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Global Newsletter – November 2020 |
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Dear Friends and Supporters, This month, we take a moment to reflect on our work by observing the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. We reached out to victims and families who have been affected by traffic crashes and we also worked with those who will eventually shape what a safe world will look like—children. We want to empower young people in utilizing their voices in determining what a safer world looks like. In Cambodia, we organized an event where representatives from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the National Social Security Fund came together to listen and support university students as they outline improvements to road safety. In Thailand, we see real results when we prioritize partnerships. We organized a stakeholders meeting in Songkhla, Thailand where key successes were shared, including that there have been no road crashes during school commute times involving any students at any of the project schools. At one of our project schools, students become road safety champions in Bang Sao Thong District where they participated in brainstorming sessions to discuss unsafe travel and ways to proactively solve them. In just one month the “Đủ 3 bước, rước bình an (3 steps, be safe)” dance cover competition, we received more than 1,400 video submissions from students, families, and schools in Vietnam. The submissions became a symbolic stance that children are no longer sitting idle waiting for change to happen for them—they are leading the change. In addition, we collaborated with the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Ministry of Education and Training to serve ethnic minorities and rural communities in Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen and Tuyen Quang provinces, Vietnam with life-saving interventions including conducting educational activities and providing students with safety equipment. As many may be aware, severe weather conditions resulted in a flooding crisis in central Vietnam. Our Deputy CEO responded to the crisis by raising 160 million VND along with textbooks, school supplies, warm clothes, face masks, and various hygienic items. President of AIP Foundation, Greig Craft, was invited to speak at Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations’ 70th anniversary event on behalf of the international non-government organization community. With the special day of observance this month, we are reminded that lives are at stake every single minute of the day for something that is truly preventable, something that we all have the power in changing. Through strong partnerships from children and the youth to government agencies, and especially with the support of our donors, we are able to work towards a vision of safe roads for life. Please read on. Kind regards, Mirjam Sidik
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Vietnam |
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Cambodia |
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Thailand |
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Employment Opportunities
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Global |
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Advocating on behalf of road traffic victims for World Day of Remembrance
It was 25 years ago that the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) became an internationally recognized day dedicated to “remembering the millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities.” Yet, road traffic injuries still remain the number one leading cause of death of people aged 5-29 years. This year, AIP Foundation participated and led several events to commemorate, support, and advocate for road crash victims, their families, and their communities in observance of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Observing World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims with global network AIP Foundation joined the World Health Organization (WHO) Thailand, UNESCAP, along with Network Partners for Traffic Accident Prevention from government and private sectors at the United Nation’s office in Bangkok to remember road traffic victims, promote road user awareness, and promote traffic accident reduction and prevention. Two hundred participants joined together in a flower-laying ceremony to remember road traffic victims. Special guests included H.E. Åström Gröndahl, Swedish Ambassador in Thailand, Mr. Weimin Ren, Transport Division Director of UNESCAP, Mr. Surachai Liengboonlertchai, Senator in the Thai Parliament, and Dr. Theeranee Tachasrivichian of WHO Thailand. “Let us all remember the 20,000 lives that were lost and 1,000,000 injured. Let us all send our support to 60,000 who are now disabled from crashes. I hope we will all partake in lessening the numbers and most importantly, save lives,” Swedish Ambassador, Jon Åström Gröndahl, said at the event. Sustainable program leads to safer roads for children in China In China, AIP Foundation organized an event at Qili Primary School, under the Walk Wise program, where 1,100 students, parents, teachers, school administrators and the Safety Director of Gaoqiao Primary School where participants learned about the significance of the WDoR and how the community can do their part in making roads safer. Students were given reflective safety caps, which allow them to be visible while walking to and from school and were provided pedestrian safety tools. Ms. Xiaoyan Xu, China Country Manager of AIP Foundation expressed, “I can vividly remember the first time we launched the Walk Wise program eight years ago, it was also at Qili School, which means the students who were in grade one at the time are now in secondary school and the students who were in grade six are now in college or work. To see the work we’ve done have this level of sustainable impact for this new generation and with subsequent generations is truly rewarding.” “There is no