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Phnom Penh, Cambodia β The Canada based life insurance company, Manulife (Cambodia) PLC launched βHelmets for Familiesβ, a program in conjunction with the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, on March 23rd. Approximately 600 people including government officers, NGOs, private sector partners, students, teachers, and parents attended the kick-off ceremony at Sampov Meas Primary school to increase the awareness of road safety in Cambodia.
Β Sampov Meas Primary School is located in a high-density traffic area along a main road in Phnom Penh. 80 percent of its students commute by motorcycle or bicycle, but very few wear helmets. βHelmets for Familiesβ is providing 424 helmets to 304 students, 20 teachers and 100 mothers as well as training sessions for teachers and parents to reinforce their understanding of helmet use and encourage them to put helmets on children.
βOur vision as a company is to help provide a better future for families. This project provides us with the opportunity to help ensure the safety of Cambodian children and families by educating them on road safety and on the importance of using protective gear, like helmets, when drivingβ said Mr. Robert Elliott, CEO and General Manager of Manulife Cambodia.
Β Through their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, Manulife Cambodia and its employees have supported the program by donating helmets, painting road safety murals at the school, teaching students the correct way for wearing their helmets, and helping out in the road safety training for mothers and students which was conducted by AIP Foundation.
Β During the launch of the event, Ms. Sy Sotha, Principal of Sampov Meas Primary School said, βThis event represents an important milestone for our school. Children are our most precious assets, as well as our most vulnerable. We are committed to working with our studentsβ parents and other relevant stakeholders to make helmets a permanent part of the school uniform.β
Β β1,894 lives were lost and 4,388 people suffered severe injuries on Cambodiaβs roads in 2012,β said His Excellency Khuong Sreng, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh. βWe really appreciate such kind support from Manulife Cambodia for making this event possible, in line with the governmentβs efforts to minimize road crash causalities and to promote safety in Cambodia. We must insist that everyone, especially children, wear helmets. Doing so has proven to reduce the risk of death by 42 percent and serious injury by 69 percent in the event of a crash.β
Β A revision of traffic regulations, which would expand mandatory helmet use to adult and child passengers, is currently under review. βWhile 80 percent of drivers wear helmets on Cambodiaβs roads, fewer than seven percent of the passengers, including children, do. The AIP Foundation has appealed directly to the government in a joint statement, signed by more than 60 stakeholders, for swift enactment of the draft law, an action which is supported by 98 percent of the Cambodian public,β said AIP Foundation Country Director Pagna Kim.
Β About AIP Foundation
The Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP Foundation) is a U.S. registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that uses public-private partnerships, public awareness education, and school-based programs to reduce the rate of traffic injuries and fatalities in developing countries. AIP Foundation has offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Bangkok, Thailand. In 2001, AIP Foundation built its non-profit helmet assembly plant, manufacturing Protec brand tropical helmets in Vietnam. These helmets offer an environmentally appropriate, safe and affordable option for motorcycle and bicycle users.
Β in 2009, AIP Foundation, in collaboration with the FIA Foundation and the World Bank, launched the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative (GHVI), an international coalition with the objective of βputting a helmet on every head in the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020).β In May 2010, H.E Mr. Im Sethy, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, High Representative of Deputy Prime Minister H.E Mr. Sar Kheng, Minister of Interior launched the Cambodia Helmet Vaccine Initiative (CHVI) in Phnom Penh.
About Manulife Cambodia
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Commenced operation on 28 June 2012, Manulife Cambodia was the latest market entry by Manulife Financial, one of the world leading life insurance companies. As the first wholly foreign-owned life insurance company in the kingdom, Manulife Cambodia committed to providing clients with much needed financial protection products and services.
About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$532 billion (US$535 billion) as at December 31, 2012. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as βMFCβ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under β945β on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at
manulife.com.
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Media Contact :
Manulife (Cambodia) PLCΒ
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Media Contact :Β
AIP FoundationΒ
Nellie Moore
Communications Coordinator
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18bis/21 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street,
District 1 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: 08-6299-1409 Ext. 112
Email:
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