In the last few months of 2017, AIP Foundation hosted several helmet safety activities with families throughout Cambodia. In November, our Helmets for Families program celebrated six years and expanded to a new school and province. Read on for more on how AIP Foundation has been working with key stakeholders to keep children safe in Cambodia.
Helmets for Families paints road safety mural to celebrate new school launch
14 October, 2017 – Kampong Cham
In preparation for the launch of the Helmets for Families program at Vealvong Primary School in Kampong Cham, Manulife employees volunteered their time to paint a road safety mural for the school community. This mural will serve as a reminder for students, staff, and their families of how to correctly wear a helmet whenever they travel by motorcycle or bicycle. TheHelmets for Families program will be implemented for the 2017 to 2018 school year by AIP Foundation and is sponsored by Manulife Cambodia.
View more photos from the volunteer event here.
Student ambassadors promote safe road behaviors during Cambodian Water Festival
03 November, 2017- Siem Reap
Members of the Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety (YARS) program in Siem Reap promoted safe road behaviors for road users during Bon Om Touk, or the Cambodian Water Festival. The Water Festival is an important national holiday taking place over three days, but it is also known as one of the deadliest times in Cambodia in terms of road crashes. Every year, the increased travel across provinces, within Phnom Penh, and along main roads during this holiday period results in a rise in road crash casualties.
View more photos of the event here.
Helmets for Families expands to new province that accounts for 5% of Cambodia’s crash-related deaths
11 November, 2017- Kampong Cham Province
Helmets for Families, sponsored by Manulife Cambodia, celebrated its sixth anniversary by expanding its road safety education to Veal Vong Primary School in Kampong Cham Province. This year, over 1,000 high-quality helmets were donated to the community, as well as an education program on road safety awareness to students. Veal Vong Primary School was selected because of its location in a high-risk and traffic-dense area in a province where 80% of children travel as motorcycle passengers and bicycle riders. In 2016 alone, 86 people were killed in road crashes in Kampong Cham Province, accounting for 5% of the nationwide total. Five students and four teachers from Veal Vong Primary School were also injured in road crashes in 2016. Helmets for Families will provide quality helmets and road safety training for those in the community that are most vulnerable.
More than 1,000 students, parents, teachers, government officials, media, and community members attended the event. Notable representatives included H.E. Kouch Chamroeurn, Governor of Kampong Cham Province; H.E. Min Meanvy, Secretary of State of Public Works and Transport; Mr. Robert Elliott, CEO and General Manager of Manulife Cambodia; and Mr. Pagna Kim, Cambodia Country Director of AIP Foundation.
The Helmets for Families program has provided nearly 5,000 helmets and 18 road safety training seminars to more than 600 people since the partnership with Manulife Cambodia launched in 2012.
View more photos from the event here.
Read the full press release here.
300 helmets delivered to most at-risk students in Siem Reap through YARS initiative
03 November, 2017- Siem Reap
The Young Ambassadors for Road Safety (YARS) network, in partnership with the Australian Embassy’s Direct Aid Program, donated 300 helmets to students from Samdech Decho Hun Sen Krous, Phnum Thnol, and Por Langkar Primary Schools in Siem Reap.
Delighted students took part in games organized by the student ambassadors that introduced road safety concepts in an engaging and educational manner. The YARS team also provided Iinstructions on how to wear a helmet correctly to each of the 300 recipients. YARS is a safety awareness initiative that empowers university students to design and implement practical road safety awareness behaviors for their peers and local community primary school students.
450 people attended the ceremonies throughout the day, including officials representing the Department of Public Work and Transport, Siem Reap Traffic Police, and the Commune Council as well as students, teachers, school management, AIP Foundation staff, and YARS members.
View more photos from the ceremony here.
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As another new school year begins, some students have been learning about road safety all summer, both inside and outside the classroom. Keep reading to find out how our school-based programs from university to primary school are creating a safe generation of young road users.
First phase of Safety Delivered surveys students at four Cambodian universities
18 July, 2017- Phnom Penh
AIP Foundation has partnered with four universities in Cambodia for its new Safety Delivered program, which will include road safety education and public awareness campaigns to raise students’ awareness of the risks of distracted driving. As part of the first phase of the program, we conducted a baseline survey to gather information on the attitudes and driving behaviors of university students. We interviewed 100 students from each university and will develop these findings into an educational toolkit on relevant road safety topics. Participating universities include Royal University of Phnom Penh, Asia Europe University, Phnom Penh International University, and Pannasastra University.
Safety Delivered is a multi-country partnership with The UPS Foundation, that will be implemented in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The organizations have been working together since 2011 on school-based and advocacy-focused road safety initiatives in Southeast Asia.
View more photos here.
300 students continue to receive road safety lessons during their summer vacation
28 July, 2017- Siem Reap
Helmets for Families, a program supported by Manulife Cambodia, kept busy during the summer vacation at Kessararam Primary School with interactive, police led road safety lessons for students as well as community outreach activities to promote helmet use and road safety. Manulife volunteers teamed up with traffic police from Siem Reap to lead road safety lessons for 300 students from Kessararam Primary School. The students reinforced what they learned through interactive games, including a painting contest, a bicycle race, and a quiz of road safety questions.