doubt that the Walk Wise program has brought great impact to the local community. The school still follows several different practices that were introduced under the program like walking school buses, wearing yellow caps, and conducting road safety classes and activities as part of the school’s general safety curriculum,” Mr. Mingchuan Yang, Principal of Qili Primary School revealed. Engaging across sectors and communities in Vietnam Through the Helmets for Kids program, AIP Foundation expanded to schools in three provinces as part of the program’s plan to improve road safety knowledge, provide high-quality helmets, increase helmet use among children, and educate school administrators and parents as key decision makers in children’s helmet use. The three-province expansion kicked off in Yen Bai Province, where more than 400 students and nearly 35 school administrators of Xuan Ai Primary School participated in interactive games and activities, watched a dance performance on helmet safety, and observed a demonstration on proper helmet use before receiving helmets. AIP Foundation attended an event hosted by Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee where more than 600 participants participated in placing white flowers to pray for those who passed from traffic crashes. Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee emphasized, “Nothing can be compensated for the loss of life. For that reason, each of us should strictly obey the traffic safety regulations, we must say no to drink-driving and speeding. We should always wear a helmet. There needs to be early education in schools about traffic safety and laws in order to create safer communities.” AIP Foundation visited families of road crash victims to offer their support by spending time with families and offering to replace their current helmets with helmets that meet safety standards. Ms. Dung experienced the misfortune of losing her son and husband within 3 years. She sadly shared, “In 2017, my son, who was only 17 years old, passed away from a traffic crash on his way home. The pain of losing him was overwhelming; he was so young. Losing my husband, in the same way, made life inexplicably unbearable. I’ve lost everything.” “People are not numbers and should not be treated as statistics. There are real lives at stake with many of those lives being young children, youth, and young adults who have yet to really see the world or their lives play out. Road crashes are preventable. To do nothing, to not work towards making safer roads for the segment of the population who will eventually inherit the world that we live in and roads we use, is to prevent them from living and thriving. AIP Foundation is committed to positive change until every child can live and move safely on their roads,” Mrs. Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation expressed. A message from the United Nations Remember. Support. Act. The objectives of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2020 (#WDoR2020) are to provide a platform for road traffic victims and their families to:
To view more photos from the events, please click here. |
Vietnam |
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Leading road safety charity responds to students affected by Vietnam’s flooding crisis QUANG BINH PROVINCE, Vietnam—November 6, 2020
Mrs. Hoang Thi Na Huong, AIP Foundation’s Deputy CEO, and Mrs. Tran Mai Anh, AIP Foundation’s Board of Directors responded to the ongoing flood crisis that has devastated Central Vietnam by raising 160 million VND along with textbooks, school supplies, warm clothes, face masks, and various hygienic items. In late October, e-newspaper Soha.vn called for the publics help in donations to support students impacted by the ongoing flooding in Central Vietnam. Together with Dai Nam University, who contributed 400 million VND, and other philanthropists, the charity program hosted by Soha.vn resulted in a donation of nearly 700 million VND (over $30,000 USD) and many other in-kind contributions. In early November, Mrs. Hoang Thi Na Huong and Mrs. Tran Mai Anh, members of AIP Foundation’s Board of Directors and also representatives of Thien Nhan and Friends, went to Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province with Soha.vn and Dai Nam University to give 2263 sets of textbooks to 2263 students of 11 local primary schools. Other in-kind donations, including over 2000 warm coats, were also provided to the students. Fortunately, thanks to the urgent, collective actions of the community, thousands of students in the flooded areas have enough textbooks, notebooks and school supplies to go to school after the floods. Mr. Nguyen Van Vung, Head of Education and Training Department of Le Thuy District commented, “The book-giving activity is highly timely and meaningful to both Le Thuy District Education and Training and students in the flooded areas.” Both Mrs. Hoang and Mrs. Tran came together, in response to the crisis, as representatives of Thien Nhan and Friends, an organization committed to genital reconstruction surgeries for poor Vietnamese children suffering from severe genital birth defects or loss of genitals from trauma. AIP Foundation Founder and President Mr. Greig Craft to independently establish the Thien Nhan & Friends program, with the support of AIP Foundation Deputy CEO Ms. Hoang Na Huong, and Board Member Ms. Tran Mai Anh. For Mr. Greig Craft, the program aligns closely with AIP Foundation’s mission, with both ventures aiming to address unnecessary suffering and reduce injuries and fatalities among vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries. To view photos from the event, please click here. |
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Tackling poverty by making commutes for schoolchildren safer YEN BAI, THAI NGUYEN, AND TUYEN QUANG PROVINCE, Vietnam—November 13, 2020
