Having operated in Vietnam for over two decades, Unilever and its brands have created many sustainable values, especially in boosting the environmental protection and raising local residents’ living standards.
Assisting women, children
On August 3, the P/S brand of Unilever Vietnam and the Vietnam Odonto-Stomatolo Association (VOSA) announced their cooperation to extend the “Protecting Vietnamese Smile” program to 2027. The program is aimed at improving the oral health and reducing the number of sufferers from oral diseases in Vietnam by 10% in the 2022-2027 period.
According to the VOSA’s survey on Vietnam’s oral health conducted in 1999, 60-80% of children had baby tooth decay. The World Health Organization also listed tooth decay as the third biggest health problem of humankind, following cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The effective protection of teeth will help ease the financial burden on families and the society.
In the following years, P/S will keep accompanying the VOSA to develop the habit of brushing teeth properly every morning and evening to prevent oral diseases for 22.6 million people, including 2.6 million primary and preschool pupils.
Moreover, the two sides will join hands to offer free oral examination and consultancy for 100,000 children and old people, and provide oral care opportunities to 10 million people via the hotline 1800 7004 and the Internet.
P/S has cooperated with the VOSA to educate primary and preschool pupils nationwide about the oral health since 1998. In 1998, the program was officially launched with the participation of more than 40 physicians, dentists and propagandists and more than 20 mobile dental vehicles operating in schools across the country.
Other brands of the consumer goods giant have also contributed greatly to the community.
On the occasion of the action month for children and the Vietnamese Family Day, Unilever’s Wall’s, OMO and Lifebuoy brands on June 28 held the “Sowing seeds of love and happiness” campaign in association with the Vietnam Association for Protection of Child’s Rights and psychological experts to foster parents’ awareness of bringing up their children with love and understanding.
Through the campaign, parents can further understand their roles in improving children’s mental health and how to bring their children up properly.
UNICEF informed at a recent seminar on students’ mental health held by the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Education that up to three million Vietnamese children are in need of mental healthcare services. Pressure from their families is the top reason for children’s trauma.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, 14% of children aged between 10 and 19 suffer from mental disorders. In addition, a survey on sustainable development goal indicators for children and women in Vietnam in 2020-2021 showed that six out of every 10 children were subject to psychological punishments.
In addition to the “Sowing seeds of love and happiness” campaign, Unilever Vietnam has also donated over 6,000 gift sets worth VND600 million to underprivileged children nationwide.
Besides programs to support children, Unilever has carried out activities to give a helping hand to women.
Despite the pandemic over the past two years, over 100 business ideas of women were funded and some 45,600 women were trained within the “Vietnamese women confidently do business” program, jointly held by Unilever’s Sunlight brand and the Vietnam Women’s Union.
Through training courses on home-based business models, many women nurturing startup dreams were provided with necessary business knowledge. In addition, they could enhance their confidence and contribute to promoting gender equality.
The program has opened up opportunities for Vietnamese women to prove their competency, and improve their incomes and their families’ living quality.
During the 16 years of the cooperation between Unilever Vietnam and the Vietnam Women’s Union, the living quality of more than 3.5 million women have been improved thanks to programs on hygiene, healthcare, garbage reduction, environmental protection and livelihood.
Additionally, more than 50,000 women have borrowed loans from the microfinance fund raised by Unilever and managed by the Vietnam Women’s Union. This is a strategic and sustainable program aimed at raising the living quality of women nationwide.
Supporting the community during pandemic
Improving the public health is one of the key pillars of Unilever’s sustainable development strategy. Hence, since Covid-19 broke out in 2020, Unilever has pioneered in accompanying the Government to support frontline medical workers, Covid-19 patients and vulnerable people. It has also provided long-term health protection measures to Vietnamese people.
To date, Unilever Vietnam’s activities with a total donation of over VND135 billion have benefited millions of people.
Within the framework of the “Stay strong Vietnam” campaign in 2020, Unilever joined forces with the Ministries of Health and Education and Training and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to present more than 1.5 million Lifebuoy, Omo, Vim, Cif, Sunlight, Clear, Knorr and P/S products to 3,000 schools, 110 hospitals and quarantine centers, and 500 central and provincial hospitals.
Furthermore, 113 free handwashing stations were installed at wharves, coach stations, wet markets and parks under the sponsorship of Unilever.
In May last year, the company coordinated with the Ministry of Health to give nearly 470,000 products to central medical units, centers for disease control, hospitals and quarantine facilities in 28 cities and provinces nationwide.
When the pandemic broke out in HCMC in July 2021, Unilever presented over 120,000 products to 15,000 workers placed under quarantine in industrial parks and over 5,000 medical workers at 19 frontline hospitals.
In the next two months, Unilever sent 65,000 products worth nearly VND2 billion to 10,000 medical workers through the municipal Department of Health, and over 9,700 products valued at VND460 million through the anti-pandemic steering committees of districts 7 and Cu Chi.
Do Thai Vuong, vice chairman for sustainable business and communications at Unilever Vietnam, said accompanying the Government to protect and improve the health of Vietnamese people is one of Unilever’s three sustainable development commitments in the 2021-2030 period.
“During the challenging pandemic, enterprises’ support contributed to improving the public health, fighting the pandemic and inspiring and calling other individuals and organizations to join hands to create a stronger impact, obtain positive achievements in the anti-pandemic fight and return to a new normal life,” Vuong added.
