Women Unions from 19 provinces and cities of South Vietnam, launched a campaign on August 29 at a ceremony in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho, aimed at preventing deaths by drowning amongst children.
At the launch ceremony in Can Tho City, representatives from women unions from 19 provinces and cities of the southern provinces of Vietnam, signed a commitment to conduct awareness campaigns for parents, children and the community as well as call for more contribution from the community and the government in implementing the plan.
The Women Unions launched the campaign in a bid to reduce the number of drowned children in future. As the rainy season arrives each year, more drowning deaths are reported amongst children.
Statistics show that the country reports more than 6,000 drowning deaths amongst children each year. Moreover, the numbers seem to increase since 2007. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death amongst children.
Most drowning cases have been reported from the Mekong Delta Provinces, which is interlaced with a network of canals. Around 420 child drowning deaths are reported each year from the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, Tien Giang, An Giang and Long An.
On the afternoon of the same day, the Women Union members held a first-aid training program on treating injuries and discussing various methods to prevent drowning amongst children.
