 |
|
Global Newsletter June 2018 |
 |
|
Dear Friends and Supporters, This month, we kicked off programming for Slow Zone, Safe Zone, our new speed reduction program being implemented in Pleiku City, Vietnam. We were excited to welcome a representative from the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and a representative from the Global Road Safety Partnership to participate in the orientation workshop. The commitment on a national level to the outcomes of the program represents an important achievement for Slow Zone, Safe Zone. In Cambodia, our Country Director presented at two national conferences to advocate for improved garment and footwear workers road safety. Our Legal Development Program members in Thailand kept busy this month, participating in a hearing on revisions to the draft Road Traffic Act and interviewing with journalists from the 2018 Road Safety Journalism Fellowship. In China, students presented their photos of road hazards and unsafe pedestrian behaviors to 1,000 members of the community as part of the culmination of the Photovoice project carried out by our Walk Wise program. Photovoice utilizes photos and reflections from students as a way to educate them on pedestrian safety and advocate for better walking environments. For more information on our activities, achievements, and related road safety news, please read on. Kind regards, Mirjam Sidik
|
Table of Contents |
Global |
|
|
|
Vietnam |
|
|
|
Cambodia |
|
|
Thailand |
|
|
|
|
China |
|
|
|
Employment Opportunities
|
Global |
|
Photo of the month-
Helmets for Kids prepares for upcoming training events with baseline survey
Students are photographed with their new helmets during a visit to Thesaban Tambon Tha Phae School and Rajaprajanugroh 4 School in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, two Helmets for Kids program schools where approximately 80% of students commute to school by motorcycle or bicycle. While there, our staff conducted helmet-wearing baseline surveys, which found that the helmet wearing rate for students at Rajaprajanugroh 4 School is 0% and 4% for students at Thesaban Tambon Tha Pair School. Helmets for Kids, which will be implemented between May and September 2018 in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, is supported by Chevron Thailand Exploration & Production Ltd. View more photos from the school visit here. |
Vietnam |
|
Stakeholder workshop discusses best practices and recommends safe school zone modifications in Ho Chi Minh City
Operating as Safe Kids Vietnam, AIP Foundation co-organized a workshop with the World Bank, International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee, and FedEx Express that focused on improving safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists in Ho Chi Minh City. The half-day workshop introduced the results of iRAP’s Star Rating for Schools assessment, which surveyed our 37 new Walk This Way program schools. The application’s findings were used to advocate for road infrastructure modifications at the program schools. We also presented our new safe school zone manual, which was developed to guide Vietnamese school principals in conducting a comprehensive assessment of their schools to determine if minimum safe school zone requirements are being met, and if not, to walk them through the process of putting together a proposal and carrying out modifications at their schools. The Ho Chi Minh City government partners offered their support for the road safety initiatives presented at the workshop. Given the Vietnamese government’s declaration of 2018 as the year of “children and road safety,” the government of Ho Chi Minh City is committed to making significant improvements in school zone safety over the next seven months. View more photos from the workshop here. |
|
Helmets for Kids expands to new province with devastating 9 child road crash casualties in 2018
This year, our Helmets for Kids program is expanding into Thai Nguyen province, a mountainous, midland region in the northeast of Vietnam. Similar to Yen Bai province, Thai Nguyen is a multi-ethnic community with eight main ethnic groups. Thai Nguyen province also faces a precarious road safety situation. Several national roads run through the province, yet only an estimated 15% of children wear helmets. In just the first three months of 2018 there have been six crashes involving children, which resulted in a devastating six child fatalities and three serious injuries. Helmets for Kids is expected to distribute 1,500 helmets at four program schools in the new province. On 8 June 2018, we organized our first orientation & teacher training workshop in the province at Hoa Thuong 1 Primary School. There were over 31 participants, including featured guest Mr. Tan Hoang Long, Chief of Thai Nguyen Traffic Safety Committee, as well as representatives from the four program schools and the parent council. During the workshop, teachers from the new program schools were trained to measure helmet size, to demonstrate putting on helmets correctly, and how to organize a curriculum and teach road safety concepts in the classroom. View more photos from the training workshop here. |
|
National representative attends workshop for new road safety program in Pleiku City
