Every year, boat accidents on Lake Kivu claim hundreds of lives because trained water rescuers are almost nonexistent. This project will equip 100 young people from Goma and Bukavu with swimming, lifesaving, rescue, and first-aid skills. Your donation will provide rescue equipment, professional training, and community awareness, creating local rescue teams that can save lives across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Seventeen-year-old Patrick still remembers the day his cousin disappeared beneath the waves of Lake Kivu. People watched helplessly because no trained rescuer was nearby. Stories like his are tragically common in eastern DR Congo, where boat accidents and drownings happen every year. Most victims die simply because no one knows how to rescue them safely or provide first aid before help arrives.
Patrick now dreams of becoming the rescuer he once needed. This project will train 100 young women and men from Goma and Bukavu in swimming, water rescue, CPR, first aid, and emergency response on Lake Kivu. Donations will provide rescue equipment, life jackets, rescue tubes, and practical drills. Graduates will form community rescue teams, teach water safety, and respond quickly when boat accidents happen.
Every trained rescuer can protect hundreds of lives over time. By building local water rescue teams, this project will create a lasting safety network around Lake Kivu, reducing drowning deaths, strengthening disaster preparedness, and promoting safer navigation. Young leaders will continue training others, helping communities become more resilient and better prepared for future emergencies across eastern DR Congo.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
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