YEN BAI, Vietnam – November 30, 2024

As part of the legacy of the Helmets for Kids program in Vietnam, supported by Johnson & Johnson and in collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Yen Bai Traffic Safety Committee, a helmet handover ceremony was held at Tran Nhat Duat High School. This was the biggest Helmets for Kids program event for 2024 with nearly 1,000 students gathered, underscoring the program’s dedication to enhancing road safety and promoting a culture of safe and quality helmet wearing among youth in Vietnam. Throughout 2024, 5,250 helmets were distributed of which 2,800 were ECE 22 standard helmets. This model, proven to absorb higher impact forces, provides better protection in case of crashes.

“We highly appreciate AIP Foundation and Johnson & Johnson’s significant contributions through this program. Over the past 13 years, this program has provided high-quality helmets to children in various provinces and cities across Vietnam. Yen Bai Traffic Safety Committee will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the enforcement of helmet regulations, particularly Article 31 of the Road Traffic Safety Law, which was recently approved by the National Assembly in June 2024,” shares Mr. Dao Anh Tuan – Yen Bai’s Department of Education and Training Deputy Director.

Partnership for Impact: AIP Foundation and Johnson & Johnson

Over the past 13 years, the partnership between AIP Foundation and Johnson & Johnson has redefined helmet safety progress across Vietnam. From 2012 to 2024, the Helmets for Kids program has reached 109 schools across 9 provinces in Vietnam, providing 84,326 quality helmets to students, teachers and school staff – saving an estimated 902 students and teachers from potential brain injury. During 2024, the final year of the program, the focus has remained on vulnerable communities in Northern Vietnam, ensuring every child, every student, has a safe journey to and from school.

“The Helmets for Kids program has brought the community together to improve road safety. Guided by Our Credo, Johnson & Johnson is committed to supporting our local communities and for the last decade, this program has increased community awareness of road safety and it has encouraged the use of helmets amongst young adults and school children,” shared Mrs. Le Chi Thuy Dung, General Director, Innovative Medicine, Johnson & Johnson Vietnam.

Innovative helmet initiatives to safeguard young students

Tran Nhat Duat High School is located on a provincial road that is often plagued by busy traffic and speeding trucks. Students are often at risk while traveling to and from school on e-bikes and bicycles with their families. Young people from the school often lack access to safe and sustainable journeys to school.

To encourage road safety skills among the students and raise awareness on the importance of wearing a helmet, Na Huong Hoang, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at AIP Foundation and Nguyen Thu Hang, Government Affairs and Policy Lead from Johnson & Johnson Vietnam facilitated a helmet-fitting activity and engaged the students in road safety activities and games. This was an opportunity for students to learn through educational activities.

Earlier this year, a total of 3,950 helmets were distributed to students. The helmets provided as part of the Helmets for Kids program supported by Johnson & Johnson make a life-saving difference for vulnerable students on their way to and from school in Yen Bai. Wearing a quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by 42% and the risk of serious brain injury by 69%.

A lasting legacy of impact: Helmets for Kids program across Vietnam

Johnson & Johnson has been a longtime and trusted partner of AIP Foundation since 2004 and this year, we are proud to celebrate 13 years of the Helmets for Kids program supported by Johnson & Johnson in Vietnam.

“At AIP Foundation we are incredibly proud of the achievements and successes garnered through the Helmets for Kids program since 2012. Throughout this journey, Johnson & Johnson has been an invaluable partner, supporting safe school commutes for students and ensuring students have access to safe and quality helmets. The legacy of this program will continue through every helmet and every child that it has impacted,” shared Na Huong Hoang, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at AIP Foundation.