KOTO
Know One, Teach One
Empowering at-risk and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam through its holistic hospitality training program.
THE-ICE Sponsorship
THE-ICE is proud to contribute to a number of social enterprises in tourism, hospitality and events that support disadvantaged youth in developing countries.Since 2011, THE-ICE has committed to sponsoring young individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in Vietnam, to complete KOTO’s 24-month hospitality traineeship program. This traineeship equips young Vietnamese adults (16 – 22 years old) with hospitality training, English language and life skills, as well as providing food, healthcare and accommodation in a family environment where they feel safe, happy, and cared for.
Meet Our Recent Graduate!
Meet Vuong Than Tra, our KOTO Class 40 graduate. Earlier this year Tra completed her KOTO program, supported by the sponsorship of THE-ICE and celebrated her success at the KOTO Graduation and 25th Anniversary showcase.
How you can help
Buy a Spoon – Build a Dream School
Based around the belief that “it takes a village to raise a child”, KOTO hopes to serve as the ‘village’ in the successful stories of ‘raising’ disadvantaged youth. By working hand-in-hand with KOTO THE-ICE and its’ members become a part of this ‘village’ too, helping our sponsored students to make a better future for themselves.
Not all were born with ‘a silver spoon in their mouth’ as the saying goes, but they can become equipped with KOTO’s wooden spoon. KOTO uses these spoons to symbolise how they work to help close the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged youth, providing them with the skills to have stable jobs and become leaders in their fields.
You can choose from KOTO’s 3 Spoon donations below:
- Caring spoon: $50
- Sharing spoon: $200
- Empowering spoon: $500
Donations are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers on the Give Now platform, and for UK and US taxpayers on the Global Giving platform. You will receive a thank you letter and the KOTO newsletter to see what your donation goes towards. The spoon you donated will be displayed on the appreciation walls on the first floor of KOTO Van Mieu restaurant. To find out more about this initiative you can visit this link.
“It takes a village to raise a child”
Sponsor a Trainee
Sponsors, including THE-ICE, help provide vital funds for the KOTO Trainee Sponsorship Program. Combined with the revenues from KOTO’s social enterprises, KOTO Van Mieu and catering, the sponsorship funds enable 250 young persons each year to achieve their hospitality dreams.
KOTO’s Trainee Sponsorship Program offers 3 sponsorship categories – Dream Maker Individual Trainee Sponsorship, Dream Maker Class Sponsorship (24 months) and Dream Maker Her Turn Class Sponsorship (6 months). New Class Sponsorship opportunities have been created to increase and spread the power of mentorship, raise levels of engagement between trainees and sponsors, and to widen our pool of sponsors. To learn more about this program you can visit this link.
About KOTO
KOTO is a not-for-profit social enterprise that empowers at-risk and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam, through its holistic hospitality training program. KOTO’s mantra “Know One, Teach One”, reflects the belief that if you’re in a position where you can help someone less fortunate than yourself, then you should help them.
In Hanoi alone, it is estimated that there are some 19,000 young people living on the streets. With multi-locations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, KOTO utilises their 200-trainee capacity training centres to support youths and teach hospitality (either Front of House or Commercial Cookery), English language, and life skills, such as personal hygiene and money management.
Born in Ho Chi Minh City and raised in Australia from when he was two years old, Jimmy Pham returned to Vietnam in 1996 aged 23. Shocked by the number of young homeless people, a chance meeting with four street kids changed everything for Jimmy. Jimmy’s determination to support these disadvantaged youths resulted in KOTO being established in 2000 and its continued growth since.
Every six months, KOTO recruits up to 30 young people from the streets, between the ages of 16-22. The new trainees are recruited following recommendations from a wide network of sources, including individuals, local orphanages or other organisations dealing with poverty, trafficking, physical abuse, alcoholism and other addictions.
Vocational training is the key to a sustainable future for street kids and disadvantaged youth throughout the world. It is a model based on not only providing youth with training and jobs, but also by providing them with valuable life skills to ensure they can contribute to their community. To read more about KOTO’s history, mission and values visit their website at this link.