AIP Foundation, in collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Ministry of Education and Training, expanded the Helmets for Kids (HFK) program, supported by Johnson & Johnson, delivering life-saving interventions to rural communities in Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen and Tuyen Quang provinces, Vietnam. Each of these provinces are home to a significant number of ethnic minorities. The life-saving interventions included helmet distribution and education activities focusing on safe helmet use. The very first event of the program expansion was hosted today in Yen Bai Province. “The reality is that every day a child leaves their home to go to school, without proper safety equipment like a helmet, they’re at risk on the road. We need to take an urgent, proactive role in empowering communities with proper road safety knowledge and resources on helmet use, whether it’s on a motorbike or bicycle, so that wearing a helmet becomes instinctive and natural rather than a novelty. Something as simple as wearing a helmet can be the difference in that child coming back home to their family happy and healthy,” Mr. Jun Hong Park, Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson Vietnam shared. Ethnic minorities and rural populations face a range of challenges in accessing mainstream services and resources, making it difficult to break the cycle of poverty. The HFK program aims to mitigate the economic and social disparity by reducing brain injuries related to road crashes in school zones and the surrounding communities through increased ratio of quality helmet use among children. The HFK program expansion commenced with a helmet handover ceremony at each project school and will be accompanied by an “edutainment” event with a series of interactive games focusing on proper helmet use. Across the 16 schools, 7,375 students, 451 teachers and staff, local authorities and community members will participate in the edutainment activities. To read the full press release, please click here. For more photos from the event Yen Bai Province, please click here. For more photos from the event Thai Nguyen Province, please click here. For more photos from the event Tuyen Quang Province, please click here. |
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President of road safety charity speaks at Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations’ 70th anniversary event HANOI, Vietnam—November 15, 2020
For more than 70 years, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) has been paving the way in people-to-people diplomacy between communities in Vietnam and the global community in the private and public sector. This year, President of AIP Foundation, Mr. Greig Craft was invited to speak on behalf of the international non-government organization community at VUFO’s 70th anniversary event at Vietnam-China Friendship Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam. “INGO relations with the Vietnamese people have been invaluable. Throughout periods of challenge and uncertainty, such as we are now experiencing with the global pandemic and floods, INGOs and the Vietnamese people have worked together… some for more than 50 years,” Mr. Greig Craft shared. “Our collective successes and contributions are made possible by VUFO because of the guidance and professionalism provided – not only from the central head offices – but by all staff down to the provincial, regional and commune levels.” Government leaders, ambassadors of Palestine, Armenia, India, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cuba, East Timor, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Mexican, Malaysia, Mongolia, South Africa, Oman, Finland, Venezuela, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and representatives from international organizations and foreign non-government organizations in Vietnam, and other distinguished guests, were in attendance. To learn more about the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, please click here. To view more photos, please click here. |
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Children lead the change towards a safer world for themselves HO CHI MINH CITY AND THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE, Vietnam—November 25, 2020
As road crashes continue to be a leading cause of death for Vietnamese children and youth, children themselves are leading the fight against the very issues that affect them most. In just one month the “Đủ 3 bước, rước bình an (3 steps, be safe)” dance cover competition, under AIP Foundation’s Safety Delivered program, received more than 1,400 video submissions from students, families, and schools. The submissions became a symbolic stance that children are no longer sitting idle waiting for change to happen for them—they are leading the change. The competition, co-hosted by AIP Foundation and the Departments of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City and Thai Nguyen Province aimed to encourage children to participate in global advocacy for helmet use. After careful consideration of the submissions, 33 prizes and 35 prizes were awarded to students in Thai Nguyen Province and Ho Chi Minh City respectively. Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Yến Phương, Vice Deputy Head of Student Affairs Department, DOET of Ho Chi Minh shared, “I have that song constantly playing in my head now. Every time I get on my motorbike, I have to follow 3 steps of how to wear helmets correctly. I’m sure children in Ho Chi Minh City and Thai Nguyen are doing the same!” The Safety Delivered program, supported by The UPS Foundation, works with young, inexperienced motorcycle riders in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines and India, to educate and eliminate distracted riding behavior, as well as increase helmet use among children. To view Ho Chi Minh City’s first place winner, click here. To view Thai Nguyen Province’s first place winner, click here. |
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Cambodian university students push for road safety improvements with government officials PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – November 24, 2020
