Australian trio establish Buffalo Pond swimming school to help reduce drownings in Lombok
Andrea McDowell with local kids during a swimming class in Lombok. (Supplied: Andrea McDowell)
A simple phrase changed Andrea McDowell's life during a surfing trip to Lombok in Indonesia.
"I didn't learn to swim, but I paddled around in my uncle's buffalo pond".
These words, spoken by a friend, stayed with Ms McDowell.
The 29-year-old Australian, who went to the island in 2023 to enjoy the surf, later discovered an average of 13 people drown every day in Indonesia.
She has now established a swimming school for the local community and expats in an attempt to reduce the country's "shocking" drowning rate.
"There wasn't a huge amount of swimming capability that existed, nor programs that provided that upskilling," Ms McDowell said.
"There's lots of data to suggest that drowning rates are a huge problem."
Despite being an island nation, many people do not know how to swim in Indonesia. (Flickr: Tanti Ruwani, CC BY 2.0 DEED)
Thirteen drownings a day
There are nearly 5,000 drownings in Indonesia each year — an average of 13 a day — according to the 2019 Global Health Estimates report.
But a recent peer-reviewed research paper found figures were likely under-represented due to how data was recorded and collected in Indonesia.
A 2022 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report also showed Indonesia's "swimming without assistance" rates were low, ranked 93rd in the world, despite the nation's status as the fourth most populous and largest archipelagic country in the world.
Australia, which has a far smaller population than Indonesia, had 281 drownings across the country in 2023 and ranked 8th in global "swimming without assistance" rates.
Ms McDowell said most locals she spoke to in Lombok, including her friend who spent his childhood trying to paddle around his uncle's buffalo pond, said they could not swim.
That anecdote inspired the name of her swimming school, Buffalo Pond.
"I realised there was a huge opportunity to make something very cool happen," Ms McDowell said.
The 29-year-old worked alongside Melbourne couple, Ryan and Dina Bagus, for a year to get the idea off the ground.
Three Australians have set up a new swimming school in Lombok, Indonesia. (Supplied: Andrea McDowell)
A social enterprise
Ms McDowell, who spent her teenage and university years teaching swimming classes on the New South Wales Central Coast, said the trio decided to set up the Lombok school as a social enterprise.
The model uses money raised from classes for expats and their children to provide scholarship lessons to locals who cannot afford them.
The school has focused on upskilling more women and children to improve water safety and increase employability within the community.
"[We] make sure that swimming isn't just a privilege, but it's a right to all members of the community," Ms McDowell said.
"That's so important here in Lombok, because swimming and safety within the water actually allows for job opportunities."
As an island nation, many of the jobs in Lombok are based on the water, such as work in the fishing and tourism industries.
Ms McDowell said nannies often needed swimming skills to be hired too.
Andrea McDowell says teaching Lombok locals to swim is a joyous experience. (Supplied: Andrea McDowell)
Privacy considerations
Lombok is a largely Muslim island, which means the school has also had to consider cultural complexities when organising classes for women.
"Firstly, the privacy of the pool," Ms McDowell said.
"After a certain age, women need to be in classes that only have women and women instructors."
She said the school was also looking at forming partnerships to provide appropriate swimwear for local women, to help them feel more comfortable during the classes.
Melbourne couple Dina and Ryan Bagus established the school with Ms McDowell (right). (Supplied: Andrea McDowell)
She said it was a complete joy to teach the locals.
"I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing those lit up eyes when someone comes up from underwater for the first time," Ms McDowell said.
"To be part of that is such a privilege."
Ms McDowell now spends her time between Manly and Lombok, juggling work and her new venture.
She said it was all made possible by a dedicated team of people on the ground.
"I'm also so trusting and grateful of the very highly skilled people that we have," she said.
"Making it work and creating this as a living and breathing pillar within the community."