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ASIA INJURY PREVENTION FOUNDATION
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Global Newsletter May 2015
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Dear Friends and Supporters,
In May, AIP Foundation organized multiple events in support of the Third UN Global Road Safety Week, themed “Children and road safety.” At these, we presented the Child Declaration for Road Safety to government officials and road safety community leaders and advocated for safer roads for all children.
AIP Foundation, with the help of Ministries of Education and supportive schools, has collected over 500,000 signatures in Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam supporting the Child Declaration. We received strong commitment while delivering these signatures to leaders and officials. I would like to thank those of you who also signed the Declaration. We are grateful for your support for making roads safe.
Please read more about our activities and achievements during May below.
Kind regards,
Mirjam Sidik
Chief Executive Officer
Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
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Pope Francis supports helmet use
21 March, 2015—Italy
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Photo credit: OSSERVATORE ROMANO/REUTERS
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In March, Pope Francis donned a helmet in the Neapolitan dialect during a mass in Plebiscito square in Naples. The helmet reads, "May the Madonna accompany you."
Source: The Telegraph, 24 March, 2015
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Yellow May, a month of road safety awareness
1-31 May, 2015—Brazil
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Yellow May, or Maio Amarelo in Portuguese, is raising road safety awareness during May
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Following the success of other movements, such as the "Pink October" and "Blue November," which raise awareness of breast and prostate cancer, "Yellow May" promotes awareness of the responsibilities and risk assessment of road behaviors. “Yellow May” strives to coordinate action and mobilize the involvement of government agencies, companies, associations, federations, and civil society organizations to effectively discuss road safety, engaging in actions and spreading awareness to every citizen.
Learn more about Yellow May here.
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AIP Foundation presents at “Child Road Safety in the Americas” Congress
7-8 May, 2015—Costa Rica
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Mr. Greig Craft of AIP Foundation presents to the Congress on affordable motorcycle helmets
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AIP Foundation President Mr. Greig Craft presented at “Child Road Safety in the Americas,” a Regional Congress held during UN Global Road Safety Week. The Congress addressed important public health and sustainable development issues of child road safety, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Conference topics spanned the five pillars of the framework of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. Mr. Craft led a session on “Promoting motorcycle and bicycle safety for Children: affordable helmets.”
View more photos here.
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News: 'Beautiful Mind' mathematician John Nash killed in crash
US mathematician John Nash, who inspired the Oscar-winning film "A Beautiful Mind", has died in a car crash with his wife, police said. Nash, 86, and his 82-year-old wife Alicia were killed when their taxi crashed in New Jersey. The mathematician is renowned for his work in game theory, winning the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994.
Source: BBC News, 25 May, 2015
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Vietnam strengthens child helmet use awareness at launch of the Third UN Global Road Safety Week
4 May, 2015—Hanoi
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Vice Minister of Transportation speaks at the launch of UN Global Road Safety Week in Vietnam
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In response to UN Global Road Safety Week and in accordance with the
National Child Helmet Action Plan, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) collaborated with WHO and AIP Foundation to launch strengthened public awareness of child helmet use for secondary school students. The MOT also distributed 400 Protec helmets to students at Tan Dinh Secondary School in Hanoi at the event, 100 of which were donated by AIP Foundation.
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Child helmet use increases to 68% on average across Vietnam’s major cities
8 May, 2015—Hanoi
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Dr. Khuat Viet Hung (fourth from left), Vice Chairman of NTSC, was presented the Child Declaration for Road Safety
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A midterm review of the
National Child Helmet Action Plan was organized by National Traffic Safety Committee, National Traffic Police (C67), Ministry of Education and Training, and AIP Foundation. Delegates from ministries, departments, and provincial levels across Vietnam shared implementation experiences and discussed the direction for the Action Plan’s next phase. The review also celebrated achievements since its implementation. In March 2014, baseline observations found average helmet use among primary school students across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang to be 38%. After the launch of the
National Child Helmet Action Plan and related police enforcement, child helmet use increased to 68% across the three cities. Hanoi experienced the greatest increase: from 23% in 2014 to 64% in 2015.
Read the full press release here.
View more photos here.
