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| Lam (leftmost) and Tolentino (2nd from left) are among 30 'Make Waves' swimmers this year |
A Filipina domestic helper is among five relay teams that will take up the unique challenge of swimming 45 kilometers around Hong Kong island on November 8, to raise awareness about the city’s massive “swim illiteracy.”
The 30 swimmers from the five teams in this year's “Make Waves for Hong Kong” will
come from diverse backgrounds, and will include Olympians Geoff Cheah and
Hannah Wilson, prominent jeweller, Jada Lam, and Filipina migrant domestic
worker, Josephine Tolentino.
Tolentino is one of the first graduates of Splash Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing free swimming lessons to disadvantaged children and adults in Hong Kong, and is the beneficiary of the swim fest.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Since
learning to swim in 2016, Tolentino has competed in many local swim races, and
won awards. “Swimming became the best solution I had to the stress and
homesickness that comes with being a migrant worker,” she said.
Cheah, who was part of the Hong Kong team that took
part in the Rio Olympics and is currently working on start-ups at Wheelock and
Company, says he was shocked to learn that 47% of Hong Kong secondary school
students do not know how to swim, and may never have had the opportunity to do
so.
“Swimming has opened so many doors for me personally. All my best friends are those who I grew up competing and training with. I’m doing this challenge so we can improve swimming lessons for kids and adults in Hong Kong.”
Altogether, the swimmers in this year's swim fest hope to raise $3.5 million to help Splash Foundation with its advocacy.
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| The 45-km swim relay will start at Sandy Bay and run clockwise around HK island |
Splash says that only about half of Hong Kong people can swim, despite the city having the world’s longest coastline and an abundance of swimming pools. The other half who can’t swim are mostly women and children from low-income families.
Realizing this, Splash has dedicated itself to improving
access to swimming for disadvantaged children and adults by providing them with
free lessons. Around 90% of the learners have learned how to swim at the end
of20 hours of instruction.
Reflecting on her own experience with Splash,
Tolentino said: “I took the first step
to learn to swim and found there was so much I could achieve. I want everyone
to have the opportunity I had.”
Lam, who turned 50 this year, is joining the swimming
relay to mark her life’s milestone.
“Swimming is an incredible exercise that teaches you
that nothing is impossible,” she said. “ When I started swimming again in my
40s, I couldn’t even manage two laps of the pool! But I’ve found this
incredible sense of fulfilment and camaraderie with other swimmers as I’ve
progressed.”
Supporting the event are Simpson Marine, Henderson
Land Group, Shanghai Commercial Bank and Kiri Capital
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