It was a special moment for a group of young refugees. In the Eindhoven Ottenbad, they obtained their swimming certificate A last Friday. This is the first group of young refugees to get their certificates with the help of the Eindhovense Watervrienden*.
The refugees originate from Syria and Afghanistan. The swimming club volunteers organise the lessons in cooperation with the central organisation for asylum seekers (COA). They expect some forty young refugees to obtain their certificates before the autumn.
Safety
The main goal is to help these children realise how dangerous water can be. Asylum seekers run a higher risk of drowning when they take a plunge. Refugee organisations raised the alarm when it became clear that the number of drowned refugee teenagers was over seven times higher than among teengers with a Dutch background.
*The Eindhovense Watervrienden arrange swimming lessons for Certificate ABC, and organise competitions
Source: Studio040
translated and edited by Greta
