Da Nang residents now have access to free condoms after a group of electronics students built a public vending machine which dispenses the contraceptives free of charge.
The six Duy Tan University students have created four machines to distribute free condoms, reports Thanh Nien. Each device can be plugged into a stationery power source but is also capable of running on its own battery.
So far, the project, which began in October, has been a success. According to Tuoi Tre, the group's first machine was installed outside Hai Chau District's Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union building on December 21 and has since seen roughly 20 users a day, typically between the hours of midnight and 5am.
On the machine's exterior, a small display screen shows how many condoms remain and bears a small cash slot for donations to help keep the program running. In addition to contraceptives, the machine also dispenses messages encouraging safe sex but will warn those who try to take too many condoms at once.
When it's empty, the machine alerts its owners, who take turns checking the device, via text message. At the moment, local healthcare centers supply free condoms for the machines, however team members are still seeking additional funding to ensure their device's prolonged use as well as opportunities to install the remaining machines elsewhere around town.
Programs such as these are especially useful in Vietnam, a country in which sex before marriage is taboo. While traditional attitudes still prevail in many parts of Vietnam, it's clear that the Duy Tan University students have identified a necessary service: the group has distributed over 200 condoms since last week.
[Photo via 24Gio]
