Global Newsletter – December 2021

NEW  DEHLI, India – December 15, 2021

Earlier this year, the International Road Federation (IRF) – India Chapter launched a webinar series as part of its fundamental mission on road safety. AIP Foundation National Program Director, Mrs. Quy Linh Nguyen, was honored to present at the 12th Webinar on the SAFE STEPS KIDS – Road Safety (SSK-RS) program in Vietnam as part of the session on sustainable transport and road safety.

The objective of the program is to increase traffic road safety knowledge and skills among primary school students to better protect them from road crashes as well as raise safety awareness nationwide via communication campaigns.

Joining in the efforts of the international community in preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030 as part of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, the IRF webinar series aims to bring together stakeholders and spread awareness on road safety issues. The first webinar in the series was launched during India’s Annual Road Safety Month in February 2021. The 2021 webinar series is supported by the FIA, the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award, iRAP and IndiaRAP.

The SSK-RS program is part of the SAFE STEPS KIDS program, developed by the Prudence Foundation, in partnership with Cartoon Network and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The program aims to equip millions of children across Asia with actionable information designed to save lives in the event of emergencies or disaster situations. To date, the program has been deployed across Asia, in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

To read more about the IRF- India Chapter 2021 Webinar Series, please click here.

To view the official webinar flyer, please click here.

To read more about the SAFE STEPS KIDS – Road Safety (SSK-RS) in Vietnam, please click here.

PLEIKU CITY, Vietnam – December 31, 2021

Our Slow Zones, Safe Zones story began at two pilot schools, where we started advocating for a scale-up and achieved an important milestone in August 2020. The government in Gia Lai Province announced that it would set a new speed limit of 30-40km/h at all schools in the city during drop-off and pick-up times, and the Pleiku City Government allocated city funds to improve the infrastructure at all schools in Pleiku, prioritizing primary schools. As the 2021 year comes to an end, so does Phase II of the program and the completion of school zone modifications at 29 primary schools in the city.

The modifications at school zones around Pleiku will have a life-saving impact on the students, parents, teachers, and the community that travel to and from school daily. In addition, Pleiku City is the first city in the country to apply speed limits of 30-40 km/h for school zones, including ‘ Slow Zones, Safe Zones’ 29 target primary schools. The modifications include new pedestrian crossings, new pavements, steel railings to separate the footpath and the parking area for parents as well as road signs marking the speed limits and school zones.

The improved sidewalks also encourage families to walk and ride their bicycles to school, paving the way for healthier and greener transportation. For all students across Pleiku City, these modifications will not only safeguard them on their commutes to school but will also ensure that all students have safe and equal access to their education.

The overall purpose of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program is to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities in school zones. Phase I in Pleiku City demonstrated that the road environment became safer for students commuting to and from school through reduced speed limits in school zones, the development and pilot of the e-curriculum, and public awareness campaigns combined with advocating for legislative changes. The Slow Zones, Safe Zones program is supported by Fondation Botnar, Global Road Safety Partnership, iRAP, and the FIA.

As a scale-up of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program in Pleiky City, we signed a national  partnership framework. It will be implemented nationwide, with the Ministry of Transport, demonstrating our steadfast commitment to protecting children on the roads and making Pleiku City a model city for safe school zones across Vietnam.

To view more photos of the completed school zone modifications, please click here.

To watch how we saved lives with our Slow Zones, Safe Zones Phase I program please click here.

To learn more about the Safe School Zones Vietnam Partnership Framework, please click here.

HANOI, Vietnam – December 21, 2021

In the heart of Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organization (VUFO) hosted a national award ceremony to celebrate the work of foreign non-government organizations (NGOs) with AIP Foundation being recognized for its outstanding work and contributions to road safety and sustainable development throughout Vietnam. AIP Foundation Founder and President, Mr. Greig Craft accepted the Certificate of Merit and award on behalf of the organization. The certificate was presented by VUFO Chairwoman Mrs. Nguyen Phuong Nga.

At the award ceremony, Deputy Minister of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Committee for NGOs Affairs Mr. To Anh Dung expressed his deep appreciation for foreign NGOs operating and supporting Vietnam, especially within the added challenges of the Covid-19 situation. Representatives from agencies of the Working Group of the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations Affairs, leaders of the Committees and units of the VUFO and representatives of international non-governmental organizations were in attendance.

