Join us to hear how 12 civil society organizations from 11 countries across Africa and Asia turned their new skills into results.
In March 2026, Việt Nam marked a defining milestone, transitioning its child drowning prevention programme from a donor-supported pilot into a fully nationally owned initiative. Over eight years, the partnership between the Government of Việt Nam, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) helped more than 75,000 children learn survival swimming skills and reduced drowning mortality by 16% in the areas where it operated — results that position Việt Nam as a reference point for countries building sustainable drowning prevention systems.
Between 2018 and 2025, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, partnered with the Government of Vietnam to implement a World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended survival swimming program that fundamentally transformed national child safety and reduced overall child drowning.
Between 2018 and 2025, GHAI assisted the government and local partners to orchestrate a transformative, strategic communications campaign that helped to secure landmark national drowning prevention policies that now protect millions of Vietnamese children. Through innovative media partnerships, evidence-based storytelling and multi-level stakeholder engagement, we transformed awareness into action that changed behaviors, influenced policy and created lasting systems for continued impact.
In Việt Nam, a groundbreaking partnership between the national government and international partners is on track to reduce the national drowning burden by 20%. By securing dedicated funding streams and pursuing innovative partnerships, two high-burden provinces have provided a blueprint for sustaining their drowning prevention programs.
Globally there has been an influx of ultra-processed products, which have negatively impacted diets and increased the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, among others. To shift these alarming trends, GHAI works with civil society organizations to push for mandatory policies that reduce the consumption of ultra-processed food and beverages.
We support governments to test and implement proven, preventative drowning prevention interventions, and we work with local communities to create awareness and generate demand for services to achieve sustainable drowning prevention programs.