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FedEx and Safe Kids hold Traffic Safety Forum for Children during UN Global Road Safety Week
9 May, 2015—Ho Chi Minh City
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Mr. Nguyen Trong Thai, Chief Secretariat of NTSC, and Mr. Nguyen Duy Binh, Chief Representative of FedEx in Vietnam, with students advocating for safer roads
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FedEx Express, in cooperation with AIP Foundation/Safe Kids Vietnam, recently organized a Traffic Safety Forum for Children during UN Global Road Safety Week. Select students from Ho Chi Minh City joined a panel discussion to discuss road risks and hazards they encounter when walking to school. Students presented their concerns and proposed road safety solutions to leaders from the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and National Traffic Safety Committee that will enhance the safety of pedestrians and improve walking environments in high-traffic areas. At the event, Mr. Nguyen Trong Thai, Chief Secretariat of NTSC, was presented the Child Declaration for Road Safety.
View more photos here.
View the press release here.
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AIP Foundation and AVID volunteer Jake Dojcinovic featured in Australian Embassy documentary
11 May, 2015—Hanoi
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Jake, an AVID volunteer with AIP Foundation, is featured in an Australian Embassy documentary
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Jake Dojcinovic, a volunteer for AIP Foundation under the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program, shares his experiences as a Road Safety Education Officer with AIP Foundation in a documentary created by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam. Jake helped develop a road safety education curriculum with AIP Foundation.
Watch the video here.
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Minister of Transport announces new helmet program
13 May, 2015—Hanoi
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Thinh presents Child Declaration signatures to Minister of Transport, calling for action for road safety
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Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang announced the National Traffic Safety Committee’s (NTSC) new helmet program
“Love for your people, love for your family” in response to UN Global Road Safety Week. Under the program, NTSC will support the distribution of helmets to students from at-risk communities as part of the
National Child Helmet Action Plan. In attendance was one of AIP Foundation’s project school students, Nguyen Duc Thinh, who was involved in a serious crash case in 2013. Thinh re-told his crash story at the event and read a letter calling for the Government to take action for road safety. He presented collected signatures supporting the Child Declaration for Road Safety to Minister Dinh La Thang, who responded that action is necessary to protect children.
View more photos here.
Read Thinh’s crash story here.
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U.S. Government and AIP Foundation partner to protect children on the roads
14 May, 2015—Hanoi
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U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius and AIP Foundation President Mr. Greig Craft sign the MoU
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In celebration of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam, the U.S. Department of State and AIP Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. The MoU formally launches the Public Private Partnership to raise funds from U.S. and Vietnamese corporations to provide helmets and road safety education to students in provinces across Vietnam.
Under the partnership, AIP Foundation and the U.S. Embassy Hanoi will organize events and helmet donations supporting the pre-existing
Helmets for Kids program. The goal is to provide educational activities and helmets to 25,000 children from at-risk schools across the country.
Attendees at the signing included Ted Osius, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; Greig Craft, President of AIP Foundation; Claire A. Pierangelo, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy Hanoi; Joakim Parker, Mission Director of USAID in Vietnam; American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Board of Governors from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and Adam Sitkoff, Executive Director of AmCham.
Read the full press release here.
View photos from the signing here and on Ambassador Ted Osius’s Facebook here.
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CDC visits Vietnam and Cambodia
14-22 May, 2015—Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh
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Dr. Parker and Mr. Ederer visiting AIP Foundation in Ho Chi Minh City
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Two representatives from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control visited Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh. Dr. Erin Parker, PhD, is a Health Scientist and Mr. Dave Ederer, MPH, is a Researcher in the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. During their visit, Dr. Parker and Mr. Ederer met with AIP Foundation's offices in each city, the Hanoi School of Public Health, the Ministry of Health, the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), the World Health Organization, the Ho Chi Minh City Public Health Institute, Handicap International, and CDC offices in Vietnam and Cambodia.
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More than 1,000 students and their families shout “I Love Helmets” in Ho Chi Minh City
23 May, 2015—Ho Chi Minh City
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Students enthusiastically put on their helmets and play traffic safety games
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The phrase "I Love Helmets" was heard among students across Ho Chi Minh City as part of a family event encouraging helmet use. Organized under AIP Foundation’s
Helmets for Kids program, the event included a poster exhibition, creative road safety competitions, and several interactive road safety games to improve the awareness and significance of child helmet use. This family event was the first-ever citywide gathering for school students and their families to participate in road safety activities together.
View the press release here.
View photos here.
