Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. It must seem a bit odd for an English woman to raise money for an Australian organisation. So here's why: 

Earlier this year I wrote a column about climate change (as is my job), in which I included the statistics for deaths in Bangladesh during cyclones. "When a category five tropical cyclone struck Bangladesh in 1991, fourteen women died for every male fatality; a similarly graded storm made landfall in 2007, but by then the ratio had shifted to five women for every man." 

Ouch. 

The column looked at the kinds of problems that are likely to become more common as the climate shifts. And, sadly, deaths from drowning are on that list. It took me a while to find a charity that provides swimming lessons for kids in cyclone-prone countries, but I eventually came across the Global Drowning Fund, which is run by Royal Life Saving Australia. If you visit their website (below), you'll be shocked by the statistics. For example, during daylight hours, on average, one child drowns in Asia every 45 seconds, and half of those that do are under five years old. 

The Global Drowning Fund has a SwimSafe program that teaches kids basic water safety and swimming skills. SwimSafe programs are currently conducted in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Thailand. 

So why not raise money for swimming lessons by going for a swim with some mates, eh? My thoughts exactly. Please donate what you can. I'll be very grateful for your contribution, and I'm sure that many children and their parents will too. 

Anna 

http://www.globaldrowningfund.org.au