Glossary
Desi
An informal word many people of South Asian heritage use for themselves and their communities, in South Asia and abroad.
Desi is an informal word that many people with roots in South Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, use for themselves, their food, music and communities, both in South Asia and in the diaspora. The Amin family, who founded the Amin Foundation, is Bangladeshi-American, from Queens, New York.
In its founding statement in September 2022, the family wrote: "Lack of water safety/swimming education is rampant in the desi community as well as in other minority communities in the United States."
What the data can and can't tell us:
- no official U.S. statistic on swimming ability or drowning among South Asian or Bangladeshi Americans exists; CDC's 2023 survey groups Asian Americans with other groups, of whom 22.4% said they could not swim (CDC MMWR (opens in a new tab));
- in Bangladesh itself, over 14,000 children die from drowning each year, according to WHO and UNICEF (opens in a new tab) (2022);
- barriers that affect many families, such as modest-dress concerns and lack of nearby pools, are well described (AAP Voices (opens in a new tab)).
See water safety in South Asian (desi) communities and swimming with modesty.
What you can do today: share one free swim lesson option with a desi family or community group you know.