As part of Helmets for Families programming, volunteers from theYoung Ambassadors for Road Safety (YARS) network and from local universities did outreach in the community surrounding Kessararam Primary School. The volunteers distributed educational materials on the importance of helmet use as well as safe driving and road behavior. One thousand leaflets were placed in strategic high-volume centers to encourage the community to wear helmets.
Manulife Cambodia has supported the Helmets for Families program since 2012. Throughout its tenure, in addition to equipping school children with life-saving road safety knowledge and skills, the program has provided nearly 4,000 helmets to some of the country's most vulnerable road users.
Australian Ambassador meets with 30 YARS student representatives
1 August, 2017- Siem Reap
Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Angela Corcoran, met with 30 university students from the Young Ambassadors for Road Safety (YARS) program to review its progress. The student ambassadors presented on the program’s achievements and lessons learned thus far, and offered recommendations for future implementation. Key initiatives discussed included the ‘Save Lives. Slow Down’ Joint Statement, which was drafted by YARS representatives as part of the 4th UN Global Road Safety Week.
Ms. Corcoran thanked AIP Foundation for its support of the program and the student advocates for their efforts to make the roads safe for their local community. The meeting was held at the University of South East Asia in Siem Reap.
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Meet Chantheavin, 8, who received a helmet through our Head Safe. Helmet On. program, which protected her from suffering a potential brain injury during a recent road crash. Read below for more on her story, as well as road safety advocacy and education initiatives a group of passionate university students has been championing in Cambodia.
Helmet safety achievements featured in Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s AUTO magazine
20 June, 2017
The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s AUTO magazine showcased AIP Foundation’s Head Safe. Helmet On. program in a feature story in its latest edition. The helmet safety initiative was implemented in Cambodia from 2014-2016. It was supported by U.S. AID-Development Innovation Ventures, FIA Foundation, The UPS Foundation, and other cost-sharing partners. The story in AUTO magazine shares the realities Cambodian families, including Chantheavin's, face on their country’s roads each day, as well as the work being championed by diverse stakeholders to save lives and strengthen legislation.
Read the full story via Issuu here, or via the FIA Foundation website here.
Download the full PDF here.
Cambodian university students call for communities, government officials to #SlowDown to save lives
5 May, 2017 - Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia
In tandem with the 4th UN Global Road Safety Week, university students, as part of the Young Ambassadors for Road Safety (YARS) program, raised awareness about the need to #SlowDown to save lives in their communities. With support from AIP Foundation, the student ambassadors drafted a ‘Save Lives. Slow Down’ Joint Statement that calls for action from government bodies and the broader community to commit to implementing effective measures that will reduce speed-related road crash deaths and injuries. Key road safety stakeholders, including 20’s Plenty for Us, the Australian Road Research Board, and road safety nonprofits in Cambodia, have endorsed the Joint Statement.
From 8-9 May, selected YARS representatives presented the Joint Statement to national level government bodies including the Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee, the General Commissariat of National Police, and Passenger Transportation Companies to solicit their support for the cause. From 11-12 May, the ambassadors organized #SlowDown to Save Lives campaigns at three primary schools and three universities in Siem Reap Province: Kruosh Primary School, Por Langka Primary school, Phum Thnol Primary School, Pannasasstra University of Cambodia, Cambodian University of Specialties, and University of South East Asia.
Read the full media advisory here.
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We kicked-off 2017 by providing more than 600 students with helmets and engaging road safety activities at primary schools in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Stay tuned for more on how our school-based programs are creating a safe generation of young road users.
Check out our 2016 Annual Report to learn more about how we made roads safe in Cambodia last year, as well as the life-saving work we championed in our other program countries.
Students encouraged to wear motorcycle helmets as part of school uniforms
9 March, 2017 – Siem Reap Province
Nearly 550 primary school students received quality helmets and were encouraged to wear them as part of their school uniforms during the kick-off ceremony for a new Helmets for Kids program, which is supported by the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB). The road safety initiative aims to make young road users attending Anuk Wat Koruk Kosal Primary School in Siem Reap, role models in their community. The students, along with their teachers, also participated in educational activities during the event.
ARRB is an Australian organization, which provides research services in the road and transport industries, began collaborating with AIP Foundation in 2012. It has also supported schools in Vietnam and Thailand. It also assisted in developing and implementing road treatments in communities served by the nonprofit’s pedestrian safety program in China.
Anuk Wat Koruk Kosal Primary School is located on a busy highway in Siem Reap Province. In 2015, one student passed away due to a road crash. The student was not wearing a helmet and suffered a fatal head injury during a motorcycle crash while his father was driving him home from school. Before the program started, 80% of students commuted to school by motorcycles and bicycles though only about 1% wore helmets.
View more photos from the event here.
Read the full press release from the event here.
