HO CHI MINH City, Vietnam - March 20, 2019

Helmets for Families organized a visit to Cho Ray Hospital to engage health professionals with parents and teachers from four new program schools, the Nha Be Bureau of Education and Training, and school management boards to deliver road safety messages.

Participants visited road crashes victims who have suffered from brain injuries and saw firsthand the importance of proper helmet use while driving or riding on a motorcycle. Helmets for Families provided gifts to the victims and learned more about their situations.

Doctor Tran Quang Vinh, Head of Neuro-Resuscitation, shared his insights on the consequences of road crashes for victims and their families. Similarly, Doctor Huynh Le Phuong, Head of Neurosurgery, explained how brain injury is caused and emphasized the importance of wearing quality helmets properly while driving.

Helmets for Families also held a stakeholder meeting with the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee the week prior with representatives from government agencies, all ten program schools, and local hospitals.

AIP Foundation presented road crash statistics and information in addition to introducing program objectives, the implementation plan, upcoming activities, and monitoring and evaluation methodology. Lessons learned from last year were shared by the six existing program schools from Hoc Mon and Cu Chi Districts and challenges identified by the four, new program schools in Nha Be were also discussed at the workshop. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuong of the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee emphasized the need to carry out multiple interventions by schools, government authorities, and social organizations in order to meet the project’s goals.