KOTO - Know One, Teach One

In October 2014, my wife Anne and I travelled to Vietnam to attend the Lonsdale Conference. While in Ho Chi Minh City, we had the pleasure of dining at the Presidential Palace. It was there we met Jimmy Pham, a Vietnamese-Australian who runs a unique and inspiring not-for-profit social enterprise to help street kids in Vietnam. It’s called KOTO, an abbreviation of their philosophy, which is ‘Know One, Teach One’.

KOTO started over ten years ago when Jimmy returned to Vietnam for the first time, after growing up in Australia. On that trip he met four street kids who were living in appalling conditions. He asked these kids what they wanted out of life. They told him they wanted skills so they could find stable work. So Jimmy opened a small sandwich shop in Hanoi to provide them with much-needed jobs and a chance at a brighter future. Today, the KOTO Foundation provides disadvantaged youth with a two-year training program in hospitality. The training equips them with excellent professional capacities, teaches them English and gives them opportunities to work in some of the best hotels and restaurants. Indeed many graduates of KOTO have found employment in prestigious hotels and restaurants, such as Sofitel Plaza Hanoi, the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon.

KOTO has trained more than 700 kids so far and every six months they recruit up to 30 more from the streets. The training can be hard but the trainees’ journey is an amazing one: they experience a transformation from abandoned, neglected, insecure young individuals with low self-esteem to empowered, knowledgeable and optimistic young men and women.

“The children are our siblings, and KOTO is a family, not just a vocational school “ says Jimmy, “We see trainees grow from timid, shy teenagers into young adults who are not only sought-after hospitality professionals, but also well-rounded, responsible community minded citizens ready to embrace the challenges that lie ahead.”

My wife Anne and I knew immediately we wanted to become involved. We felt so inspired by Jimmy and the incredible work KOTO was doing. And it was aligned perfectly with Wynyard Park's philosophy - to maximise opportunity as well as minimise suffering. When we returned home, we set about sponsoring a KOTO trainee. Her name is Quynh (Nguyen Thi Quynh). Quynh describes herself as ‘not very confident but friendly’ and we are thrilled to become her sponsor. We look forward to her graduation in November 2015.