Over 20 people from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the National Social Security Fund, and various universities have joined together to outline improvements to road safety in Cambodia. During the event in November, those same students and officials were asked to reflect on the effectiveness of their training on campus. In addition, the group discussed improving methodology, techniques, and topics of interest for young people that would enable trainers to be more engaging and expand the outreach on university campuses. Earlier in the year, AIP Foundation hosted a road safety training workshop to encourage and support university students in developing a work plan for their universities that would improve road safety awareness. As part of the training, students also created an action plan to reduce the vulnerability of youth on the road – a demographic with the highest rates of injuries and fatalities resulting from road crashes. Mr. Pagna Kim, Country Director of AIP Foundation in Cambodia, stated, “We know that youths are the most impacted by unsafe driving and lack of road safety awareness. We also know that peer-to-peer discussion is an important method to increase awareness and promote safer driving. This is why reaching out to students, and empowering them with the knowledge that can be provided across many universities, is an important part of creating a safer road environment across Cambodia.” In 2018, 45% of all road fatalities in Cambodia were road users between the ages of 15 – 29. As part of the Safety Delivered program, supported by The UPS Foundation, AIP Foundation will focus on ensuring young people are aware of the risks on the road and helping them become the road safety leaders of tomorrow. To view photos from the workshop, please click here. |
Thailand |
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Government officials and school administrators commit to safer roads for children in Thailand SONGKHLA, Thailand–November 25, 2020
Songkhla province in the south of Thailand boasts stunning beaches and beautiful waterfalls, but the children of this area face an all too common risk – a dangerous commute to and from school. AIP Foundation is working closely with local government officials to deliver an educational approach to road safety interventions and keep children safe. The Street Wise program, supported by Chevron since 2014, incorporates road safety education, provision of safety equipment such as helmets and reflective safety vests, extracurricular activities, parental and community activities, and stakeholder engagement into a targeted approach to improving pedestrian and helmet skills of road users. The helmet-wearing rate in this area has increased from just 3% in 2014 to 55% today. Mr. Rattha Nedsawang, Singhanakorn Senior Deputy District Chief shared, “This is a good project for our province. It is helpful for our community to be more and more aware of road safety. Moving forward, I would like to see provincial-level organizations and the community increase our collaboration.” Importantly, the program takes a sustainable approach to embed the knowledge and philosophy of road safety by training teacher Master Trainers who are able to continue delivering the program. Mrs. Antika Inkaew, a Master teacher of the Street Wise program, shared, “Our school has integrated the main messages and content of the Street Wise program as road safety policy in the Student Council. So, even when the project has finished in our area, children will still continue to benefit and we will still do this campaign.” To ensure that the program remains relevant to our local communities and to incorporate any feedback they might have, at the end of November we held a Stakeholders Meeting with 40 representatives from a number of government agencies, schools and Chevron partners. Key successes were shared, including that there have been no road crashes during school commute times involving any students at any of the project schools. The meeting also offered the opportunity to plan for upcoming events over the next year so that children continue to access their education safely. To view photos from the event, please click here. |
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Students in Thailand become road safety champions BANG SAO THONG, Thailand—November 26, 2020
Located just east of Bangkok, Thailand, Bang Sao Thong District is home to a large number of villages with narrow roads lacking the necessary infrastructure like crosswalks or traffic signs needed to keep students safe. Through the Hauling Safety program, AIP Foundation organized an event for 225 students, aged 6-12, at a local school to increase knowledge and skills enabling this at-risk demographic to travel to school safely. The road conditions in Bang Sao Thong District, particularly around the target school, make it difficult for students: with 2-lane semi-closed roads, narrow footpaths lined with food stalls and shops, children are in danger every single day. School administrators took a hands-on approach with AIP Foundation to develop games and activities that would increase the traffic knowledge and skills for students. Activities included how to maintain visibility by identify blind spots of car drivers, understanding traffic signs, understanding when and how to cross roads safely, and road user behaviors that would put them at risk. Students broke out into brainstorming sessions to discuss unsafe travel and ways to proactively solve them. The Hauling Safety program, supported by Toll Group, seeks to promote safer journeys to and from school to protect young children from preventable injury or death while traveling on the roads. The program leverages school-based education campaigns to increase student and teacher knowledge of safe road behaviors, public awareness campaigns to promote community knowledge of road safety, and private sector volunteer engagement to encourage responsible investment in vulnerable communities. To view photos from the event, please click here. |
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