The Isle of Man Government has welcomed the Acting High Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom, Dr M. Nazrul Islam, on an official visit to the Island from Wednesday 12th to Friday 14th August.
During his visit, the Acting High Commissioner visited RNLI Peel Lifeboat Station to learn more about the Island’s critical water safety and drowning prevention work in conjunction with the RNLI and Isle of Man Harbours and Coastguard.
The Isle of Man has a long history with the RNLI, having been founded by Sir William Hilary following his experiences of shipwrecks around the Island’s coast. The RNLI now carries about important drowning prevention work all over the world, including in Bangladesh.
Drowning is a leading cause of death among young children in Bangladesh, particularly where ponds and other bodies of water are close to the home and during the daytime when parents are working and children may lack close supervision around water.
During his visit to the Lifeboat Station, the Acting High Commissioner also mett with RNLI representatives Neil Smith, International Programmes Funding Manager, and Darren Williams, Bangladesh Programme Manager, who have worked closely with the Isle of Man Government to support drowning prevention programmes in Bangladesh.
Between 2022 and 2024, the Isle of Man Government contributed nearly £100,000 to the RNLI’s Creches for Bangladesh, a project which established 60 community crèches in the Barisal region to provide safe, supervised care for over 1,200 children during the hours when they are most at risk of drowning. Daily attendance at the crèches reduced the risk of drowning for children in the area by 82%.
Following the success of the program, the Government of Bangladesh took the project forward on a national scale, establishing more than 8,000 childcare centres for over 200,000 young children, alongside survival swimming lessons for almost 360,000 older children across Bangladesh.
As part of his visit to the Island, the Acting High Commissioner also met with Chief Minister, Alfred Cannan, and toured Tynwald Chambers, hosted by the President of Tynwald, Hon. Juan Watterson MLC.
Main image shows Peel lifeboat. Courtesy of Facebook: Peel RNLI Lifeboat.
