500 students take part in 5th BASF Kids’ Lab in Vietnam
- BASF brings interactive education program to Vietnamese kids for 5th consecutive year from November 6-7, 2015
- Schoolchildren learn about how chemistry helps to improve quality of life through doing two fun experiments
- Participants come from rural areas of Cu Chi, Hoc Mon and District 12
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – November 6, 2015 – Approximately 500 primary students from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), many of whom are from distant areas of Cu Chi, Hoc Mon and District 12, will participate in the 5th annual BASF Kids’ Lab from November 6 to 7, 2015. They will learn about skin protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation as well as how vitamins can improve human health. The interactive education program is co-organized by BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, and HCMC Department of Education & Training for the fifth consecutive year.
Participants include students from Nguyen Thi Minh Khai School and Ly Tu Trong School, District 12; Truong Van Ngai School and Tan Xuan School, Hoc Mon district; Trung An School and Hoa Phu School, Cu Chi district; and children of BASF employees and its business partners. Kids will be instructed to do two fun experiments by BASF employees and university student volunteers.
“Where is Vitamin C” experiment
The schoolchildren will work together to explore which fruits and vegetables contain more Vitamin C, an essential substance for human beings. They will learn how Vitamin C and healthy eating can help prevent people from catching a cold or flu while boosting human immunization, therefore improving people’s quality of life.
“Skin loves Sun” experiment
By using the UV light device and UV detectors, followed by a hands-on sunscreen-making exercise, students will learn about UV rays and its negative impact to human skin as well as relevant protection methods.
BASF Kids’ Lab, now active in over 30 countries, is designed to help children learn about the fascinating world of chemistry and its important role as an enabler for a sustainable future. Since 2011, in partnership with HCMC Department of Education & Training, we have brought this initiative to over 2,000 local schoolchildren in Vietnam. “In this fifth consecutive year, the program will be offered to 500 other kids, many of whom are from rural areas where opportunities to take part in extra-curricular activities like this are not abundant. This year, BASF also celebrates its 150th anniversary at BASF Kids’ Lab with something that extends into the future,” said Mr. Petrus Ng, Managing Director, BASF Vietnam.
“A well-educated young generation is important for BASF. Therefore education and training are central elements of our social responsibility effort.” he added. In conjunction to BASF’s 150th anniversary, the company inaugurated a kindergarten renovation project in September this year in the remote area of Mekong Delta to enhance its learning facilities, hygiene and safety conditions of the school. In 2014, BASF provided 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.
Note to Editor:
A dedicated Facebook page has been set up for participants and interested parties to share photos and comments: BASF Kids’ Lab Asia Pacific Facebook.
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 BASF Vietnam
BASF has been active in Vietnam since the establishment of its representative office in 1994. BASF Vietnam Limited was set up in 2009. Apart from its head office and production site for construction chemicals, located at Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park, Binh Duong province, the company has three sales offices, in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang. It provides a wide range of products, including plastics, petrochemicals, construction chemicals, fine chemicals, performance chemicals, paper chemicals, crop protection, etc. BASF sales to customers in Vietnam were approximately €190 million in 2014. BASF employed 139 people in Vietnam as of the end of 2014.
Further information on BASF in Vietnam is available at www.basf.com/Vietnam.
