18 September 2025

Building water confidence with the Perth Myanmar Learning Centre

This July, Royal Life Saving WA partnered with the Perth Myanmar Learning Centre to deliver vital swimming and water safety education, helping children and families from multicultural backgrounds gain essential lifesaving skills.

The week-long program was supported through the WA Swim and Survive Fund – an initiative that provides at-risk children and adults across the state with access to lessons tailored to their needs, often at little to no cost.

Ahead of the swimming program, Royal Life Saving WA delivered a Water Safety Talk to families, followed by a five-day holiday program of swimming lessons. Children participated alongside their parents, learning new skills together to build water confidence as well as practical skills for staying safe in and around water.

Designed as a welcoming and culturally inclusive initiative, the program gave families the opportunity to take part in swimming lessons in a supportive environment, many for the first time. By equipping children and parents with water safety knowledge, the program helps reduce drowning risks, which remain disproportionately high among multicultural communities.

"Seeing the impact of the Swim and Survive Fund in action through programs like this holiday initiative motivates us, as a team, to do even more to ensure all members of our community have access to swimming and water safety education,” said Achol Madong, Manager – Inclusion Programs and Capacity at Royal Life Saving WA.

"Our partnership with the Perth Myanmar Learning Centre has been empowering for students, and it's inspiring to see the volunteer-based language school go the extra mile by including swimming lessons in their annual program. We encourage other community language schools to reach out to our team."

It is alarming that one in five primary school-aged children miss out on swimming lessons each year. Many of these children come from multicultural backgrounds, putting them at higher risk of never learning this vital skill. Without swimming lessons, their risk of drowning increases significantly, making affordable and inclusive programs essential to keeping them safe.

2023 drowning statistics show that one in four drownings in WA involved a person born overseas – an increase of 7 per cent from the previous year. Even more concerning, half of all fatal drownings in 2023 involved a person born overseas.

By working with community groups like the Perth Myanmar Learning Centre, Royal Life Saving WA is creating safer communities and ensuring that every Western Australian has the opportunity to enjoy our aquatic lifestyle.

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