Students and teachers of Kim Anh High School with the quality helmets offered by AIP Foundation in collaboration with Johnson&Johnson Việt Nam. — Photo from of AIP Foundation

HÀ NỘI — As part of the Helmets for Kids programme in Việt Nam, supported by Johnson & Johnson and in collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee and Hà Nội’s education department, a helmet handover ceremony was held at Kim Anh High School in the capital city.

In December 2022, AIP Foundation pioneered helmet safety standards innovation by bringing the first United Nations ECE-22.05 Standard helmets to Việt Nam through this pilot programme, and 1,640 ECE-22.05 helmets have been distributed to students.

“Our partnership with AIP Foundation has spanned over a decade, and we are proud to share that from 2012 to 2022, Helmets for Kids reached 104 schools across 9 provinces in Việt Nam, providing over 79,076 helmets to children – saving an estimated 882 students and teachers from potential brain injury. This year, our focus remains on vulnerable communities in Hà Nội’s suburbs, ensuring every child, every student, has a safe journey to and from school,” General Director of J&J Vietnam Lê Chi Thuỳ Dung remarked.

Kim Anh High School is located on a provincial road that is often plagued by heavy traffic. The area outside the school exposes high risks for road crashes. Most students commute to and from school by motorbikes and electric bikes daily.

At the handover ceremony, 1,500 ECE-22 6.0 Standard helmets – proven to absorb higher impact forces, will provide better protection in case of crashes – were distributed to the students of Kim Anh High School.

The helmets were produced by Protec, AIP Foundation’s social enterprise. The helmets make a life-saving difference for vulnerable students on their way to and from school in Hà Nội.

Wearing a quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by 42 per cent and the risk of serious brain injury by 69 per cent.

To encourage road safety and raise awareness on the importance of wearing a helmet, Greig Craft, President of AIP Foundation, and representatives from Johnson & Johnson facilitated a helmet-fitting activity and engaged the students in road safety activities and games. This was an opportunity for every child at the school and local governments and the community to learn through educational activities. — VNS

Greig Craft, President of AIP Foundation, presents United Nations ECE-22.05 Standard helmets to Kim Anh High School students at the ceremony. — Photo from AIP Foundation