Swabou Life has launched the 'Learn to Swim' programme targeting all, children and adults alike, who cannot swim. The lessons will be taught by international swimming experts free of charge, said the president of the Namibian Swimming Union, Dr Joggie Bredenhann. He said the two experts are from South Africa and the United States of America. He said expert swimmers are also targeted to be trained to gain skills and technical know-how in transferring these skills to others in future.

Bredenhann said the Federation Internationale da Nationale (FINA) would cover travelling and accommodation cost for the international swimming lecturers.
The Learn to Swim project, which will be held in all regions, is a good opportunity for those that cannot swim to learn to swim, said Briedenhann. He said the project would be from 11 to 16 June in Windhoek, after which it will move to other regions.
He said, to accommodate all, the swimming union has arranged daytime and after 17:00 sessions. Briedenhann said schools with swimming pools would have instructors to teach the learners during physical education lessons. The union has also rented private and public swimming pools, and it is hoping to run this as an ongoing process.
He said this is the time to start building a base for the sport, as it is the fastest growing sport in the country. Due to the fact that interest in the sport is increasing, the Namibia National Sport Commission wants to re-classify it to a higher level to benefit more from government support, he said.
Briedenhann said swimmers have been invited to the Commonwealth Youth Games in India in October and also to the Zone Six Games for the first time. He says swimming as a sport is on par with athletics and has been invited to various international swimming galas.
Briedenhann said there is a Namibian swimmer among the Top 30 swimmers in the world, which is a good reflection of how well the sport is doing.
Vido Tjozongoro, FNB's Marketing Manager, said Swabou Life sees the Learn to Swim project as a good initiative for those who cannot swim at all or the ones who would like to improve their swimming skills. He said he hopes that both young and old will make use of this opportunity, claiming that he will definitely make use of the chance to learn to swim.