ABOUT GREAT LAKES LIFE SAVING SOCIETY
We work to prevent drowning, promote water safety and build lifesaving capacity through education, training and community awareness.
Who We Are
Great Lakes Life Saving Society (GLLSS) is a Ugandan organization working to prevent drowning and promote safety around water and in everyday environments. We provide water safety education, swimming and survival skills, lifesaving and first aid training, lifeguard training, emergency preparedness and occupational safety and health services.
Our work focuses on building practical knowledge and skills that help individuals, organizations and communities recognize risks, respond to emergencies and make safer decisions.
Our Mission
To save lives by equipping individuals and communities with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to prevent drowning and respond effectively to emergencies in and around water.
Our Vision
A drowning-free future where communities are water-safe, rescue-ready, and empowered to protect lives.
Our Values
Our work is guided by a commitment to saving lives, strengthening communities, and promoting a culture of safety.
Life First
Protecting life and wellbeing.
Prevention
Reducing risks before emergencies.
Professionalism
Maintaining high standards.
Community
Building safer communities.
Collaboration
Working together to save lives.
Our Story
From Community Lifesaving to a Collective Mission to Save Lives
Great Lakes Life Saving Society (GLLSS) began in 2016 as Great Lakes Life Saving East Africa, a Community-Based Organization (CBO) founded by a group of lifesavers committed to making communities safer around water.
The organization emerged in response to the increasing number of drowning incidents, limited public awareness of water safety, and the shortage of trained lifesavers in communities. Its founders recognized the need to equip people with swimming skills, practical water safety knowledge, and the ability to prevent drowning and respond to emergencies.
Initially, GLLSS focused on community swimming lessons, water safety education, and drowning prevention. Through its work with communities and institutions, the organization sought to make lifesaving knowledge and skills more accessible to those who needed them most.
One of its early areas of engagement was the Fisheries Training Institute, where GLLSS provided swimming and water safety training to fisheries students, reaching more than 80 students annually.
As its work developed, the organization transitioned from Great Lakes Life Saving East Africa to Great Lakes Life Saving Society. This change reflected a broader vision: bringing communities and stakeholders together around a shared commitment to drowning prevention and collective responsibility for saving lives.
Today, GLLSS works across water safety, drowning prevention, lifesaving education, first aid, and emergency preparedness. Its initiatives include community water safety, public survival swimming, fisheries water safety training, and the promotion of personal flotation device (PFD) use.
The organization has also progressed from its CBO beginnings to NGO registration and has contributed to the development of resuscitation services in Uganda as a founding member of the Uganda Resuscitation Council.
While challenges such as limited funding, equipment, facilities, and transport continue to affect lifesaving work, GLLSS remains committed to strengthening its capacity and expanding access to lifesaving knowledge and skills.
Our journey continues with one purpose: to protect lives, prevent drowning, and build safer, more prepared communities.
Partner With Us
Together, we can make communities safer, prevent drowning, and equip more people with lifesaving skills.
