H.S.H. The Princess with the Safer 3 Group of Children.

ISLA’s Henry Reyes and William Koon discussing lifeguard bouys with the HSH The Princess.

The rescue board ceremony with HSH The Princess and Dara Torres, 5 Time Olympian.

Her Serene Highness (H.S.H.) Princess Charlene of Monaco is no stranger to knowing the value and appreciation of water sports. Coming from a family of active swimmers, and being an Olympian and 3 time gold medalist in the All-African Games representing South Africa, She holds a life-long appreciation of the power water sports can play in shaping young people’s lives.

In 2011 while traveling through Morocco, HSH The Princess experienced first hand the devastating effects of the global drowning epidemic by learning of several children that had drowned on the beach the day she arrived. Mixed with other unfortunate drowning accidents that involved close family friends, The Princess decided to take action through Her Fondation Princesse Charlene de Monaco and work towards providing direct resources and aid to areas of the world most affected by this epidemic.

Since then, The Princess has selflessly worked towards reducing drowning rates, specifically among children, by building a global network of ambassadors, providing training camps, and swim lessons to teach the importance of water safety… all the while advocating the value and joy derived from being a strong swimmer.

Her tireless work as an advocator of water safety and the value of sportsmanship in the lives of young ones in many areas around the globe has earned Her recognition as a force for good, and has enabled Her Foundation to be a representative of the goodwill of the country of Monaco, as well Her home country, and of passionate sport advocates around the globe.

Fast forward to today when the efforts of The Princess’s Foundation would join in collaboration with ISLA, to become an even more effective force for water safety initiatives. This past month, while The Princess was working alongside Safer 3 Foundation to teach swimming lessons while in Southern California, The Princess and ISLA launched a collaborative effort to utilize the resources of The Foundation and the global network of ISLA to get 10 much needed rescue boards to areas most affected by drownings. Five of those boards went to places in the United States, as well as five boards that were sent to ISLA project sites around the globe.

The meeting and ceremony with HSH The Princess was filled with exciting talks and discussions about the direct role these boards will play in drowning prevention, and the possibility of further aid in the near future. As these boards get shipped out just in time for Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, there will no doubt be exciting stories of how these important rescue tools are playing a direct role in global drowning prevention.

From all of us at ISLA, we are humbled and inspired by Her Serene Highness The Princess’s tireless efforts towards water safety initiatives and making a positive impact in children’s lives. We are also thrilled to report to the world and The Foundation the stories of rescue these boards will bring!

Check out the photos of the event on our facebook page!