A representative from the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), Deputy Chief Secretary Mrs. Trinh Thu Ha, attended the orientation workshop for our new Slow Zone, Safe Zone program being implemented in Pleiku City, Gia Lai province. The commitment on a national level to the outcomes of the program represents an important achievement for Slow Zone, Safe Zone, which aims to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities in school zones across Pleiku City by improving the road safety environment and culture for students commuting to and from school. The program will do this through a comprehensive set of interventions, including both speed-focused initiatives (speed bumps, rumble strips, and speed signage) as well as other road safety modifications (traffic lights, sidewalks, and proper road markings). In addition to the NTSC official, the workshop was attended by Mr. Raoul Powlowski, Program Manager for the Global Road Safety Partnership, which manages funding for Slow Zone, Safe Zone on behalf of the Botnar Foundation. Representatives from municipal and provincial government departments, members of the media, community leaders, school administrators, and parents were also invited to participate. The workshop provided an overview of the program, presented baseline findings, and discussed the proposed plan for school modifications. Baseline surveys found that 25% of the 2,245 surveyed students reported having been in a road crash, with over 30% of those crashes occurring within the last six months. In addition, 35% of the students' reported crashes happened near a school zone. View more photos from the orientation workshop here. |
|
AIP Foundation conducts parent training workshop in support of #3500LIVES campaign
Every day, 3,500 people are killed on the roads. Young people are particularly affected as road crashes are the number one cause of death of 15 to 29 year olds. To combat this alarming trend, we have partnered with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the FIA Foundation to support their #3500LIVES campaign through trainings and public awareness initiatives focused on key "golden rules" for road safety. In particular, we are working on four focus areas: use a child safety seat, buckle up, don’t text and drive, and wear a helmet. As part of our planned activations, on 25 June we conducted a parent training workshop in Hanoi on the importance of child safety seats and seat belt use in cars. Over 200 parents joined the training, which was led by Mr. Luu Xuan Binh, Deputy Chief of the Hanoi Traffic Safety Committee, and covered by local media. We have also installed 12 billboards in strategic locations across Hanoi in support of the campaign. View more photos from the training here. Read more about the #3500LIVES campaign here. |
|
Helmets for Families sees increase in quality helmet use by students, parents
Thanks to our Helmets for Families program implementation this year, both the average helmet use rates among students and the percentage of parents and students wearing quality helmets have increased dramatically. Average helmet use rates among students increased from 62% to 77% at our four schools in the Hoc Mon district of Ho Chi Minh City and from 18% to 90% at the two new target schools in Cu Chi district that were added to the program this school year. Observations were conducted using our rigorous helmet observation methodology, developed in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that utilizes strategic filming of traffic flows. These positive results can be attributed to road safety education conducted both inside and outside of the classroom, helmet distribution, and school policy enforcement. For measurements on the quality of helmets being worn by students and parents, it was found that of all helmets checked, the percentage of parents' helmets that meet national safety standards increased from 25% to 45% and the percentage of students' helmets that meet national standards increased from 45% to 98%. These data points were calculated through random interviews of 181 parents at the gates of Tan Phu Trung and Tan Thanh Dong schools in January 2018 (baseline) and 207 parents at the same schools in March 2018 (post implementation). Program intervention activities included parent trainings and helmet exchanges to replace substandard helmets with quality, new ones. Helmets for Families, which recently celebrated its fifth year of implementation, is supported by the global healthcare company Abbott and implemented by AIP Foundation, the National Traffic Safety Committee, Ministry of Education and Training, Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee, and the Department of Education and Training. |
|
Related news: Notes from the field: Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Gai Lai Province
Source: FIA Foundation, 05 June, 2018 On May 15, a day before I started my field trip to South-East Asia, Vietnam’s national government formally announced that all children starting school in the first grade will be provided with a helmet beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year. The government’s commitment to distribute 1.6 million helmets by September 2018 alone marks an important milestone in the work of the FIA Foundation’s partner in Vietnam, AIP Foundation. AIP Foundation’s work there has focused on child road safety and over the years has contributed substantially to the country’s policies on helmet use. Beyond Vietnam, the FIA Foundation’s support to partner organisations like Save the Children, UNICEF, and AIP Foundation has enabled lifesaving work across South East Asia including Thailand, China, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The Foundation’s support to the region is well-timed as South East Asia has continued to prioritise infrastructure development, including road networks, as a part of its growth strategy. Read the full article on the FIA Foundation’s blog here. |
Cambodia |
|
Cambodia Country Director advocates for garment worker road safety