AIP Foundation has been promoting life-saving road safety interventions and education in Vietnam since its inception more than 20 years ago and continues to implement safety education and awareness-raising programs that will benefit vulnerable road users and beyond.

To read more about the VUFO event, please click here.

To learn more about VUFO, please click here.

THAI NGUYEN and TUYEN QUANG Province, Vietnam – December 30, 2021

As the year drew to a close, dedicated school staff and leaders from the Traffic Safety Committee and the Department of Education and Training gathered for a workshop celebrating the successes of the Helmets for Kids program supported by Johnson & Johnson, in 2021.

The program milestones this year include the handover of 5,828 helmets which were distributed in Thai Nguyen and Tuyen Quang provinces to students, teachers, and staff at 8 schools leading to an increase in helmet use from 26% to 85%. Teachers received interactive training on road safety. Furthermore, project schools received booklets on helmet safety as educational materials.

The workshop also provided an opportunity for Government partners to share their experiences implementing the project, while reflecting on their innovations and ideas to address road safety issues within the context of COVID-19, when schools were closed and traveling was limited. School representatives from two project schools, Hương Sơn and Sơn Nam primary schools, excitedly shared their stories on the project activities, emphasizing their achievements and designing a plan to scale up the project activities in the new year.

The Helmets for Kids program has been supported by Johnson & Johnson. From 2012 to 2020, the Johnson & Johnson-funded Helmets for Kids program has provided 68,420 helmets to 93 schools across 8 Vietnamese provinces, in addition to providing tools and resources to ensure children in the community are commuting to school safely. 

To read more about the helmet handover ceremony this year, please click here.

To view more photos of the Helmets for Kids program this year, please click here.

PLEIKU, Vietnam – December 30, 2021

To prepare for a new year of protecting our children’s lives on the road, local government partners, representatives of program schools, and Program Technical & Strategic Steering Committee (TSSC), with Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) representatives, gathered with AIP Foundation – in Pleiku City and online – to assess progress and upcoming activities for the Slow Zones, Safe Zones Phase II program.

Supported by Fondation Botnar, GRSP, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), as well as by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Traffic Safety Committee and local stakeholders of Gia Lai province, Slow Zones, Safe Zones program aims to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities in school zones in Vietnam.

Mrs Hong Bui, AIP Foundation Program Manager, was proud to announce that 29 primary schools in Pleiku – our model city for Safe School Zones in Vietnam, already underwent safety infrastructure modifications. School teachers present at the meeting shared their high appreciation of the support from donor, AIP Foundation and local government to make their schools safer.

In addition, the program’s Traffic Safety e-curriculum has also been tested by 1,485 students from geographically diverse regions, with a statistically significant difference between the mean knowledge scores of all grade levels, when comparing the Control schools and the Intervention schools.

Along with this great news, the Technical & Strategic Steering Committee unveiled the first draft of a school zone definition for Pleiku City. It will be submitted to the Pleiku People’s Committee for passage of a Pleiku Decision in February 2021. 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to some delays in the project implementation. The Police enforcement plan, as well as measurement of the project effectiveness, will be carried out when the students get back to school.

Mr. Kim Beng Lua, GRSP Senior Officer, shared “WHO has published the [Global Plan] for the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety. The plan highlights the importance of including safe mobility and youth engagement. [Thus] GRSP is working with AIP Foundation to extend the project to improve safe sustainable mobility and encourage [multimodal] mobility, especially walking and cycling. [This aligns] with other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving equity, and sustainable development.”

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – December 9, 2021

In the spirit of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992, AIP Foundation and UPS Vietnam joined hands to deliver helmets and helmet safety training to students with disabilities. The theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities this year is ‘Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.’

In Phase III of the Safety Delivered program (2021 – 2022), supported by The UPS Foundation, 50% of students who participate in the program are from underrepresented communities. These children often lack access to safe and sustainable commutes. Wearing a helmet makes a life-saving difference for vulnerable children on their way to and from school.

In cooperation with the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee and the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, AIP Foundation hosted a virtual helmet handover event. Celebrating the spirit of inclusivity, Mrs. Quy Linh Nguyen, National Program Director at AIP Foundation, studied sign language to welcome and exchange with the students at the handover.

