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Behind the Swim: Tanzania 2025
One stroke. One lesson. One life changed forever.
Mission Statement
Behind the Swim is a bold, grassroots mission to bring free swimming lessons, water safety education, and confidence-building ocean experiences to the children of coastal Tanzania — one of the most ecologically important and breathtaking regions on Earth, but also one of the most at risk when it comes to drowning.
We’re not just teaching strokes. We’re transferring knowledge — knowledge that could save a life, start a career, or ignite a lifetime of love for the ocean.
This summer, we’re heading to Tanzania to do just that — and we’re inviting you to be part of it.
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Why Tanzania? Why Swimming? Why Now?
• Drowning is a silent epidemic. It’s one of the top 10 causes of child death in Tanzania, especially in communities near the sea and Lake Victoria.
• Over 90% of children in these regions can’t swim — and most have never received water safety education.
• Yet the coastline is extraordinary:
• 1,400 km of coral reefs and marine biodiversity
• Healthy seagrass meadows that store carbon 35x faster than rainforests
• Rising careers in reef restoration, eco-tourism, marine conservation
• But without basic swimming ability, local children can’t access them
We’re going to help change that — through joy, precision, and the power of human connection.
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What Will We Do?
For four weeks in summer 2025, Behind the Swim will deliver:
• Free daily swimming lessons for over 300 children
• Water safety workshops tailored to ocean, river, and lake environments
• Donated swim gear (goggles, rash vests, kickboards) left behind for future use
• Teacher training and coaching, giving local instructors the tools to carry on
• Partnerships with schools, clubs, and NGOs, creating lasting infrastructure
This isn’t a top-down intervention. It’s local, low-tech, and high-impact.
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What Will the Money Go Towards?
This is an ultra-lean, super-targeted fundraiser — every donation is designed like a perfectly placed tool. Here’s the exact breakdown of our £15,000 goal:
Category Amount % of Budget What it Covers
Flights & Internal Travel £2,800 19% Return flights to Tanzania + all local travel between teaching sites
Accommodation £3,500 23% Safe, modest housing during volunteer period
Teaching Equipment & Swim Gear £1,800 12% Kickboards, goggles, rash vests, teaching aids — all donated
Local Staff & Translators £1,500 10% Wages for Tanzanian support staff and interpreters
Community Outreach & Donations £2,000 13% School partnerships, print resources, local leadership support
Living Costs & Insurance £900 6% Meals, transport, travel insurance
Fees & Cushion £2,500 17% Platform fees, foreign exchange, emergency buffer
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What Does £12 Really Do?
You could fund:
• A child’s first pair of goggles and a lesson they’ll remember for life
• A teaching aid that helps explain breath control or rescue techniques
• A day of transportation to a rural village with no prior access to lessons
It’s not about guilt — it’s about precision. You’re not giving to a system.
You’re putting a tool directly into a child’s hand.
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Creative Direction: Why This Project Is Beautiful
Behind the Swim isn’t charity.
It’s a beautiful act of rebalancing. It’s a returning of something that should’ve always been there:
Access to joy. Access to calm. Access to water without fear.
We’re storytellers, swimmers, and students of nature.
We believe water is sacred. And we believe that no child should grow up afraid of it.
We’ll document the project with:
• Weekly photo + video diaries
• Interviews with kids, teachers, and locals
• Personal reflections from the field
• Behind-the-scenes teaching footage
• Conservation stories from the reef and seagrass beds
• A digital journal for all Patreon supporters
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Fun Facts About Tanzania’s Coastline
• Tanzania has over 5,000 sq km of coral reefs, many of which are still healthy and vibrant
• Seagrass meadows here are vital for sea turtles, which feed and nest in these waters
• Mafia Island Marine Park is one of the world’s most important protected reef systems
• A growing number of local NGOs are working on reef restoration, carbon offsetting, and marine science education
• The only thing holding back local involvement? Access. And swimming ability.
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Clear Itinerary (Summer 2025)
Week 1: Arrival & Coastal Teaching Site 1
• Community orientation
• Lesson planning and gear distribution
• 5 days of beginner swimming and water safety workshops
Week 2: Inland Lakeside Region
• Working with schools near inland water sources
• Shoreline teaching, floating lessons, survival techniques
Week 3: Zanzibar or Mafia Island (TBC)
• Partnering with eco-tourism youth groups
• Advanced water confidence sessions, reef knowledge
Week 4: Train-the-Trainers Week
• Teacher education program
• Donating all remaining kit and materials
• Final celebration swim + documentation of impact
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Risks and Challenges
This isn’t a luxury retreat. It’s a mission. We’ve prepared for:
• Travel disruptions or extreme weather
• Working with children from non-swimming cultures
• Gear loss or breakage
• Navigating language and cultural barriers
We mitigate these with:
• Backup plans and teaching flexibility
• Local translators and liaisons
• A trauma-informed, low-pressure teaching approach
• Working closely with in-country partners who know the terrain
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How You Can Help
There are four simple ways to support:
1. Pledge to the fundraiser – Even £5 helps. £12 makes a big splash.
2. Join our Patreon – Get behind-the-scenes access to the whole journey:
www.patreon.com/behindtheswim
3. Spread the word – Share on Instagram, Facebook, your WhatsApp groups, or with your swim club
4. Host a micro fundraiser – Sponsored swims, beach cleanups, bake sales, yoga classes – let’s make waves!
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Final Words
Swimming is not a luxury. It’s life-saving knowledge.
It’s the nervous system calming down.
It’s the joy of floating. The freedom of knowing you won’t drown.
The possibility of loving water instead of fearing it.
Let’s make that feeling accessible to every child, everywhere.
One lesson at a time.
One child at a time.
One ripple becoming a wave.
patreon.com/SeadogSchool
@seadog.school
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