Cambodia Country Director Pagna Kim presented at two national events this month to advocate for improved garment and footwear workers road safety. The commute of garment factory workers to and from work is becoming increasingly hazardous due to the continued use of unsafe and overloaded vehicles and the location of factories near increasingly busy national roads. An estimated 600-700,000 workers are directly employed in the garment and footwear sector in Cambodia and commute to and from the factory daily. In 2016, garment factory workers were involved in more than 12 crashes per day, and tragically 43 workers died. Pagna addressed these growing concerns at an event organized by the Cambodia Microfinance Association, an NGO and professional association that aims to ensure the prosperity and sustainability of the microfinance sector in Cambodia. Over 30 participants attended the presentation, which focused on the risks that factory workers face each day on their commute to and from work and the impacts that a fatal crash has on financial businesses. These consequences include a loss in financial revenue and worker loan repayments. A forum was also convened at The Asia Foundation, where Pagna appealed to the 50 stakeholders present to become more involved in road safety policy in Cambodia and to advocate for improvements to the current worker transportation methods in favor of a safer, regulated public bus system. Pagna presented key background information to the group on the garment and footwear workers’ situation and on the progress of our pilot program. Also suggested was the need for researchers to conduct further monitoring and studies into this issue. This would enable the road safety community to fully realize and address gaps within the current system of collecting road crash and financial impact information related to garment and footwear workers. These presentations are part of a broader garment and footwear sector road safety strategy that we are implementing as part of a Transportation Working Group made up of development agencies and international garment and footwear brands. The group is also working with factories and other relevant stakeholders to implement a one year pilot program with targeted factories. Pilot results will inform factory-level and sector-wide recommendations. View more photos from the presentations here. |
|
AIP Foundation presents on challenges for Cambodia’s commuting factory workers at road safety conference in Kuala Lumpur
AIP Foundation was invited to present at the Malaysia Commuting Accident and Road Safety Seminar (MyCARSS) 2018 on the topic of Transport Safety among Workers in Developing Countries. Louise Goldman, AIP Foundation’s Policy and Program Advisor, presented a case study of the transport safety risks impacting Cambodia's commuting factory workers. Commuting safety has been a cause of growing concern for some time in Cambodia- to both national road safety actors as well as industry stakeholders. Goldman presented on how government, non-government, and industry are working to tackle these complex issues. In particular, Goldman spoke about the leadership being shown by international garment, apparel, and footwear brands and buyers sourcing from Cambodia as well as by other concerned stakeholders who have come together to establish a Transportation Working Group. Better Factories Cambodia, a program of the International Labour Organization, coordinates the working group. Goldman outlined the sectoral road safety strategy that AIP Foundation developed, which aligns with the pillars of the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety and provides a road map for action. Goldman also discussed policy recommendations and practical factory-level initiatives being implemented as part of a one-year pilot program supported by the Transportation Working Group in collaboration with targeted factories. More than 300 participants from both the government and private sector attended the conference, which was organized by Malaysia’s Social Security Organization (SOCSO), an organization that provides insurance to workers who are injured at work or when commuting. SOCSO identified that commuting crashes are now their biggest driver of increasing worker claims. In line with the conference theme “Fostering Commuting Safety Culture Towards Vision Zero," SOCSO has committed to improving commuting safety for workers and to take action towards their Vision Zero pledges. View more photos from the conference here. |
Thailand |
|
Legal Development Program interviewed by journalists about safe transportation
Two members of the Legal Development Program (LDP), Pol. Lt. Colonel Dr. Panupong Panudulkitti, Inspector of the Traffic Police Division, and Thachawut Jardbandista, a Road Safety Group Thailand project coordinator, interviewed with journalists as part of our collaboration with the Road Safety Journalism Fellowship 2018. The interviews covered topics including unlicensed and unregistered motorcycle taxis, helmet law enforcement, and public transport safety. The interviews were part of the “Road Safety Stories Development Lab”, a one-day workshop held by Internews with the support of World Health Organization (WHO) Thailand to provide members of the Road Safety Journalism Fellowship 2018 an opportunity to have face time with road safety experts and develop insightful news stories. In the afternoon, LDP member Kasarin Trintrakul, a human resource officer at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, and Thailand Country Manager of AIP Foundation Oratai Junsuwanaruk joined the workshop as special guests to help comment on the stories. LDP Thailand is a collaboration between AIP Foundation and the WHO, while the Road Safety Journalism Fellowship 2018 is a collaboration between Internews and the WHO. Both programs aim to reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities through legislative improvement and are supported by the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS). |
|
Safe School, Safe Community program targets multiple stakeholders with road safety education
