Protect Cambodian Children from Brain Injury

On their daily commute to get an education, many children are at risk. In Cambodia, students accounted for 12% of all road fatalities in 2019 (RCVIS Annual Report 2019). Nearly 6% of all road fatalities in Cambodia are secondary and high-school students. It highlights the urgent need for preventive action. Helmets are a uniquely affordable and effective protection against head injuries on the road. Wearing a quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by 42% and the risk of serious brain injury by 69%.

In March 2023, a helmet handover ceremony was held at Hun Sen Trosek Koang High School, with approximately 600 students and 75 teachers attending. The helmet handover ceremony was co-organized with AIP Foundation - in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the National Road Safety Committee, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Kampot provincial partners, with meaningful support from Prudential Cambodia -  as part of the SAFE STEPS – Road Safety programme. 623 students and teachers received helmets that make a life-saving difference for the vulnerable school community on their way to and from school.

Reflecting on the program, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Secretary General of the National Road Safety Committee shared, “In order to ensure that the roads of Cambodia are safe for our future generation, we must involve them and encourage active participation from road users towards the respect of the Road Traffic Law and safety measures. The SAFE STEPS event today encourages students to raise their voices influencing their peers to wear a helmet, not over speeding, respecting the law and not drink and drive. The first step toward solving the global road safety crisis is to ensure that youth and students are a part of the solution.”

The coming year of the program will continue focusing on ensuring students' safe journey to school through school zone safety improvement and quality equipment distribution. Visit us here to learn more about our work and receive the latest updates. 

As part of the SAFE STEPS – Road Safety programme, a SAFE STEPS Kids Road Safety Day took place in September last year at Hun Sen Trosek Koang high school, Kampot province, with about 1,000 students attending.

The Road Safety Day was co-organized by Prudential Cambodia, Prudence Foundation and AIP Foundation, and in collaboration with the National Road Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and local programme partners to help students mitigate risks on the road, provide them with safety equipment and road traffic education.

Through interactive games and fun activities, students reinforced their road safety skills and knowledge on motorcycle driving and helmet use for eligible students aged 15 or above, understanding speed limits, avoiding distractions, and the importance of pedestrian safety. Students also participated in a road safety quiz to test their understanding and received motorcycle driver training through practical demonstrations.

The success of Road Safety Day underscores the importance of offering interactive events to young children and students. The collaboration with community and governmental partners raise higher awareness among parents, policymakers, and residents to establish safe school environments and instill quality road safety education in school curricula. Safe school zones are integral in ensuring that students can access their education safely. Visit our website here to see how you can support our work and become a road safety ambassador.  

Since March 2022, AIP Foundation has launched a Safe Step Program in Cambodia.  The Safe Step Program is part of the road safety initiatives founded by  Prudence Foundation, International Federation of the Red Cross, and National Geographic to ensure road safety for countries in Asia and African. In Cambodia, AIP Foundation has been chosen as the implementing partner the program, targeting 4 primary schools, high schools in Kampong Thom and  Kampot Province. 

The program activities include education campaign on road safety using integrative approaches. The focus will be on youth and parents’ education, teacher’s capacity building, high-quality helmets distribution, school zone modification, and community-driven awareness raising. By 2024, Safe Step Program aims to reach over 12,000 students across the country, making their journeys to school safer. 

Mr. H.E. Min Meanvy, Secretary of State, Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Secretary-General of Camnbodian National Road Safety Committee shared: “The implementation of this program at proposed program provinces is really on the right target, very important and most efficient. The NRSC looks forward to working in collaboration with the teams to implement this program.”

In Cambodia, 12% of road crash fatalities victims are students and nearly 50% of them are secondary and high school students. We firmly believe that road safety risks can be reduced through education and public awareness interventions on helmet safety and road safety. Visit our website here to receive our latest update and see how you can contribute to our ongoing road safety projects.

In Cambodia, 12% of all road crash fatalities are students and nearly 50% of them are secondary and high school students (RCVIS Annual Report 2019). Students are mostly affected because they are just learning how to ride and sometimes partake in at-risk behaviors such as not wearing helmets. To continue adding to our mission of reducing these fatalities, AIP Foundation has recently launched its partnership with Prudential to bring their legacy program, Safe Steps, to Cambodia. 

Safe Steps is an international education campaign, founded through the collaboration of Prudence Foundation which is the charitable arm of Prudential, International Federation of the Red Cross, and National Geographic. The program which runs in several countries across Asia has been implemented in Cambodia by AIP Foundation, starting March 25th, 2022. 

The program aims to reach over 12,000 students in the next 2 years through a series of road safety interventions, including school-based road safety education, quality helmets donation, school zone modifications and community awareness raising. Through these programs, it is our goal that more students and vulnerable road users are protected against road injuries and fatalities, and more light is shed on the importance of practicing road safety in our community. 

As schools re-opened across Cambodia in November, AIP Foundation has resumed in-person activities starting with helmet donations to at risk communities. Together with our long-time partner, Manulife Cambodia, we have distributed close to 900 helmets to students and teachers at O Ambel Primary School in Banteay Meanchey Province as part of our Helmets for Families (HFF) program. 

This donation takes place at the right time as children will be protected when traveling to and from school with quality helmets and road safety training through this program implementation. Despite the introduction of a universal helmet law in Cambodia in 2015, our pre-evaluation showed that none of the students surveyed at O Ambel Primary School wore helmets. Approximately 70% of students commute by motorcycle or bicycle at O Ambel Primary School. In addition, the majority of students at O Ambel are from low-income local families, making buying a helmet for their children mostly unaffordable for parents.

The Helmets for Families program, which has operated in Cambodia since 2012, has provided almost 8,000 quality helmets to students, teachers and parents most in need. The program has delivered road safety education and skills to 6,128 students, 301 teachers and 10,847 parents across Cambodia. More than 170 children have been saved from serious head injury through the program. As the new year begins, we are looking forward to reaching more vulnerable communities in Cambodia with safe equipment and necessary road safety education through our interventions.