Swimming for Classroom of Hope
Mike Murphy introduced exercise physiologist, open water swimmer and public speaker Ceinwen Roberts. Ceinwen is the head coach and co-founder of Positive Swim Squad, which specialises in adult technique, fitness and open water swimming. The 'Bears of Brine' are nine Perth swimmers, aged between 40 and 53, who are all members of the Positive Swim Squad, who have spent countless hours in the oceans and rivers of Perth, preparing for solo ultra marathon swims.
Finally, after years of build-up, tough training and massive swims, including the 20km Rottnest Channel Swim, 25km Port to Pub ultra marathon and the 34km Derwent River Big Swim, as well as facing setbacks due to COVID, they finally took on the English and Bristol channels. This was no small undertaking. The English Channel is 34km as the crow flies (but with ever changing tides the swim is much longer), the water temp varies between 14-19 degrees, there are jellyfish and seals (but fortunately no sharks) to contend with and it is the busiest shipping channel in the world.
The idea of this monumental challenge, was to focus on fund raising for an incredible project – building a five-classroom school and toilet block in Lombok, Indonesia through the charity Classroom of Hope. This Australian registered charity envisions a clean world where every child thrives in safe, uplifting schools. The mission is to construct sustainable schools using upcycled materials. Through the Block Schools program, they create earthquake-resistant educational facilities, while removing 1-2 tons of plastic waste from the environment per classroom. The blocks are earthquake resistant building blocks made from recycled plastic collected from the oceans and lands of Indonesia. At the same time the project helps create jobs in the local community, and changes the lives of so many children, giving them a safe place to learn and gain an education.
Classroom of Hope is a new recipient of Karrinyup Rotary's International funding this year. In allocating funding Karrinyup Rotary carefully considers the impact of the donation. This amazing environmentally friendly project ticks all the boxes.
Impact of Classroom of Hope
