BASF and Nippon Paint collaborate to improve learning environment in needy areas of Vietnam

• Inauguration of Tập Ngãi kindergarten renovation project, Trà Vinh province
• Initiative sponsors painting at two other kindergartens and one primary school in Kiên Giang and Hậu Giang provinces
• Part of 3-year collaboration initiative – over 1,000sqm of schools in Mekong Delta will be painted in 2015

Trà Vinh, Vietnam – September 19, 2015 – BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, and Nippon Paint , a leading paint manufacturer, today inaugurated a kindergarten renovation project in the remote area of Tập Ngãi commune, Tiểu Cần District, Trà Vinh province, approximately  220 km away from Ho Chi Minh City. A total of three classrooms, a teachers’ office, a playground and hygiene facilities have been built. The project aims to enhance learning facilities, hygiene and safety conditions of the school. Upon completion, the facility can accommodate a total of 75 students per year, an increase from 50 before refurbishment.

This is part of a three-year joint initiative entitled “Painting for a good cause”, under which BASF and Nippon Paint fund school renovation and painting projects in needy areas of Vietnam. This year, the initiative also offers sponsorship of painting to two other kindergartens and one primary school, including Nam Thái and Nam Thái A in Kiên Giang province and Tân Bình 2 in Hậu Giang province. A total of over 1,000 square meters at the four facilities will be painted with low odor products to minimize impact to health and environment. An estimated 275 students from these four schools will benefit from the initiative every year.

The initiative is facilitated by Saigon Children’s Charity CIO, through which the School Building and Learning Environments program has built more than 350 classrooms, and benefited thousands of students from kindergarten up to secondary school level, since it was established in 1992.

“BASF is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2015. We want to create something with our anniversary program that extends into the future. The three-year partnership with our valued customer, Nippon Paint, underlines our commitment to create chemistry with local communities for a sustainable future. By giving disadvantaged school children from Mekong Delta better access to education, we believe we can prepare them for a better future,” said Petrus Ng, Managing Director, BASF Vietnam.

“Our corporate social responsibility activities offer Nippon Paint a platform to do something for the environment and the community. We believe the best way to give back is to link philanthropic investment with our painting solutions and expertise as well as the skills and passion of our employees. This distinction validates our efforts toward making a substantial and lasting impact in communities. We also wanted a project that would build pride and participation among our employees, allowing us to give back to our local community,” said Mr Ee Soon Hean, General Director of Nippon Paint Vietnam.

Nippon Paint Vietnam has been active in multiple community projects. Since 2014, the company has painted more than 100 needy houses in Ho Chi Minh City in partnership with Galaxy Cinema and YanTV. It has recently launched a TV reality show entitled “Tổ ấm hạnh phúc” (Happy House) on the popular HTV7 channel, attracting a number of celebrities including Xuân Lan, Tú Vi, Diễm Hương and Quỳnh Chi. Over 1,600 liters of paint valued at VND 300 milion have been donated to the program.

BASF Vietnam has been working with Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education & Training since 2011 to bring Kids’ Lab, an interactive education program, to almost 2,000 primary students. The program introduces the young generation to the fascinating world of chemistry and how it improves quality of life and conserves natural resources. In 2014, the company worked with Saigon Children’s Charity CIO to provide scholarships to eight disadvantaged university students for their four years of studies, to help them escape from poverty, and prepare them to be future leaders through better education.

 

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

About Saigon Children’s Charity CIO
Saigon Children's Charity CIO (SCC) was founded in 1992 to help disadvantaged children in Vietnam to escape from the cycle of poverty by giving them an education and a fair start in life.

SCC takes simple, practical steps to ensure that the children most in need get an education. We build schools and provide scholarships, as well as targeted extra help and vocational training. We work in and around Ho Chi Minh City, including District 4, District 8, Tan Phu District and in the rural fringes such as Can Gio, Cu Chi and District 9. In addition, we work in rural provinces close to HCMC such as Dong Nai and Tay Ninh, several provinces of the Mekong Delta (Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Kien Giang, Hau Giang) and have also built classrooms in Quang Tri, Phu Tho and Ninh Binh Provinces.

With more than 22 years of experience, SCC has now built and renovated more than 350 classrooms, and has supported more than 40,000 children and young people with scholarships and vocational training.

A board of independent trustees is accountable for the work of the organisation and SCC publishes audited accounts annually with grateful thanks to KPMG. We aim always to be a high quality organisation, which is both transparent and fully accountable.

To find out more about SCC, please visit www.saigonchildren.com, call us on (84 8) 3930 3502 or email us at scc@saigonchildren.com.

About Nippon Paint
Founded in Japan in 1881, Nippon Paint is now among leading paint manufacturers in the world. Spreading to over fifteen countries and two continents, along with ceaseless improvement in technology as well as material, Nippon Paint is now regarded as the optimal choice in the field of industry, automobile, motorcycle, architecture, marine and decorating houses. The Nippon Paint facilities have produced high quality paints and coatings with its advanced Japanese know-how.  Based on its corporate philosophy, skilled manpower and non-stop improvements in technology, Nippon Paint has changed buildings and houses’ face in Asia in general.  The corporate site can be found at nipponpaint.com and our Vietnam business is available at nipponpaint.com.vn. Read more about our CSR Asia-wide on http://en.ecocolor.com.cn