We have recently successfully completed our second ZERO to HERO development program.

We approached a Boys home (Ottawa Boys Haven in Durban) for previously disadvantaged black boys in November 2008, we selected 8 black boys, aged between 15 and 18 years old.

The length of the program is between six months to a year to complete. It entails teaching and training previously disadvantaged children to swim and become proficient in the water (this can take between three months to over a year depending on the children’s skill level), and take them through a course to become qualified Lifesavers.

Once the children are proficient at swimming in the pool and meet the Lifesaving swimming qualification, we then teach and train them the Lifeguard Award (LA), this course teaches and trains them in first aid, lifesaving rescue techniques and lifesaving duty management.

When they have gone through the course, which is six weeks of intensive training and learning, they then have to complete the exam and pass to qualify as Lifesavers.

This Lifeguard Award is recognized worldwide as a lifesaving qualification, and is a requirement for obtaining a lifesaving job in South Africa.

Once they have obtained their LA we incorporate them into our current duty squads on the beach to perform voluntary duties with the Umhlanga Lifesaving Club on Sundays and Public Holidays. When they have gained enough experience, through training with the current qualified lifesavers, we then during the holiday season arrange for them to be employed by the Local Municipality to work on the beach or at the Municipal Pools as temporary Lifeguards. 

To date we have successfully put through 10 candidates who have completed the full course and attained their Lifeguard awards and have been working on the beach and pools performing lifesaving duties.

Our Objective of this program is to offer PDI’s, hope for the future, something to hold onto, something to strive to and the opportunity to gain employment.