BASF and customers launch kindergarten project in Dong Nai

Representatives of Nippon Paint Vietnam, Phuong Nam Insulation, Sam Chem, BASF Vietnam, and MKVN with the beneficiary schoolkids

Under the project, co-sponsored by BASF and 10 customers from Vietnam and Thailand, two new classrooms with a total area of over 170 square metres will be built for Song Ray Kindergarten, located in a remote area of Dong Nai province. Facilitated by Saigon Children’s Charity CIO, the construction project will be completed in 2019, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of BASF Vietnam.

The two classrooms, currently accommodating 70 children aged two and three, were built five years ago as temporary structures with all-metal walls and ceilings, an uncomfortable environment during high temperatures and in rainy weather. After renovation, the kindergarten will be equipped with brand new facilities, including hygiene amenities and a storeroom. The kindergarten is located in Cam My district, approximately 120 km from Ho Chi Minh City.

A total of approximately $43,000 (VND1 billion), in both money and materials to renovate the school, was donated by BASF and customers in Vietnam and Thailand.

The co-sponsors from Vietnam include Sam Chem Sphere, a distributor of industrial chemicals, industrial lubricants, fleet lubricants, and waterproofing materials, MKVN Chemicals, a company active in distributing care chemicals as well as nutrition, health and other functional products, and Eason Urai Paint, a subsidiary of Eason Group in Thailand, which manufactures and distributes motorcycle coatings and other industrial paints.

The project is also supported by donors from Thailand, including The Sun Chemical, a personal care solution provider, importer and logistics service provider of a broad chemicals portfolio of cosmetics and toiletries, pharmaceuticals, detergent, household, industrial, and institutional products, rubber, textile, and foodstuff. Unique Coating Chemicals is a distributor of performance additives, polymer dispersions, and pigments for coatings and printing inks, and resins for coatings.

Another donor, VITA, is an affiliated company of VIV Group, distributing a comprehensive range of ingredients and providing solutions for nutrition and health in the animal feed, food, and pharmaceutical industries. BAKA is an importer and distributor of pesticides, while Sahaikaset Agrochemicals is an importer, exporter, and distributor of chemicals, fertilisers, and agricultural products.

BASF also donated BASF’s Master Builders Solutions waterproofing products to help rainproof the building. The roof panels were donated by Phuong Nam Insulation, a supplier of high-quality insulation roof panels, to keep the school free from heat and noise issues. Nippon Paint Vietnam also sponsored low odour products made with BASF ingredients that reduce impact on human health. The new facility will offer children better learning facilities as well as improved hygiene and safety conditions.

Tanachart Ralsiripong, managing director of BASF Vietnam, said, “BASF continuously supports the local community through a variety of programmes with a focus on providing quality education. These include school renovation projects like this one, and BASF Kids’ Lab, which provides safe, interactive chemistry experiments to inspire children’s interest in science. We are pleased to support this initiative to provide a healthy learning environment for children, ensuring that they have better access to education. The completion of the project next year will mark 25 years of creating chemistry in Vietnam. This demonstrates our strong commitment to this important market.”

Petrus Ng, managing director of BASF Thailand, added, “At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We aim to make our customers more successful with our innovative chemistry solutions, and to support the communities where we do business. I am proud to see our long-standing customers in both Vietnam and Thailand joining hands in this important effort.”

Dong Nai is one of Vietnam’s manufacturing hubs, with a diverse number of industrial parks. Nevertheless, many areas are still left behind due to the lack of investment in remote locations, impacting both economic and education development. In Song Ray commune, 5 per cent of the population is classified as poor, with an average income of less than VND700,000 per person ($30) each month, while the remaining population earns no more than VND4 million (around $200) each month.

BASF Vietnam has been active in multiple community projects. In partnership with Saigon Children’s Charity, BASF has renovated three schools in Tra Vinh and Hau Giang province, offering enhanced facilities and improved hygiene and safety conditions for about 350 students in this region. In addition, BASF has offered scholarships to nearly 20 disadvantaged university students for their four years of study. The company recently worked with the world’s leading paint manufacturer, Nippon Paint, to offer paint sponsorship that redecorated over 7,500 square meters of school area in the Mekong Delta, benefiting almost 1,000 children.

Since 2011, BASF has brought its global interactive education programme BASF Kids’ Lab to Vietnam on an annual basis in partnership with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training. A total of approximately 4,000 primary school children have participated to learn about the fascinating world of chemistry and improving the quality of life and conserving natural resources.