AkzoNobel supports education development in Vietnam

Hundreds of AkzoNobel employees joined the event

Aiming to relocate 100 schools across the country to welcome the new school year, this activity is part of the “AkzoNobel accompanies you to school” project which has been implemented since 2017. On this occasion, AkzoNobel also announced its ninth year of handing out scholarships to excellent students from Vietnamese architecture universities.

After two years of implementation, “AkzoNobel accompanies you to school” redecorated 30 schools with more than 60,000 litres of innovative exterior and interior paints from the Dulux and Maxilite portfolio. The project has contributed to create colourful and fresh learning spaces for students at disadvantaged schools to celebrate the new school year.

Renovating schools is an investment into the future

Colour has an important value to strengthen the effectiveness of learning. Scientific research into the effect of colour on children’s behaviour and learning by Sussex University revealed that colour affects performance and impacts the feelings of happiness and excitement.

Let’s Colour initiative’s “AkzoNobel accompanies you to school” offers the most suitable colour schemes for school spaces to positively motivate learning spirit, enhance concentration, and lead to better academic performance for students.

For instance, earthen tone colour schemes are usually used in the classrooms to reduce stress, pale white and cool colours to enhance concentration, and yellow to make the space spacious and airy. For others spaces in the school, such as the dining room or the hall, AkzoNobel used neutral colours combined with darker colours such as violet, navy blue, crimson or dark green to create an intimate and cosy space for everyone. Meanwhile, pale grey, pale white, blue, and green have been used in the art rooms to inspire and motivate students.

Selected schools in the project are those in disadvantaged areas with visible degradation, lack of funds for classroom renovation and other learning space improvement. The project will provide these schools with coating products to redecorate the learning space, encouraging Vietnamese students to study and grow well.

Happier, more lively classrooms are more conducive to learning

In addition, hundreds of employees from AkzoNobel Vietnam across the country have spent several working days worth of time to participate directly in the school painting activity during the last two years.

“Our school is in a remote area and is severely degraded, but we lack the funds to renovate it. We highly appreciate AkzoNobel Vietnam’s contribution to our school that helps students learn in a more spacious and inspiring space in the new school year,” shared Vu Thi Hoai, principal of An Duc Elementary School, Thai Binh province.

AkzoNobel’s contribution to Vietnam’s education development is demonstrated not only through the renovation and repainting of school facilities, but also in its goal of nurturing young talents. Since 2009, the scholarship sponsoring excellent students of the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City has been an annual activity.

In the new school year beginning in next September, AkzoNobel will continue to accompany Vietnamese architecture students with 11 scholarship packages, including 10 packages for excellent students and one package for an outstanding project. From 2018 onwards, talented students of Hanoi University of Architecture and Danang Architecture University will also be able to benefit from the project.

Pamela Phua, general director of AkzoNobel Vietnam Decorative Paint Company, emphasised, “Supporting education and nurturing the growth of the next generation are among our key focuses in contributing to the local communities where AkzoNobel is doing business. We hope that our tireless contribution to education in Vietnam will help to motivate the spirit and facilitate young Vietnamese students to achieve better academic performance.”

Apart from simply helping learning, the brighter spaces make for a happier atmosphere

Apart from education, AkzoNobel has implemented many practical programmes for the community, such as donating Dulux Weathershield paint to repaint and draw 3D frescos in Canh Duong fishing village (Quang Binh province) after the Doksuri typhoon in October 2017.

The company also provided more than 8,000 litres of paint to Ly Son Island to paint frescoes and repaint some houses to protect them from the impacts of extreme weather. Recently, the company have donated more than 3,000 litres of exterior paint for the “Green Volunteer Summer Campaign 2018” which beautified 60 alleys and three apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City.

Especially, the One Community Day themed “AkzoNobel sharing love” in mid-August 2018 has contributed numerous volunteer hours from all AkzoNobel Vietnam employees to repaint school facilities, providing the necessary equipment and water filtration systems for poor household, improving the lives of disabled people, orphans, and single elderly people.

AkzoNobel has a passion for paint. It is an expert in the proud craft of making paints and coatings, setting the standards in colour and protection since 1792. The company’s world-class portfolio of brands—including Dulux, International, Sikkens, and Interpon—is trusted by customers around the globe.