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U.S. Department of State and AIP Foundation launch new partnership with helmet donation ceremony
27 May, 2015—Hanoi
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VIP guests put helmets on students with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Rivkin
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A helmet donation ceremony took place in Hanoi on the occasion of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Charles H. Rivkin’s visit. Co-organized by AIG, this is the first event to take place under the new partnership between AIP Foundation and the U.S. Department of State and is one of many that supports the 20th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. Assistant Secretary of State Rivkin participated in a symbolic helmet handover at the event that represents the U.S.-Vietnam shared vision of a safer future for its children. Helmets were distributed to all 671 students and teachers.
View the press release here.
View more photos here.
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Government policymakers—Cambodia’s “Agents for Change”—commit to improving road safety
7 May, 2015—Phnom Penh
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Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee is presented the Child Declaration
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Policymakers play a pivotal role in addressing the public’s compliance of the new Road Traffic Law through action plans. AIP Foundation organized a three day training workshop with 44 policymakers to finalize draft national-, provincial-, and district-level government action plans enforcing helmet use. Workshop attendees further developed three-year action plans drafted earlier this year with support from AIP Foundation’s “Head Safe. Helmet On.” project. Additionally, the National Ministry of Education discussed details for an education-sector action plan, to be finalized after the workshop. The Child Declaration was presented to the Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee and Deputy Director of Central Department of Public Order from the National Police at the workshop.
Read the press release here.
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Students receive new helmets and road safety education supporting UN Global Road Safety Week
7 May, 2015—Phnom Penh
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Students practice proper road behaviors in a safe environment
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During UN Global Road Safety Week, 96 new entrance students received helmets with support from Manulife (Cambodia) Plc. The event took place at Sampov Meas Primary School and focused on raising students’ awareness of safe road behaviors while calling on authorities to commit to safer roads for children.
Read the press release here.
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Support for Third UN Global Road Safety Week reaches communes in Cambodia
9 May, 2015—Kandal Province
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A tuk tuk panel with the message, “Protect your passengers’ lives. Make sure they wear helmets.” is driven through the commune
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More than 100 Korki Thom Commune community members gathered to receive messages on the motorcycle passenger helmet law, the importance of helmet wearing, the road crash situation in the commune and Cambodia, the commune’s plan to increase passenger helmet wearing, and AIP Foundation’s support. Community members also had the opportunity to raise questions and concerns with guest speakers.
See more photos here.
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News: Cambodian PM urges drivers to respect laws after bus crash kills 18
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called on all drivers to respect traffic laws after a road crash killed at least 18 garment workers and injured 21 others in eastern Svay Rieng Province.
"The problem of traffic accidents is getting worse and worse in Cambodia. This requires all drivers to strictly comply with traffic laws," he said at a graduation ceremony of students at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. He also ordered officials to enforce traffic laws so as to reduce road traffic fatalities.
Read the full article at: Global Post, 19 May, 2015
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12,000 pledges presented to Governor of Bangkok to call for a helmet wearing policy at schools
6 May, 2015—Bangkok
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Presenting the 12,000 pledges to the Governor of Bangkok
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As part of UN Global Road Safety Week, AIP Foundation and Save the Children presented more than 12,000 pledged signatures to M. R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the Governor of Bangkok. The petition calls for schools in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area to have a greater role in raising road safety awareness and establishing a helmet wearing policy for all students.
The project has received continuous media attention since the submission. On May 15, Ms. Ratanawadee Hemniti Winther, Chairperson of AIP Foundation in Thailand, was interviewed by Channel 3 to discuss helmet innovations and
The 7% Project. On May 18, Ms. Winther and Ms. Arunrat Wattanapalin, Project Coordinator from Save the Children, were interviewed by Metro TV Channel. Ms. Winther discussed both AIP Foundation and
The 7% Project.
Read the press release here.
See more photos here.
Watch the Metro TV interview here (Thai):
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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Opinion Piece: Lack of road safety is criminal
You may shake your head in disbelief when you learn that reckless drivers who cause fatal accidents in Thailand can walk away without a jail sentence. Based on a number of court verdicts, most drivers charged with careless driving resulting in death, do not face a jail term as long as they do not flee the scene, show humanity by trying to help the victims, and offer compensation. They must also report the incident to police officers immediately. In addition, if they have no previous criminal record, courts tend to be lenient and hand down a suspended jail term. Where is the sense of justice?
