Adding color to SOS Children’s Villages in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

AkzoNobel’s global partnership with SOS Children’s Villages is a central part of Let’s Colour, and it drives impact through education and living spaces renewal. At the end of 2020, Vietnam officially joined this colorful partnership. Together, they organized a Let’s Colour event at the SOS Children’s Villages Go Vap Kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City.

A fresh coat for the Go Vap Kindergarten

Over the past 30 years, SOS Children’s Villages Go Vap Kindergarten has taught nearly 600 children from SOS and thousands more. With so many feet running up and down the halls for decades, the campus’ facilities were starting to look a little worn.

However, every generation of children deserves access to quality education in an environment that inspires them. Therefore, it was a perfect time to put paint into action.

On November 24^th, about 40 AkzoNobel employees, 5 SOS volunteers, and 15 young people gathered to refresh both the interior and exterior walls of the kindergarten. To create a joyful learning atmosphere, they have used 6,000 liters of high-end Dulux paint products.

Creating happier and safer learning environments

There is evidence that well-designed schools affect the behavior, motivation, and performance of children. That is why we gave this special kindergarten a vivid makeover in consultation with our color experts.

Inspired by the academic color research done in collaboration with the University of Sussex, we planned a transformation that goes far beyond the walls.

For the kindergarten renovation, we used soft muted cool colors to create a comfortable, attractive, uplifting, and calm space. Also, simple playful designs and fresh accent colors provided a moderate amount of stimulation, necessary for active learning.

Unzipping the potential through teamwork

Our employees also put on a workshop for the children making use of the Let’s Colour Education Kit. By experimenting between themselves, they learned more about the power of color and its use.

The children’s excitement and happiness during the workshop made the entire experience more joyful for everyone involved. By the end of these practical crafting lessons, they opened their eyes to the dynamic and limitless world of color.

Looking forward to a more colorful future

The result is a colorful and stimulating environment for children and people of all ages in the community who frequently use the space. Moreover, those that learn here are growing up into bright futures, stable jobs, and fulfilling lives. That is exactly the part of our “People. Planet. Paint.” approach to sustainability in action.

We’re already looking forward to more projects in Vietnam in 2021. Soon, we’ll be adding color to the SOS Children’s Villages Da Nang school and facilities in Hai Phong, Hue, and Gia Lai.

Find out more at Dulux Vietnam.