In the words of the United Nations, “the observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.” For The UPS Foundation and AIP Foundation, every child deserves a right to safe and affordable helmets around the world. 13 volunteers from UPS Vietnam attended the event and helped students with a demonstration of how to wear their helmets correctly.

Mrs. Trinh Thu Ha, Deputy Chief of the NTSC office expressed, “ Safety Delivered is a practical and truly effective program that helps to increase child helmet use when traveling on motorcycles at program locations. The program spreads such a meaningful message to protect students and prevent head injuries from road crashes along the way from home to school. Not only does the program help with its widespread message, it also teaches how to apply the law, which builds students’ awareness and safe behavior when traveling. Safety Delivered is such wonderful care for the young generation in our country.”

To read the press release, please click here.

To view more photos of the Safety Delivered helmet handover ceremony in Thai Nguyen, please click here.

To read more about the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, please click here.

HANOI, Vietnam – December 8, 2021

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Hanoi recognized AIP Foundation for its outstanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, Slow Zones, Safe Zones at a ceremony presided over by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Marie C. Damour on December 8th, at the InterContinental Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. Mr. Greig Craft, AIP Foundation Founder, and President, and Mrs. Na Huong Hoang, AIP Foundation Deputy CEO, attended the ceremony to receive the AmCham CSR 2021 Award.

The overall purpose of the Slow Zones, Safe Zones program is to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities in school zones. Phase I in Pleiku City demonstrated that the road environment became safer for students commuting to and from school through a comprehensive set of interventions to improve road user behavior in school zones. From two pilot schools, we advocated for scale-up and achieved an important milestone in August 2020. The government in Pleiku announced that it will set a new speed limit of 30 - 40km/h at all schools in the city during drop-off and pick-up times, and will allocate city funds to improve the infrastructure at all schools in Pleiku.

To view more photos of the event, please click here.

To view a video of the event, please click here.

To read more about the event from AmCham, please click here.

TUYEN QUANG City, Vietnam – December 3, 2021

As part of the growing legacy of the Helmets for Kids Program, AIP Foundation in collaboration with the Traffic Safety Committee and Department of Education and Training of Tuyen Quang province, with support from Johnson & Johnson, hosted a project kick-off ceremony in Tuyen Quang City, Vietnam. The helmets make a life-saving difference for vulnerable school children on their way to and from school. This province is home to a significant number of ethnic minorities.

Ethnic minorities and rural populations face a range of challenges in accessing mainstream services and resources. The Helmets for Kids program aims to reduce brain injuries related to road crashes in school zones and the surrounding communities through increased rate of quality helmet use among children.

This year, 5,828 helmets were distributed in Thai Nguyen and Tuyen Quang provinces to students, teachers, and staff at 8 schools. Teachers received interactive training on road safety. Furthermore, project schools will receive booklets on helmet safety as educational materials. The project kick-off ceremony at Dang Chau Primary School promoted community awareness of the life-saving importance of increasing child helmet use. It was the biggest event of the Helmets for Kids program this year.

“Every child deserves equal access to the tools and resources in their community especially education and knowledge. By focusing on equity and diversity, we’re working towards this vision together. The Helmets for Kids program helps to raise the quality of life standard for communities, especially for kids in rural areas. Something as simple as wearing a helmet can be the difference in that child coming back home to their family happy and healthy after a school day” shared Matthias Skillecorn, Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson Vietnam.

The event commenced with a welcome and introduction by Mr. Do Van Lai, Chief of Office, the Traffic Safety Committee Tuyen Quang province and Johnson & Johnson, respectively. In addition to these key partners, the students and their parents and school administrators were in attendance. All the students participated in a dance flash mob performance. The students learned about helmet safety rules which will have a lifesaving impact. The students then received their helmets.

The Helmets for Kids program has been supported by Johnson & Johnson. From 2012 to 2020, the Johnson & Johnson-funded Helmets for Kids program has provided 68,420 helmets to 93 schools across 8 Vietnamese provinces, in addition to providing tools and resources to ensure children in the community are commuting to school safely.

To view more photos, please click here.

To read the press release, please click here.