Strengthening global capacity to prevent drowning
In May 2026, the RNLI co-hosted the fourth International Workshop on Basic Swimming Skills in Low-Resource Settings in Hue, Vietnam, alongside WHO, Hue Help, and the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth (RLSSC).
The workshop brought together 50 participants from across the global drowning prevention community and marked a shift in focus – from developing resources to supporting organisations to implement them in practice.
The workshop addressed a key challenge. While WHO guidance highlights basic swimming and water safety skills as critical interventions, many organisations struggle to apply this guidance safely and effectively in low-resource settings. Building on previous workshops, the RNLI and partners have developed a series of toolkits to bridge this gap. The Vietnam workshop focused on building participants’ confidence and capability to use these tools in their local contexts.
Across five days, the programme combined presentations, group work, site visits, and practical exercises. Participants explored key areas including site safety, emergency action planning, safeguarding, medical screening, and programme design. A strong emphasis was placed on peer learning, with organisations sharing experiences from diverse contexts such as Bangladesh, Zanzibar, and Vietnam.
Bryony May from the Darcey Sunshine Foundation, a nonprofit organisation in South Africa, explained:
‘How powerful it is when we collaborate, the shared lessons, the shared learning; there is so much to grow in, and I think that will help us all in our combined efforts to globally prevent drowning.’
A highlight was the workshop’s hands-on approach. Participants applied tools to practical scenarios, including developing emergency action plans and conducting site safety audits at a swimming pool at a local school.
Visits to both pool and beach environments helped demonstrate how implementation approaches can be adapted to different settings
Participants also discussed broader barriers to implementation, including access, inclusion, and sustainability. Issues such as gender norms, disability, and environmental constraints were explored, with a strong emphasis on the need for locally adapted solutions and community engagement.
The workshop concluded with participants developing 12-month action plans to strengthen programmes in their own contexts. With follow-up planned at 6 and 12 months, the RNLI and partners will support progress and measure impact.
Feedback was extremely positive, with over 90% of participants rating the workshop highly.
Overall, the workshop represents an important step in RNLI’s international work – moving from guidance to practical implementation at scale.
We look forward to keeping you updated in the participants’ progress.