HO CHI MINH City, Vietnam - October 31, 2013

On October 30, 2013, students, teachers, and parents of Vinh Loc 1 Primary School came together with The United Parcel Service (UPS), the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, and local government officials to ride through their Binh Chanh district community, raising awareness of the importance of helmets that meet safety standards for children. The rally marked the launch of the third year of the Helmets for Kids initiative sponsored by The UPS Foundation with a donation of 3,966 helmets for students and teachers at six schools in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nearly 1,500 children, parents, school officials, and local stakeholders, including Ho Chi Minh Traffic Safety Committee, Department of Education and Training, and Goodwill Ambassador Thanh Thuy, attended the kick-off ceremony at Vinh Loc 1 school, which was followed by a parade of motorcycles through the surrounding neighborhood. Rally participants carried flags bearing the message: “Children also need a helmet.”

This year’s Helmets for Kids initiative will also include road safety trainings for teachers and students, outreach to parents, extracurricular activities, billboards, and the distribution of hand-fans and school timetables promoting child helmet use.