For Amway Vietnam, sustainable development is simply a business opportunity rather than a social obligation, says Huynh Thien Trieu, country manager of the direct-selling company better known for nutrition and beauty products. The company, which first set its foothold in Vietnam in 2008, has over the years sought to support the community as a way to ensure sustainable development, and in this endeavor, the company has paid special attention to caring for young children.
Improving nutrition for children
A special highlight in Amway Vietnam’s community programs is its strong support to Vietnam to address the problem of malnutrition among children.
In any developing country, malnutrition among children has always been a big social issue. For Vietnam, great efforts have been made to reduce malnutrition, and positive results have been achieved, though many challenges are still ahead.
The Ministry of Health at an international conference in Hanoi in April 2021 announced that the malnutrition rate among children aged under five was 19.6%, which was an impressive result, as the country had earlier set the target of lowering the malnutrition rate for this age group to 19.9% by 2025.
However, while children in urban areas enjoy better healthcare and have a lower malnutrition rate, children in poverty-stricken localities suffer a steep rate of malnutrition. A survey conducted by the National Nutrition Institute in 2020 put the malnutrition rate among children aged under five in remote, mountainous areas at 38%, or even at 42% in certain localities.
Like many pioneers in corporate social responsibility (CSR), Amway Vietnam has joined forces with State agencies and local authorities in improving nutrition for children, especially those in upland, poverty-stricken areas.
The company has since 2015 implemented its Nutrilite Power of 5 program designed to improve nutritional conditions for children in their first five years. In fact, this is a program initiated by Amway Vietnam’s parent company stateside that has so far been introduced in 15 countries.
Under this program, Amway Vietnam has provided over one million boxes of Nutrilite Little Bits, which is a micronutrient powder to be added to children’s food, benefiting over 92,000 children in six provinces across the country, including Bac Giang, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa.
Packed with the purest, richest nutrients from plants grown on Amway’s farms and partner farms, Nutrilite nourishes every part of one’s daily nutrition intake to help people, especially children, to develop properly.
To execute this program, Amway Vietnam has collaborated with the National Institute of Nutrition, the Division of Maternal and Child Health under the Ministry of Health, and other local organizations.
The company also places emphasis on communications on children’s nutrition, disseminating knowledge and information on nutrition for pregnant women and mothers of children aged under five. In this activity, Amway Vietnam has sought to enhance capacity and professional skills for healthcare personnel in the program’s localities.
Amway Vietnam has also called on the participation of consumers in this program, deducting VND10,000 from each product of Nutrilite All Plant Protein Powder, Nutrilite Salmon Omega – 3 and Nutrilite Double X sold to contribute to the fund of the Nutrilite Power of 5 program.
Other community programs
Apart from the nutrition supplement program targeting children, Amway Vietnam has also attended to many other community activities. For the company, CSR is not limited to donations in kind or in cash, but must comprise various factors that constitute a responsible corporate culture.
Within the first ten years of operations in Vietnam, Amway Vietnam has launched meaningful activities to support the community, one of which being the donations of essential products for 17 SOS Vietnam Villages that was launched in September 2017. With the participation of partners, the company supplied products for 3,000 children at these SOS villages within one year with a total cost of VND350 million.
Since 2020, Amway Vietnam has also joined blood drives, rallying its employees and partners to donate 1,000 blood units to help ease the blood shortage in the country.
When the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the country, Amway Vietnam donated over VND1 billion worth of essential items, including healthcare product Nutrilite Bio C plus, sterilizing soap G&H Protect+ and hand sanitizer L.O.C among others to help frontliners better protect themselves.
Country Manager Huynh Thien Trieu said the company’s wholehearted commitment to the community has gained widespread recognition, not only among authorities but also by consumers.
“We have so far launched more than 30 community programs across the country in collaboration with local authorities to help improve the living quality of the people,” he said, adding Amway Vietnam has been rewarded for such a spirit.
The company has been awarded certificates of merit by the Ministry of Health for contributing to community healthcare, and honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry among sustainable businesses in Vietnam. More importantly, confidence by consumers in its products has bolstered its sales, making Vietnam one of the top ten markets worldwide for Amway after 15 years.
“The Top Ten Market position is a sweet fruit for Amway Vietnam after 15 years of persistent efforts by the company and partners,” said Trieu, adding Amway Vietnam will make greater efforts to put Vietnam among the Top Five markets worldwide for Amway.
“We aim to leverage Amway Vietnam to a higher position comparable to Amway Thailand, which generates revenue of US$600 million a year in the neighboring country,” he said.
