{"id":181642,"date":"2015-11-22T23:30:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T23:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dabangasudan.preview.websight.nl\/dutch-ambassador-swims-in-nile-for-drowning-issue\/"},"modified":"2015-11-22T23:30:00","modified_gmt":"2015-11-22T23:30:00","slug":"dutch-ambassador-swims-in-nile-for-drowning-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/dutch-ambassador-swims-in-nile-for-drowning-issue","title":{"rendered":"Dutch Ambassador crosses Nile to promote swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raising awareness against drowning in Sudan, Dutch Ambassador Susan Blankhart and a group of women swam the Nile on Saturday. They reached the other side cheered on by dozens of supporters of the event, known on Twitter as #CrossingTheNile<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seven Dutch and seven Sudanese women accompanied the Ambassador during the swim of several hundred metres, in bright orange swimsuits bearing the Embassy's logo.<\/p>\n

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“I do this for three reasons,” the Ambassador said in a press release. “First, it started as a Facebook challenge – when the Embassy’s page would hit 10,000 likes, I promised I would cross the Nile.<\/p>\n

“More importantly, we will raise awareness against drowning for which we have joined hands with the Nile Swimmers, the Khartoum Sea Scouts and the Dutch Don’t Drown Foundation.<\/p>\n

“Lastly, I will swim with a team of women only. In Sudan, but also in Holland, it’s important to further improve the position of women. In addition sport is also an avenue to promote women empowerment.”<\/p>\n

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“It was lovely, it was beautiful. I would recommend that everyone swims across the Nile.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Worldwide, and especially in Africa, drowning is a big problem, Blankhart stressed. A lot can be done in terms of prevention. According to estimates from the World Health Organization, yearly 372,000 people drown worldwide. This happens more often in low- and middle-income countries. It is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death. Young people (babies, toddlers, kids) are at much higher risk of drowning.<\/p>\n

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Dutch Ambassador Susan Blankhart<\/em><\/p>\n

Adequate supervision of young people, babies and toddlers is key, the Embassy writes in the press release. But above all, community education is needed – teaching people how to swim and how to behave responsibly around rivers, pools and lakes.<\/p>\n

“It was lovely, it was beautiful,” the 63-year-old Blankhart said after her stunt. “I would recommend that everyone swims across the Nile.”<\/p>\n

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Ambassador @Karin_Boven<\/a> just entered the Blue Nile #raising<\/a> awareness Together against drowning #CrossingTheNile<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gD5EZln3H9<\/a><\/p>\n

— NLinSudan (@NLinSudan) November 26, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Watch a video<\/a> of swimmers crossing the Nile. The photos in this report are from Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\n

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