Chiang Mai International Rotary Club (CMIRC)-Kru Payu Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program (CWSDPP)
The big news this month is that we have a plan for the “new Covid-19 normal” and everyone on our team is on board! We had a great meeting on July 31 with Kru Payu, Kru Boy, and Kru Joy from Kru Payu Swim, Khun Pomme from Bronco Kids Sport Club, Khun Tomm from the Chiang Mai Municipal Schools, and P Clarence, PP John, CP Roger, Rtn Aree, and future Rtn Sai from CMIRC. We agreed to start the swim courses for 4th-graders again on August 18 with classes split between the two pools at Bronco Kids to allow social distancing. We will also increase the size of our teaching staff to six to create smaller groups. Classes will meet on MW or TTH for 5 weeks. Even with the late start, we will combine some of the smaller schools, so that we can complete all 11 schools during the 2563-2564 (2020-2021) Thai school year. We will teach over 300 4th-graders survival swimming and water safety again this year!
More good news here in Chiang Mai; we have learned that the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai-Wattana wants to partner with our team to sponsor a Children’s Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Program at the Wat Suan Dok School. Our team is ready to assist.
Finally, we are in the process of planning our programs in Phrao, Phetchabun, and at the BanYa Migrant Learning Centre. We also are ready to explore a new program at the Child Development Center Migrant Learning Center in Mae Sot.
So, we have a busy year ahead with possibly as many as 800 children benefiting from our programs!
We are also supported by the Thai Thaim Foundation of Park Rapids, Minnesota, USA and Rotarian Bob Ashley and of course all the generous donors to the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club.
We started this program in 2015 and we are still going strong and serving more children every year thanks to our wonderful sponsors and CMIRC volunteers!