Milko van Gool is nominated for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Man of the Year for his work as an open water swimming ambassador in parts of the world where swimming is literally a matter of survival.
Milko van Gool swam the English Channel to kick-start funds as a donation to the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB).
As Head of Development Cooperation with the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh, Gool has seen first-hand the devastation caused by drowning – and is doing something positive and concrete about it. In a country where nearly 50 children die every single day due to the inability to swim, he aims to reduce the number of drowning fatalities among Bangladeshi children by providing information and swimming lessons among the children of the poorest population. For his humanistic care among a population that surrounded by water, take-action attitude, and selfless work to share his passion for the open water, big-hearted Milko van Gool is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Man of the Year.
“Water is everywhere in Bangladesh. It is a land of massive rivers, deltas, rice paddies and ponds,” explains big-hearted Gool. “And the risk of drowning may be increasing with climate change, extreme weather patterns, frequent flooding and rising sea levels. In response, UNICEF and it partners like the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh have been teaching Bangladeshi children to swim in order to save their own lives and the lives of others. We will teach over 1,500 children to swim this year in Bangladesh.”
Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source