Brazil is blessed with abundant water resources, yet has long grappled with the tragic consequences of drowning. Every day, an average of 16 Brazilians lose their lives to drowning, with children and young adults being particularly vulnerable. The municipality of Marataises, along the Atlantic Ocean, was one of the places where drowning happened frequently. Yet things have now changed.
Luke Luciano is a lifeguard and a drowning prevention programme manager for the Brazilian Lifesaving Society (SOBRASA), an organization that has undertaken a mission to educate the public and prevent drowning incidents. For him, changes over the past 12 years have been remarkable. SOBRASA assists local authorities in identifying drowning risks and developing customized prevention plans. They offer free technical support to public and private entities responsible for areas like public swimming pools, national park lakes, and waterways used by boats.
According to Luke, people have changed how they behave around water in the municipality, and there are also broader social changes. “After participating in our fundamental school water safety program called Kim at School, children changed their behaviours around water by better recognizing risks,” says Luke. “The program also impacted families as children bought home our drowning prevention comic book with lots of tips to stay safe around water. Our education programs have worked very well over the years.”
Brazil has one of the largest number of lifeguards in the world and yet these lifeguards cover no more than 30% of leisure aquatic environments. Expanding the lifeguard coverage alone would not be a strategic approach to tackle the problem comprehensively. Instead, SOBRASA has devised a strategy focused on educating the public on water safety, raising awareness about the risks associated with various water environments, and promoting responsible behaviour near water bodies.
Over the course of 27 years, SOBRASA developed drowning prevention programmes aimed at reaching individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
Through interactive sessions involving theatre, cartoons, comic books, and presentations by teachers, athletes, and lifeguards, SOBRASA developed a programme that has targeted elementary school children between the ages of 6 and 9, providing them with knowledge and skills related to water safety.
Recognizing that surfers are often involved in water rescues, SOBRASA focused on teaching surfers basic drowning prevention techniques, rescue methods using surfboards, and first aid. With the participation of approximately 60 surfers per year, this initiative reached a total of 8,345 individuals over the years.
Designed for health professionals, physical education instructors, aquatic athletes, parents, and individuals interested in the subject, SOBRASA has provided courses on drowning prevention, safe rescue techniques, and resuscitation. Conducted online and free of charge, these courses have also taken place in open environments such as beaches, swimming pools, rivers, or lakes. Over the past 25 years, this programme has extended to cover an average of 80 events annually, reaching more than 100,000 individuals.
“This impressive work done by a civil society demostrates the importance of working with partners. They have contributed to the remarkable progress Brazil has made over the past 25 years to reduce drowning mortality by 47%.” says Dr David Szpilman, General-Secretary of SOBRASA.