Read the full article at: Bangkok Post, 20 May, 2015
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Schools launch UN Global Road Safety Week by gathering to read Child Declaration for Road Safety
4 May, 2015—Kai County
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Students from
Walk Wise project schools read the Child Declaration for Road Safety together
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On the first day of UN Global Road Safety Week, 37
Walk Wise project schools held an event to read the Child Declaration for Road Safety and 20 project schools’ students signed Child Declaration boards. AIP Foundation in China has collected nearly 26,000 signatures supporting the Child Declaration.
Previously, from 20-30 April, 16 project schools organized student composition contests on road safety. Students wrote what they needed in order to feel safer on the roads. Each school chose the best composition as their school’s Road Safety Declaration.
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Students teach pedestrians safe crossing hand-in-hand
7 May, 2015—Kai County
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Students help their community cross the street safely
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Students from Kai Xian Hanfeng No.1 and No.5 Primary Schools joined traffic police officers to teach pedestrians how to cross the road safely. Students stopped pedestrians crossing the road on a red light and informed them that they must wait until the light is green. Over 30 students from the two schools distributed 800 flyers on road safety, which focus on children’s safety when walking with adults.
View more photos here.
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Principals and students of Kai County come together to promote road safety with Chevron
8 May, 2015—Kai County
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School principals, Chevron, and AIP Foundation representatives sign #SaveKidsLives signboards
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Principals from 15 Kai County
Walk Wise schools, along with around 400 students, teachers, and parents attended a road safety ceremony at Hanfeng No.6 Primary School in Chongqing supported by Chevron to celebrate UN Global Road Safety Week. The event was designed to educate students and the community on safe road behaviors and increase their awareness through educational road safety games, student performances, a photo exhibition, and speeches from stakeholders. Additionally, nearly 26,000 signed road safety Child Declarations were presented to officials by children from the 37 project schools.
Read the press release here.
View more photos here.
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China Traffic Deaths: More than 200,000 annual fatalities in road accidents, World Health Organization says
Every year, at least 200,000 people die as a result of road accidents in China, the World Health Organization said. The number is more than four times the death toll from such accidents published by the Chinese government.
"Much more needs to be done to spur the adoption of measures to raise road safety, especially with respect to children," Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO's representative in China, wrote Wednesday in a commentary published in the China Daily, a government newspaper.
Read the full article at: International Business Times, 6 May, 2015
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Helmet checkpoints creating a culture of road safety
13 May, 2015—Kampala
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Bobi Wine gives a motorcyclist an autographed reflective vest for following proper road safety
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At the launch of the second phase of helmet checkpoints in Kampala, Uganda Helmet Vaccine Initiative (UHVI) Celebrity Ambassador Bobi Wine reminded boda boda operators of proper helmet use and safe driving behavior. Mr. Wine handed out autographed reflective vests to those who wore helmets and complied with motorcycle regulations.
View more photos here.
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News: Road accidents costing 1.8 trillion shillings of Uganda’s GDP
Health advocates have called for a “heavy crackdown” on traffic offenders to reduce the over 200,000 road crash victims the country registers every year. They want every vehicle on the road to be in “acceptable mechanical condition;” every motorist on the road to have the “proper competence” to drive; and every road user to be sensitized to road safety practices. No boda boda should be on the road without a two helmets—one for the cyclist and the other for the passenger—and no child should be transported on a boda boda without an adult accompanying them.
Read the full article at: New Vision, 19 May, 2015
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AIP Foundation selected to be on Project Coordinating Committee of Bloomberg 2015-2019 project in Tanzania
30 April, 2015— Dar es Salaam
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AIP Foundation’s Tanzania Coordinator Mr. Alpherio Nchimbi (third from right, second row) attended the launch of Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety Tanzania in April
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The Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety 2015-2019 Tanzania project was launched during a stakeholder meeting from 9-10 April, 2015. At the meeting, it was agreed that a Project Coordinating Committee would be formed in Tanzania to oversee implementation of the project.
AIP Foundation, operating under Helmet Vaccine Initiative- Tanzania, has been selected by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to be a member of this committee. Nine of the twelve selected committee members are government ministries.
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Tanzania: Campaign Launched to Tame Road Carnage
A silent but vigorous campaign has been launched to tame the scourge of road carnage, which have claimed the lives of thousands of people in the country. With the theme "Reaching your destinations safely is your right," the countrywide drive launched by a private firm, Transevents Marketing Limited, aims to promote safe driving by recognizing good bus drivers with awards. Millions of Tanzanians travel by buses every year.
Read the full article at: AllAfrica, 6 May, 2015
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