This is the second swimming pool sponsored by the Vietnam Talent Development Fund after the swimming pool donated to Ms. Sau Thia in Dong Thap province in April 2024.
At the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Le Nguyen Hoa, Director of the Vietnam Talent Development Fund, said: “Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children, so teaching children to swim is very necessary. Despite limited conditions, teachers at Phu Thuan Primary School have made great efforts to teach swimming for free to students in the school and children of residents in the surrounding area. This is an extremely noble gesture. Therefore, the Vietnam Talent Development Fund has decided to sponsor teachers with a new, more spacious lake so that more local children can learn to swim and avoid drowning during the flood season. We also hope that the teachers' class will discover talents to contribute to the sport of swimming.”
It is known that the swimming pool at Phu Thuan Primary School was created 3 years ago thanks to the invention of Mr. Le Van Cau, the school's principal. Realizing that many disadvantaged children do not have the conditions to learn to swim, the teachers of Phu Thuan Primary School used iron sheets and nylon tarpaulin to make a makeshift pool. The teachers in charge of the class are the school's physical education teachers.
Although it is only 4m x 8m in size, the homemade pond of Phu Thuan Primary School has attracted many children from difficult circumstances to come and study. After 3 years, thousands of children have learned to swim thanks to the pond and the patience and dedication of the teachers.
Because it was only temporary and accommodated a large number of students, after a period of use, the pool at Phu Thuan Primary School has become increasingly degraded. Currently, 30 schools in Thoai Son District are sharing this small, rudimentary, homemade swimming pool.
Therefore, the Vietnam Talent Development Fund has decided to build and donate a new swimming pool with standard swimming teaching size for children (6m x 12m) to teachers and students of Phu Thuan Primary School. In addition, the pool is also equipped with a sand filter and a chlorine water filter pump to help ensure the water is always clean and safe for the health of teachers and students. In addition to sponsoring the construction of a new swimming pool, on this occasion, the Vietnam Talent Development Fund also donated 125 swimming goggles to the children. The total sponsorship value this time is 62 million VND.
On the day of the swimming pool inauguration, Mr. Le Van Cau, the school principal, was very moved and said: “Phu Thuan School is a school in a remote commune. People's lives still face many difficulties because their main income comes from farming. Many children do not have the conditions to learn to swim while the surrounding living environment is rivers. The old pool is rotten and starting to break down. Therefore, when receiving the news that the Vietnam Talent Development Fund will donate a new, more modern swimming pool, the Board of Directors, Parents' Association and local leaders were very happy and sincerely thanked them.”
Not only teachers, but also students attending the free swimming class at Phu Thuan Primary School were extremely happy when the new swimming pool was inaugurated and put into operation.
Nguyen Nhu Quynh (5B grade student) happily shared: “I was enthusiastically guided by my teachers in swimming, diving, and treading water skills. I really enjoyed learning to swim with my friends during the summer. Now when I go swimming in the river, I am no longer afraid like before thanks to my mastery of swimming skills.”
Hopefully with this lake, the free classes of Phu Thuan Primary School teachers will continue to be maintained and expanded so that more children can be taught to swim, thereby contributing to preventing drowning for local children and discovering talents for swimming.
