### DROWNING IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION: A Silent Crisis
The floods and drowning of children in countries like Malawi, Uganda or Rwanda, although often considered as local tragedies, are a larger crisis that requires increased attention. In the context of the Great Lakes region, this correlation between environmental disorders and human losses raises crucial questions concerning children’s safety, collective responsibility and necessary preventive actions.
Recently, media reports have reported tragic accidents occurring in unsecured water areas, such as Dam Kachule in Malawi. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 300,000 cases of drownings were recorded worldwide in 2024, with young children systematically among the most vulnerable. This observation is particularly worrying in countries where access to safe infrastructure is limited and where safety controls around water bodies are insufficient.
It is important to consider the socio -cultural and economic factors that contribute to these tragedies. In many riparian communities, the supervision of children can be overlooked, not out of indifference, but often due to the challenges associated with poverty, such as the long hours of parents’ work. Children, seeking to play and entertain, then find themselves exposed to potential dangers in their environment. Urban planning policy and community planning must tackle these issues to prevent tragedies from being repeated.
In addition, it is necessary to consider the impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of floods. Extreme rainy events, which have become more and more frequent in the region, increase the risk of drowning. The need for collective awareness on the aquatic environment can no longer be ignored. This implies the education of children on the dangers linked to water and the training of adults to react in an emergency, in particular by training in cardiorepiratory resuscitation techniques.
The call for action should not be limited to parents and educators. Governments, in collaboration with NGOs and community organizations, have a fundamental role to play. The implementation of education programs on aquatic security, the improvement of infrastructure around waterways and the development of a national drowning prevention plan are avenues to explore. These initiatives could considerably reduce the risk of drowning children and improving general security around water points.
It is also crucial to explore the possibility of adopting drowning prevention policies based on concrete data. Governments would benefit from conducting in -depth studies on drownings in order to identify risk areas, understand risk behaviors within their communities and implement targeted prevention strategies.
In short, the question of children’s drownings in the region of the Great Lakes should not be considered as fatality, but as a problem which can be attenuated by a concerted action at various levels. At a time when the dangers of floods are exacerbated by environmental crises, it becomes imperative that civil companies, politicians and families collaborate to create a safer environment for future generations. The life of each lost child represents an undeniable human tragedy. However, through prevention, education and community commitment, it is possible to transform this crisis into an opportunity for collective improvement and preservation of lives.