderfully idyllic, pristine beach… walking along with your feet in the cool water.
You stop for a moment to admire the view, smell the sea air and feel the warm sun on your face.
You’re not too deep, so you stand firmly, feeling your toes in the sand as the water touches just below your knees.
The foamy waves wash up against your legs and drawback as you admire being in such a beautiful place.
You take a moment to enjoy it … and BREATHE!

Preparing for a Channel Relay swim for SwimTayka

Getting into the cold sea at Dover for a swim may not be everyone’s idea of a great weekend. In fact, it’s possibly more ‘wet’ than ‘great’.

But for the intrepid members of this year’s SwimTayka Channel Relay teams it’s an essential part of their training, and one they all embraced with relish.

Swim programmes make a splash landing in Brazil

Learning to swim and learning to care for the environment are back on the curriculum, as our swim lessons once again make a splash in Brazil.

Thanks to the SwimTayka partnership with ETIV do Brasil, children living in and around Itacaré, Bahia, on Brazil’s beautiful Cocoa Coast, are now taking part in our swimming programme and learning this essential life skill.

Photographer showcases SwimTayka’s drowning prevention work

Thanks to the talents of photographer John Peltier, we have a fantastic gallery of images from our programme in Peru – the first we have been able to run for two years, due to Covid.

Working with Photographers Without Borders, John spent time with SwimTayka in the coastal city of Huanchaco. Here, we partner with Otra Cosa Network, an NGO which runs programmes for local children focusing on literacy, environmental awareness, sustainability and drowning prevention (which is where we come in).

Chairmans Report 2021

Chairman report

More growth, pandemic and UN Resolution

A lot of work has gone into the SwimTayka Strategy as we have a strategy that aligns with the World Health Organizations key points on Drowning Prevention, giving us a good foundation for the next five to ten years. I feel confident that we can follow and campaign this strategy worldwide.

Swimming lessons in Peru – we’re back up and running!

After such a long time put on hold, due to the pandemic, our swim programmes are once again running and the first to start is in Peru.

Here, we have teamed up with Otra Cosa Network, an NGO set up 15 years ago, whose initial purpose was to help Peruvian children living in Huanchaco learn to speak English.

Flying the flag for swimming and drowning prevention

To his grandchildren, he’s Grandad Bryan who takes them swimming. To SwimTayka, he’s the
founder and driving force behind our charity, which has one core value: no child should be denied
access to drowning prevention and swimming lessons because of their economic status.

Blog

Teaching the teachers: how volunteers are supporting our Mozambique programme

Triumphing after 19 hours and 35 miles: Phil’s Channel swim

Meet our Bali volunteers: teaching swimming in the tropics

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine…

Preparing for a Channel Relay swim for SwimTayka

Swim programmes make a splash landing in Brazil

Photographer showcases SwimTayka’s drowning prevention work

Chairmans Report 2021

Swimming lessons in Peru – we’re back up and running!

Flying the flag for swimming and drowning prevention

Latest Posts

Teaching the teachers: how volunteers are supporting our Mozambique programme

Triumphing after 19 hours and 35 miles: Phil’s Channel swim

Meet our Bali volunteers: teaching swimming in the tropics

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Teaching the teachers: how volunteers are supporting our Mozambique programme