Foundation Spotlight: Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation was launched on 14 December 2012. Her Serene Highness, Princess Charlene is the President of the Foundation, while her husband, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II serves as the Foundation’s Vice President.

The primary focus is to save lives by the prevention of drowning. The Foundation’s missions are to raise awareness about the dangers of water and to teach children preventative measures and to swim. Further, it is dedicated to communicating the values of sport. These values include dedication, determination, teamwork, and respect for oneself and for others.

According to the World Health Organisation, close to 372,000 people across the world drowned in 2012. Further, there are more than 40 fatalities every hour, and over half of the victims are under the age of 25 years old. Children, who are under the age of 5, are the most affected.

The Learn to Swim programme currently has 23 projects in 14 different countries. According to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, 10,590 children and 115 adults have learnt to swim, while 35 swimming instructors were trained. The statistics of the Water Safety programme show 20 projects in 15 countries, where 45,974 children and 1,896 adults have benefited from water safety lessons. More, 393 teachers and 54 lifeguards have been trained. In regard to the Sport and Education programme, there are 6 projects in 2 countries. A total of 1,099 children and 20 adults have benefited from this particular programme.

Statistics, from December 2012 through December 2015, on behalf of the Foundation, show that over 100,000 people, many of whom are children, benefited from the three aforementioned programmes in 27 countries that include Australia, France, Greece, India, Monaco, South Africa, Sudan, and the United States.

As with other foundations and charities, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has an array of different advisors and ambassadors. Some of those lending their support include Novak Djokovic, Dara Torres, Yannick Agnel, and Dr Alain Astie.

The Foundation launched in the United States of America on 11 May 2016, when Her Serene Highness, Princess Charlene visited Santa Monica, California. While there, Her Serene Highness got into the pool with the children in attendance to teach them to swim and about water safety.

Many thanks to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation for the information, statistics, and photographs accompanying this article. You can find out more information about the great work of Princess Charlene and her foundation here.