An Ohio woman is using her personal tragedy to help save the lives of African- American children, who are three times more likely to drown compared to white children.
Wanda Butt still lives with the burden of losing her son to a drowning incident but despite her tragic loss, she is determined to educate families about the importance of being water safe.
“It's very hard for me to believe that just like that my son had drowned and he was gone,” said the 58-year-old.
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In 2007, she established the Josh Project, a not-for-profit organisation that provides low-cost swimming lessons for children in Toledo, Ohio.
"After losing my son, I wanted to do something to help other people, to help another mother not have to suffer the way I do every day from the loss of a child drowning," she said.
According to latest figures, 70 per cent of African-American children cannot swim, compared to white children, the USA Swimming organisation found.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that African-American children between the ages of five and fourteen were three times more likely to drown compared to white children in the same age bracket.
According to Ms Butt, many African-American parents don't know how to swim and their children are the first in their families to learn the skills.
To date, the organisation has helped more than 1,000 children learn the art of swimming.
