AIP Foundation was one among 21 grassroots road safety NGO leaders from eight countries in Asia who became part of the newest cohort of trainees to join the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety’s Alliance Advocates Program, a growing movement of NGOs that is championing a low-cost, evidence-based approach to road safety. This is the first time the Alliance Advocate training has been run in Asia.

The trainees, known as Alliance Advocates, learned ways to strengthen their data, improve project management, and improve advocacy skills through a practical, innovative demonstration project. NGO leaders collected road data around a school in suburban New Delhi — using the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)’s Star Rating for Schools methodology — which were used to identify actions that would radically improve student safety, and create an advocacy plan. Participants presented plans to decision makers, including representatives from India’s Ministry of Road Transportation and Highways (MoRTH), local traffic police, and the World Health Organization (WHO). This will give participants firsthand experience of presenting their cases to those responsible for safer roads in their home countries.

At the end of the training, as an Alliance Advocate, AIP Foundation’s Trang Truong will take what she has learned back to Vietnam. This approach could transform school journeys for millions of children who risk their lives every day to attend school along dangerous roads in Vietnam.

Read more about the program here.