Safety first in Thailand: Helmets for Kids and a bridge of friendship

Helmets for Kids is a partnership aimed at increasing helmet use and reducing road traffic injuries among child motorcycle passengers in Rayong province, Thailand. Launched in 2012, we estimate that the heads of around 30,000 children are now better-protected thanks to the donation of helmets, which are kept in the family and passed on to younger siblings.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of motorcycle fatalities per 100,000 people in the world, and statistics in Rayong province are among the worst in the country. One of the main reasons for the high number of fatalities is not wearing a helmet. In addition to donating helmets, the project also involves an educational aspect, with children receiving safety training delivered in an entertaining format, which they can use to reverse-mentor their parents.

Safety & Citizen Day actions

The focus of this year's Safety Day was to carry out training on Hand Safety to ensure personnel understand and are aware of all types of hazards to their hands are constantly being exposed to.

Banksmeadow colleagues also took part in a Citizen Day activity focused on biodiversity, with the construction of six native bird boxes, to be donated to the Local Schools as part of their Environmental Programs. The bird boxes were designed and prepared after careful research into the specific requirements of the local native birdlife, by one of the employees, Andrew Galagher.  All participants enjoyed this fun, hands-on activity and were extremely proud of how the finished bird boxes looked.

As a token of appreciation for all the hard work and contribution, all volunteers took home seed bombs to cultivate in their home gardens.

Enhancing the beauty of Banksmeadow’s Sir Joseph Banks Park

Team members from the Solvay-Banksmeadow site in Australia participated in a tree-planting event at nearby Sir Joseph Banks Park. 

This activity was part of the Bayside Council’s project to remove weeds and non-native plants from some of the park’s reclaimed bush areas and replace them with plants native to the area. Creating more natural plantings in the park will create additional habitats for native birds and animals and will also serve to beautify the park.
 
The effort was one of a number of initiatives that demonstrates Solvay-Banksmeadow’s commitment to sustainability and improving the health and well-being of the local community and its environment.

Beautifying the beaches Rayong, Thailand

Twenty kilometers of beaches are 5,900 kg of trash cleaner, thanks to 150 Solvay employees and their families who joined their local communities for the 2020 International Beach Cleanup Day in Rayong, Thailand. 

"I was glad to be a part of the 2020 International Coastal Cleanup Day. It’s about preserving our beautiful beaches, and supporting our communities to maintain natural places for future generations” Chonthicha Talabthong, Site Buyer at the hydrogen peroxide joint venture facility in Map Ta Phut (MTP HPJV), Thailand.

Solvay-Liyang volunteers create family quality time for local kids

Volunteers from Solvay’s Liyang Site offered comfort and companionship to children whose parents leave home after the annual Chinese Spring Festival reunion to work in big cities for the next year.

The Chinese Spring Festival reunion is the most important festival of the year and a time when families come together to celebrate and enjoy the delicious food they prepare and eat together. 

Most parents return to work after the festival, which becomes a time when the children begin to miss their parents. Volunteers from Solvay were eager to oblige and decided to visit the community center in the hopes of spreading some post-holiday cheer to the children.

The local Dongsheng Community organized a half-day activity during which 20 Solvay volunteers came to play games with the children, teach them about crops and vegetables with the assistance of local farmers, and spend part of a fun weekend together.

“I enjoyed playing games with other children and volunteers, and I hope to have more chances to meet them (the volunteers) again” Pan Xin one of the children at the community center.