Join Olympic Swimmer, Emma Mckeon to stop preventable child drowning

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children and young people worldwide, claiming 96,000 young lives every year. That’s more than 10 children every single hour.

On a recent visit to Bangladesh with UNICEF, Olympic champion and UNICEF Australia Ambassador Emma McKeon saw firsthand the devastating impact of these preventable deaths.

“EVERY CHILD DESERVES THE CHANCE TO LEARN TO SWIM"
– EMMA MCKEON, OLYMPIC CHAMPION

In Bangladesh, water is part of everyday life, rivers, ponds, and floodwaters surround communities. But for children, it is often deadly:
- Almost 60% of the population (94+ million people) live in high flood-risk areas.
- Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under five.
- More than 15,000 children die every year, over 40 every single day.
- A toddler can drown in just 5 cm of water, silently, in 25 seconds.
- On top of this, Bangladesh also hosts nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees at Cox’s Bazar, half of them children.

This is a crisis we can stop.

UNICEF’s SwimSafe program teaches children vital swimming and survival skills in flood-prone areas. It works and it’s affordable. Alongside this, UNICEF provides safe drinking water and education for vulnerable children.

Your gift today could save lives:
- $10 – Teach a child to swim and survive.
- $30 – Provide safe drinking water for a family for months.
- $188 – Give a Rohingya child a year of education.

Together with Emma McKeon and UNICEF Australia, you can give every child the chance to grow up safe.

Donate now and help save lives.