About Us
The Problem Is Never Just the Water
According to the WHO, there are an estimated 300,000 drowning deaths every year worldwide, and more than 90% of them occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Drowning can Cause:
Loss of Life and Disability
Family and Community Trauma
Deepened Cycles of Inequality
Our Research
Understanding the Gap We Step Into
Life Afloat works specifically with children who have the fewest opportunities: students in rural boarding schools, orphanages, and underserved community programs across China and Japan (and more in the future) who are unlikely to encounter water safety education through any other channel.
Before every lesson, we conduct brief surveys with both students and their teachers to understand the gap we're stepping into. The findings have been consistent: 89% of students reported that they had never received water safety education and did not expect to receive any through their school. When we asked teachers the same question from the other side, 93% said they lacked the resources, training, or curriculum materials to teach water safety themselves — even when they recognized it as a need.
According to the WHO, in the Western Pacific region, where Life Afloat is currently focused, drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged 5–14, surpassing disease and traffic combined.
92%
According to the WHO, 92% of all drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries — the same communities where water safety education is rarely, if ever, taught.
100%
In a study of rural families in Bangladesh, 100% of respondents reported having never received any drowning prevention information — a gap consistent with the communities Life Afloat serves.
Benefits of Water Safety Education
Enhanced Ability to Recognize Risk
Better Survival Outcomes
Boost in Lifelong Confidence
It's more than just preventing drowning...
Water safety knowledge opens opportunities that extend far beyond the water's edge. A child who understands risk, knows how to stay calm, and can act in an emergency carries that confidence into every aspect of their life. More importantly, the knowledge that someone has invested in their safety sends a message: your life matters.
Life Afloat exists because the children most at risk, those growing up in rural communities or far from resources and support, deserve the same protection as anyone else. Every lesson we deliver is a step toward a world where a child's circumstances no longer determines whether they come home safe.