HCM CITY — Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation has taken its Helmets for Kids programme to Thái Nguyên, a mountainous province north of Việt Nam, to make the road to school safer for children there.

The NGO collaborated with the Thái Nguyên Traffic Safety Committee to organise its inauguration at the province’s Hoá Thượng 1 Primary School on Monday.

With sponsorship from Johnson & Johnson, Helmets for Kids will continue in Gia Lai, Yên Bái and Quảng Nam provinces.

A total of 5,075 helmets will be donated to 31 schools in the four provinces.

“By expanding the programme to Thái Nguyên Province this year, along with various teacher training workshops, the programme expresses its concern not only about helmet quality but also Việt Nam’s next generation,” Trịnh Thu Hà, deputy chief of the secretariat of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said.

Tân Hoàng Long, chief of the secretariat of the Thái Nguyên Traffic Safety Committee, said: “The local economy has been improving rapidly, leading to an increase in motor vehicles on the road. The consequence of more two-wheelers and cars in the area is something to be concerned about.

“We hope that "Helmets for Kids" will expand to more schools in Thái Nguyên Province during the upcoming year.”

Hoàng Na Hương, deputy CEO of AIP Foundation said: “Danger can appear anywhere, at any time, and child fatality rates in road crashes keep increasing. We hope to expand this meaningful project to create a safer road to school for children.”

Three orientation and teacher training workshops were held from May 18 to June 6 to provide teachers and parents with road safety instructions and correct helmet use. — VNS