Dutch envoy swims across the Blue Nile
What you need to know:
After she hit the target, the 63-year-old organised the swim with two charities to raise awareness about safe swimming in the Nile.
KHARTOUM, Sunday
The Dutch ambassador to Sudan swam across the River Nile in Khartoum on Saturday evening in a stunt that began as a bet to win more “likes” for her embassy’s Facebook page.
Clad in a bright orange swimsuit bearing the embassy’s logo, Ms Susan Blankhart swam several hundred metres across the Blue Nile with six other Dutch and seven Sudanese women, cheered on by dozens of supporters on the riverbank.
TARGET HIT
“It was lovely, it was beautiful. I would recommend that everyone swims across the Nile,” Blankhart said laughing, back on dry land after the crossing.
She had originally said that she would swim across the river if her embassy’s Facebook page received more than 10,000 likes.
After she hit the target, the 63-year-old organised the swim with two charities to raise awareness about safe swimming in the Nile.
The group was watched over by a team of lifeguards in kayaks and boats as they swam through the brown waters of the Blue Nile.
“The swim was also aimed at promoting women’s empowerment in Sudan,” Blankhart said.
