Hi, my name is Julie Young. I am a swimming instructor at Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing gym in Warwick (UK). I am very passionate about helping people to learn a very important life skill.

I have seen the impact learning to swim can have on somebody’s life. Seeing the look of achievement, pride and ,sometimes, surprise on so many of my students’ faces when they master a skill makes what I do so satisfying and exciting.

Becoming a swimming instructor changed my life and I believe that by teaching people to swim and to enjoy being in the water can change their lives.

Recently I was approached by Maria Hageneder, who established the Imarisha Foundation, to get involved in a project to teach the seaweed farmers of Zanzibar how to swim.

More than 23 000 people, mostly rural women, farm seaweed in Zanzibar, but many more benefit from the income earned by these farmers. Seaweed is an ingredient in many cosmetics and some food products. Zanzibar is the fourth largest supplier of seaweed world wide.

 Unfortunately, because of the effects of climate change, the farmers are struggling as the increased temperatures of the water in which they farm is damaging their crops.

Dr Flower Msuya, the Marine University researcher, advises that a different type of seaweed needs to be planted in deeper water. The biggest challenge is that most of these farmers cannot swim and have no basic aquatic skills to help themselves.

SEP - Swim Education Program’s short term aim is to teach 20 young ladies how to swim in a two to three week intensive course. Ideally they would learn how to swim and be confident enough to pass on their skills and  knowledge.

The more able and confident will be encouraged to become swim teachers.

This is something that I believe will benefit the entire community and positively impact many lives. I have volunteered my time, but to get this project going I need your help.

I need to raise funds to supply modesty suits "burkini" as Zanzibar is a Muslim country.