HA NOI, Vietnam - November 22, 2012

A delegation from the Tanzania Ministry of Home Affairs, Tanzania Prisons Service (TPS), and the Tanzania Helmet Vaccine Initiative arrived in Hanoi from Dar es Salaam on November 19th for a four-day visit to investigate helmet production and advocacy projects in Vietnam. Led by General John C. Minja, Tanzania Commissioner General of Prisons, the group was welcomed by the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation in Hanoi.

During their stay, the delegation toured the AIP Foundation Protec helmet factory, as well as school-based traffic safety program and helmet-monitoring project sites. A high-level meeting with the National Traffic Safety Committee on November 20th provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and for the delegation to learn about Vietnam’s renown road safety successes over the past ten years.

The relationship between Vietnam and Tanzania road safety stakeholders was initiated by Greig Craft, Founder of AIP Foundation, and Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Kayanza Peter Pinda in 2010. Encouraged by the successful helmet initiatives in Vietnam, Prime Minister Pinda recently selected the appropriate government entities to develop a similar initiative in Tanzania. The Prime Minister also has keen interest in Vietnam’s rice growing technology and the delegation will meet with representatives of Oxfam to learn from Vietnam’s experiences.