ABCs and Rice does so much for impoverished children in Siem Reap,
Cambodia. Along with English lessons, training
in health and hygiene like tooth brushing, lessons in safety, and nutrition to
fill their bellies, the children at ABCs get swimming lessons through the
incredible efforts of Safe Waters Cambodia.
Didy Silber started Safe Waters Cambodia a little over a year
ago. I sat down with him over lunch
recently to learn more about his story.
Didy is an American who quit a good job in Israel to come to
Cambodia and save lives. “I left Israel
not long after getting a promotion,” Didy said, “and got on a plane to Cambodia.
For me it was flight, children, teach. There were all these questions I asked
myself like how can I do this? I
decided that the questions didn’t matter. There’s nothing stopping me from
doing this. Most of us want to give back to humanity by doing something more
important than gaining a salary. The hard part is making it all a reality.”
Each day, twice a day, a half-dozen children at ABCs and Rice
board our school bus and make their way to a hotel pool to get lessons from teacher
Didy. “With such little time for actual
swimming because the kids go to their government school and to ABCs and Rice,”
Didy said, “I need to ensure that the kids get as much out of the lesson as
they can in the shortest amount of time.”
For the most part, the
children have never been in the water before.
The kids at ABCs don’t live next to the lake. Culturally, it’s rare for the children to go
to the swimming pool and I don’t think water parks exist.
For
a few months each year, though, heavy rains fill the ditches and fields all
around rural Cambodia, endangering the lives of our children every day.
“For
our culture, swimming is a lot of fun,” Didy said, “and many of the children here
at ABCs and Rice like the lessons just because they get out of regular classes. But, I’m
more interested in making an impact on the fact that around 2,000 children in
Cambodia drown every year. We have to
stop the drowning.”
According to Didy, the main goal is for “the kids to
get over their fear, have the tools to survive in the water, and then do a little swimming for fun.” The
first challenge for Safe Waters Cambodia is to make sure they find the kids who
really need lessons the most. So far, 60 children have gone through Didy’s
lessons and become certified swimmers.
According to Didy, though, this isn’t enough.
On a few occasions, I’ve been fortunate enough to get to fill in
as a chaperone of students at ABCs who are getting swimming
lessons from Safe Waters Cambodia. Didy has set up a rotation of local hotels to
provide the swimming pool. Jaya House River Park
Hotel has been a great supporter of Safe Waters Cambodia.
On one of my trips to take the kids to swimming lessons, I
witnessed the nervousness spread across their faces as Didy began his lesson.
One young girl looked particularly afraid as she climbed the three
steps to the lip of the pool. It was her turn to swim and dive for the rings at
the bottom. She cautiously dipped her toes in the water as we clapped and
cheered her on.
On her first attempt, she reached for and clung to Didy’s
outstretched arms, not yet ready to brave the pool on her own.
On her second go, she swam across the narrow width of the pool,
fighting her way across like a little bird first learning to fly.
On her third and final try, she committed herself to the deep like
a great fish and made it three-fourths of the way down the length of the pool.
After tiring out, she swam to the edge, held on to the side, and looked back at
her peers with the confident gaze of Joan of Arc, ready to dive into battle.
Her classmates clapped and cheered.
At the end of the lesson, as everyone else climbed the steps to
exit the pool, she stood on the top and proclaimed loudly and triumphantly,
“Now, I want to swim all the way to the end!"
Our
campaign,” Didy said, “is first and foremost to stop the drowning, but every
time the kids triumph, we triumph as educators.”
Didy faces many challenges in his role as Director of
an NGO, chief fundraiser, pool coordinator, and swim coach. “My main challenge is the language barrier,” he said.
“I want to train Cambodians to be swim coaches to ensure the children are
safely getting the most out of the lessons.”
He has bigger dreams for Safe Waters, as well, like
owning his own pool in Siem Reap some day, “but right now it’s going to take 2-3
years just to become a sustainable organization that can continue our mission of certifying swimmers."
Safe Waters also faces a similar challenge as ABCs and
Rice. While the kids at ABCs aren’t
always getting enough nutrition to learn and grow, many aren’t getting the
nutrition they need to stay safe in the water.
“The kids don’t always have the energy to do laps in
the pool,” Didy said. “Though they are getting two meals at ABCs and Rice, some
of the children don’t come for breakfast in the morning because of their
schedule.” To keep them safe in the
pool, Didy feeds them fruit to ensure they have enough energy to stay afloat.
Together we can support Safe Waters Cambodia and stop
the drowning. Just $36 supports a child from first dipping their toes in the
water, to overcoming their fears, and ultimately to being certified swimmers. Join me in supporting this great organization
to continue its mission. Your donation could save a life!
