Drowning is the leading killer of children in low to middle income communities across Asia, particularly in parts of South East Asia, namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Families do not put importance on swimming skills as they prioritise the need to make ends meet. When the adults are busy with their daily chores and work, the children are often left unsupervised to wander off on their own. Before the Water Giants are able to teach these children basic swimming skills, we needed to find a way to make the waters safe for them. For mothers who do not know how to swim, the Washboard Lifesaver turns them into lifeguards. Handy to be used for their washing by the riverbanks, and lightweight and buoyant to function as a lifesaver swim board to rescue any child who is struggling in the water.

After considering a vast selection of options, we derived a visually pleasing, optimized combined design of a washboard and swim board, and made it with a composite material that's cost-effective and highly functional.

High density compressed 45 EVA foam board, 10m nylon rope, and a plastic whistle.

The Washboard Lifesavers are disseminated through the Water Giants outreach program network. 100 units have been produced to date, and are currently being distributed to low and middle income communities in Malaysia.