She lost her child to drowning. Now she’s empowering other kids to swim safely

Darcey Elizabeth Sunshine Doig was always enthralled by swimming. Understanding that being safe in the water is an essential life skill, her mother Kirsty Doig enrolled her in lessons. “My little girl’s happiest place was her swimming pool,” Doig says. Despite Darcey knowing her way around the water, tragedy struck in 2020. “We lost our three-year-old daughter to drowning,” Doig explains. “We’ve endured a heartbreaking loss, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer what we’ve been through.” Now, she’s on a mission to ensure water is both a site of safety and delight for kids.

Between 2016 and 2019, 29% of drowning deaths in South Africa were children under the age of 14. “Learning to swim shouldn’t just be another sports activity or a hobby,” Doig says. “It’s a necessity.” Together with family and close friends, Doig established The Darcey Sunshine Foundation to keep her daughter’s legacy alive. It began as a feeding scheme to nourish children in communities in Helderberg in the Western Cape during the COVID-19 lockdown. Then, Darcey’s swim coach Jo-Anne Grobler suggested they further their impact by teaching swimming and important emergency responses in the water. “When we have the resources available, we should take the opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives,” Doig says. Today the non-profit hosts The Sunshine Swim Project to deliver free water safety education to children whose families cannot afford quality lessons. “To be able to give that joy to other children does a lot for my heart and its healing,” Doig says.

Partnering with local swim schools and preschools in Helderberg and neighbouring communities, Doig is also enforcing swimming as part of the academic curriculum. “Reaching more children every year is going to be our mission going forward,” she says. While knowing how to swim is important, one of the key lessons they learn is not to approach water unaccompanied. Despite her loss, Doig finds strength in empowering kids to become confident swimmers. “All I really want is to give children the chance to feel safe and secure in water,” she says. 

You can support Kirsty’s work here.