More than 75 parents, teachers, and students received road safety education at Wat Rachasingkorn School, Bangkok, as part of the Safe School, Safe Community program, which began implementation last month. First, a teacher training was held in the morning of 13 June focused on road safety basics such as correct helmet use and care, risk factors for road crash fatalities and injuries, and traffic regulations, as well as helping the teachers become more familiar with the program’s teaching tools. Afterwards, the teachers worked together to develop a lesson plan for Grade 1-6 students who joined the training in the afternoon. The afternoon session incorporated students and included a helmet wearing demonstration, a short film on the dangers of not wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle, and small breakout group discussions on road safety concepts. Then on 16 June, AIP Foundation returned to Wat Rachasingkorn School to provide road safety education to 27 parents. The training focused on raising parents’ awareness of road safety issues and helping them learn how to wear helmets correctly as well as how to keep their children safe on the road. The Safe School, Safe Community program, supported by the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and Rotary International, aims to increase helmet use among children, teachers and parents to better protect them from head injury and raise public awareness of the importance of child quality helmet use. View more photos from the trainings here. |
|
Over 400 students and teachers receive road safety training in Thailand
In mid-June, the entire teaching staff from Thesaban Tambon Tha Pair School and Rajaprajanugroh 4 School participated in a road safety training hosted by AIP Foundation as part of our Helmets for Kids program. In total, 30 participants attended the training, including 22 teachers. Participants learned basic road safety knowledge and skills, including how to create engaging lessons for their students. The following day, all 22 teachers from Thesaban Tambon Tha Pair School and Rajaprajanugroh 4 School set up stations around their schools to help students learn about helmet use and road safety basics. Each station focused on a different road safety concept, including the importance of helmet use, correct helmet wearing, and proper helmet care. Among the highlights, the student training included a helmet safety demonstration with a watermelon to illustrate why wearing a helmet can save one’s life in the event of a road crash. In total, 446 participants attended the student training, including 416 students. Chevron’s Government Affairs Coordinator Damrongsak Sukprajan attended both the teacher and student trainings. The Helmets for Kids program, implemented in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, is supported by Chevron Thailand Exploration & Production Ltd. View more photos from the trainings here. |
|
Legal Development Program contributes to revision of national road traffic law
Legal Development Program (LDP) members participated in the Royal Thai Police’s public hearing in Bangkok on the draft Road Traffic Act. The public hearing aimed to gather input on proposed changes to the Act from experts, stakeholders, and the general public. In total, the public hearing attracted 500 attendees including civil society, private sector, and government representatives from various agencies. LDP members Pol. Col. Jinda Klubklaye and Supa Chotngam, who are also part of the Road Traffic Act Reform Working Group, were key contributors to the hearing and were joined by fellow LDP members Kasarin Trintrakul and Thanachart Paliyawate. While the participants were in favor of the proposed changes to the existing traffic law in 10 areas, they also raised concerns over how certain provisions would be enforced. The Royal Thai Police will accept input until 16 June 2018. The revised law is expected to take effect later this year. |
China |
|
Students present photos and road safety recommendations to over 1,000 community members
Students from Shengdeng and Kunchi Middle Schools in Nanba County, China presented their photos of road hazards and unsafe pedestrian behaviors in the community as well as their suggestions for improving walking environments to over 1,000 community members, including government representatives in attendance. The presentation is the culmination of the Photovoice project carried out by our Walk Wise program over the past two months, which utilized photos and reflections from students as a way to educate them on pedestrian safety and advocate for better walking environments. More than 200 parents and 800 students from Nanba Kunchi Vocational School attended the event, including ten representatives from the Chinese government and local police. Since March, the Photovoice project has reached a total of 12,654 direct beneficiaries, including 6,193 students from two primary schools and two secondary schools, and 8,869 indirect beneficiaries in Nanba County. View more photos from the event here. |
|
Teacher training focuses on integrating road safety into the classroom
As part of our Walk Wise pedestrian safety program in Nanba Township of Sichuan province, China, 20 teachers from Shengdeng and Kunchi Middle Schools participated in the second in a series of workshops designed to build their capacity to carry out road safety educational programming in their classrooms. The workshop was facilitated by an expert from Southwest University in China, who has experience in road safety curriculum development. During the workshop, the teachers presented the road safety curriculums they had developed since the last training and received feedback from the group. A classroom simulation was also conducted so that teachers could observe a road safety lesson plan being carried out in front of a live audience. View more photos from the training here. |
 |