HO CHI MINH City, Vietnam - March 14, 2017

Engaging extracurricular activities reinforced 600 students’ helmet safety knowledge at Ap Dinh Primary School in Hoc Mon District, one of the six schools involved in Abbott’s Helmets for Families program. Students’ behaviors have shifted during the course of the 2016-2017 program, with the average helmet wearing rates across all four schools in the district reaching 81%, compared to just 31% at baseline. Hoc Mon District is a low-income, agricultural area of Ho Chi Minh City.

Senior representatives from Abbott visiting from the pharmaceutical company’s U.S. headquarters volunteered during the extracurricular activities. During the event, students participated in a Ms. and Mr. Helmet Safety competition, which included dance performances, helmet wearing demonstrations, and tests of their road safety knowledge. They also played creative games that taught them about the differences between non-standard and standard helmets, the importance of wearing helmets, and how to wear their helmets correctly.

In the 2016-2017 school year, the program has provided 5,600 high quality helmets to students, teachers, and parents through donations and subsidies. The program serves four schools in Ho Chi Minh City’s Hoc Mon District and two in Hanoi. Since its launch in 2013, Helmets for Families has served beneficiaries at 15 schools in Vietnam, and has provided more than 30,000 quality helmets through donations and subsidized exchanges.