Things don’t change much in Benin. I think that was my first impression of going back there for the first time in seven years. The last time I had been to Benin, I was fresh out of a 10-month fellowship for the US State Department as an English Language Fellow. There I ran a local English school that was partially funded by the U.S. government. Going to the local pool every day before teaching my English classes, I had made a lot of friends who wanted to swim. Thus, the idea of my non-profit was hatched.
Each year since 2016 (except 2020 due to COVID), my non-profit Swim Benin has been able to put on the Holiday Swim Program, a month-long swim training for kids and adults that coincides with their school break. The first year, I was there in person, but for the last seven years, commitments had made it impossible. Living in Long Beach, I have been able to raise money to partially fund the activity, so I was responsible to my donors and stakeholders. So, last August, I bought a plane ticket and flew halfway around the world again.
When I got off the plane in Cotonou, Benin’s capital city, I was anxious about how it would all turn out. After two days flying, I was greeted with a couple familiar faces. In fact, most of the instructors that I taught to be swim instructors in 2016 met me the next day. The night before the first day’s activities, I took them to the local fish restaurant, and it was great to bond with old and new faces. As we planned out the curriculum for the next month on a whiteboard, it was inspiring to see their passion to do something that they get little financial compensation for.
There are people who know how to swim in Benin but finding a pool to teach in is not easy. The pool that I swam in during my English teaching fellowship was leveled after slipping into disrepair and becoming a mosquito pond. (See story entitled “An English teacher on a mission”, Jan. 21, 2016.) The Holiday Swim Program has had to move to different sites almost every year as the facilities are either shut down or change ownership. This year, we were able to hold our event at the pool of the only university in Cotonou, but next year that could change.
The instructors, or the “Team in Benin” as I call them, do it because they love to teach swimming. As I said, nothing much changes in Benin and I saw the same faces wearing the same swimsuits and living in the same homes as I had seven years ago. It is hard to find an opportunity to get ahead, let alone make a living in Benin. Some of the instructors see that possibility by teaching people how to swim. I think that together we have learned a lot about how much work it takes to create a successful non-profit.
The students are eager to learn as well. There is a lot of demand for swim lessons due to the location of Cotonou, the capital city being surrounded by water on three sides. In addition, there is a huge amount of population growth, by 2050 the megalopolis encompassing Cotonou and stretching from Nigeria to the Ivory Coast will be the largest in the world. Most of the development will be along the treacherous Bight of Benin, the stretch of coast known for rough surf and dangerous riptides. Many of my instructors, although they boast they know how to swim, have never dared swim in the ocean.
Most of the participants who come to the Holiday Swim Program have been trying to learn to swim on their own and just need encouragement and supervision. Being with others who also are learning helps. When we can give them goggles, which some of them are wearing for the first time, it also brightens their perspective. Swimsuits are available to those who don’t have the proper clothing to get in the pool.
We also teach them to make swimming a part of a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle. Those new to swimming don’t realize that swimming is not just about technique but having the cardio and the muscles to fight to float above the water. Becoming proficient in swimming can be a long process that requires stamina and the never-give-up attitude that our team tries to inspire. We are trying to not only save lives but also change lives for the better.
It takes a lot to teach swimming in Benin. Providing consistency and stability so that the students can come every week is our next goal. Learning to swim takes weekly lessons for months and sometimes even years. We need our own pool and the instructors have to be paid for their work. That is the next step for Swim Benin.
For more information or to donate to Dan’s non-profit Swim Benin, please visit the webpage helpbeninswim.weebly.com.
