About the Project

My name is Remi and I am a Sophomore in high school in the San Francisco Bay area. I have always loved being in and around water – at the beach and in the pool, whether it be through competitive swimming, water polo, or surfing.

I also find myself straddling two worlds - one here in the United States, and another in Tanzania where my father grew up and where his whole family still lives. Despite living thousands of miles away, I have visited many times and each trip deepens my sense of connection to its culture and people.

During my last visit, I was struck by a surprising issue - the frequency of drownings in the country. I learned that this problem arises from two fundamental factors. The first is the lack of swim safety training: the Indian Ocean is not conducive to lessons and the country has very few swimming pools, so very few children ever receive basic swim classes. The second is the absence of lifeguards at public beaches, which is not viewed as a priority by the government. This combination creates a dangerous void where water-related accidents and drownings occur all too frequently. Apart from the unnecessary loss of life, it also means that most Tanzanians who fear the water are never able to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of their own coastline.

I am now working with Coach Amina Mfaume, a Coach for the Tanzanian National Swim Team and the mother of a dear friend, to start to address the problem - we have joined forces to launch an initiative that aims to provide free swim lessons to children and to establish a new beach lifeguard program in Tanzania. Our initial focus will be on the beaches of the capital city, Dar es Salaam. The first year will serve as a pilot, and with your support, we plan to expand this lifesaving effort to more locations in the following years. Our long-term vision is to create a sustainable program, potentially through partnerships with corporate sponsors or government agencies, to safeguard coastal communities throughout Tanzania.

Please join us in this endeavor to transform lives, enhance safety, and unlock the joy of swimming for countless Tanzanians.

I will be organizing a Swimathon this winter with a few of my friends from my swim team to raise funds through sponsorship and will post the details here, but please feel free to also contribute directly beforehand. We plan to roll the pilot project out in January 2024 with lifeguards that Coach Amina has already started to recruit and train. I really appreciate your support.

Thank you so much,

Remi.