His duties do not include “saving someone from drowning in a river” but Lawrence Lachmansingh, Peace and Governance Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is being hailed a hero after rescuing a youth from drowning in a river in Ghana where the Guyanese is currently stationed.
“All I can say is, it’s a miracle I am currently breathing,” said Ghanaian Horatio Nii Dodoo, according to a report from veteran journalist Francis Quamina Farrier. Dodoo and three friends were having some fun on a beach in Ghana when he was saved from drowning by Lachmansingh. “Can’t stop thanking the Lord for making Lawrence come to the beach that day,” Dodoo said.
Lachmansingh was on the beach with his family when the incident occurred, according to the report. Dodoo told Farrier that he and others were at the beach having fun and taking photographs when he got into trouble in the water. “Unfortunately for me, I don’t know how to swim, so I struggled a bit and called for help,” Dodoo said. However, the help was very limited.
His friend Julius who tried to save him is not a good swimmer, according to Dodoo. “He did his best but could not bring me out of the water. I really remember giving up as I could feel Julius letting go of me. The next thing I remember was being dragged to a chair with water dripping out of my mouth,” he recalled. Lachmansingh had dived into the river and pulled the young Ghanaian to safety.
Lachmansingh is on a tour of duty with the UNDP in Ghana and though his terms of reference does not include “saving someone from drowning in a river,” he did the heroic thing, the report said. A native of Linden, Lachmansingh has served with the UNDP in a number of countries including Afghanistan, Cyprus, Indonesia, Sudan and Guyana.