Regional financial institution provides nearly 100 students in Phnom Penh with life-saving helmets
30 January, 2017 - Phnom Penh
Hong Leong Bank Cambodia Plc. teamed up with AIP Foundation and #SaveKidsLives to provide nearly 100 grade 1 and 2 students with life-saving helmets. The handover ceremony took place at Anuk Wat Primary School in Phnom Penh. During the event, the students participated in educational activities about how to follow traffic rules and learned about the importance of wearing their new helmets.
"Providing safety helmets to these kids is our way of showing our commitment in protecting the future generation of Cambodia," Mr. Joseph Farrugia, CEO of Hong Leong Bank Cambodia Plc., said.
The #SaveKidsLives campaign was launched in the lead-up to the Third United Nations Global Road Safety Week in May 2015. It calls for global action to help halve road deaths and injuries by 2020, and has also been involved in advocacy efforts securing road safety's place in the Sustainable Development Goals.
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In the last few months of 2016, AIP Foundation hosted several helmet safety activities with families in Siem Reap Province. In December, the organization's CEO and Cambodia Country Director accompanied a delegation of government officials as they were honored by Prince Michael of Kent in London, United Kingdom, for their stringent law enforcement efforts. Read on for more on how AIP Foundation has been working with key stakeholders to keep children safe in Cambodia.
H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent honors Cambodian government for saving lives with recent road traffic law enforcement
14 December, 2016 - London, U.K.
At an annual awards ceremony, H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent honored Cambodia’s National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) for its robust enforcement of the country’s new road traffic law, including the mandatory use of motorcycle helmets for passengers, which has saved lives and prevented serious injuries. Two hundred and fifty-nine fewer road crash-related deaths and 596 fewer injuries occurred in the first 11 months of 2016 compared to the same period of time in 2015. Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation, and Pagna Kim, Cambodia Country Director of AIP Foundation, joined a delegation of Cambodian lawmakers in London as they were presented with the award.
“Road crashes cause 1.25 million deaths around the world every year and low-income countries like Cambodia tend to suffer the most,” H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent said. “The NRSC’s work is a powerful example of positive changes, and has enhanced legislation, law enforcement, and cooperation between public sectors and civil society organizations which could lead to a new innovation. Collaboration as such is a reflection of reason I created these honors nearly 30 years ago.”
In 2015, road crashes caused 30 times more deaths than malaria, dengue fever, and land mines combined in Cambodia. The new legislation, for the first time requiring passengers and drivers to wear helmets while traveling, was adopted in 2015 and enforcement commenced in January 2016.
The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards was organized by RoadSafe, a London-based charitable partnership that brings together representatives from the private sector, government, and road safety community to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries around the globe.
View more photos from the event here.
Read the full press release here.
Fifty parents learn about helmet use, safety precautions for upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations
16 December, 2016 - Siem Reap
As part of the Helmets for Families program, 50 parents took part in a training workshop in which they learned about the importance of helmet use as well as safety precautions they should take during the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, a time when road crash rates tend to increase. AIP Foundation and Manulife Cambodia launched this year's edition of the family-focused program earlier this month by providing more than 1,000 helmets to students, teachers, and mothers at Kessararam Primary School in Siem Reap Province.
During this training, mothers were also provided with free, high quality helmets. The training reiterated the importance of consistent helmet usage to prevent head injuries and protect families on Cambodia's roads.
More than 900 helmets donated to school on high-risk Cambodian national highway
2 December, 2016 – Siem Reap Province
Helmets for Families expanded its road safety education efforts to Kessararam Primary School in Siem Reap City and donated more than 900 helmets to the school community.
The program, which is supported by Manulife, celebrated the launch of its fifth year with a ceremony at the primary school, which is located along National Road N6, a high-risk and traffic-dense area in a province where only 22% of motorcycle passengers including children wear helmets. In addition to the helmet donation, the program provides students with education and activities, such as traffic simulations and road awareness training.
Approximately 80% of students at Kessararam Primary School commute to school via motorcycle or bicycle. In 2014, a student at Kessararam Primary School was killed in a road crash, and over the past two years, four others have been injured.
View more photos from the event here.
Read the event’s full press release here.
Community comes together to paint road safety murals, 30 teachers unanimously commit to enforcing no-excuses helmet wearing policy
18-19 November, 2016 – Siem Reap
Manulife employees and AIP Foundation staff painted road safety murals at Kessararam Primary School as part of the Helmets for Families program. The paintings will be displayed at the school to teach students and their families about the importance of wearing helmets while riding on both bicycles and motorcycles. Manulife and AIP Foundation have been partnering on the program in Cambodia since 2012.
During a teacher training session for the same program, 32 teachers unanimously committed to enforcing helmet wearing among their students no matter the situation. The event, which was held as part of the Manulife-supported Helmets for Families program, provided these educators with vital knowledge on road safety and motorcycle helmet use. In the coming months, the teachers will provide this knowledge to their students and their students' families.
View more photos from the activity here.
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