KOTO

who we are

Know One, Teach One

KOTO (standing for Know One, Teach One) is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street children and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. Established in the late 1990s by a Vietnamese Australian, Mr. Jimmy Pham, KOTO started as a small sandwich shop run by nine former street kids.

Since then, it has grown to become a popular restaurant and an internationally accredited hospitality program. We believe in the right of every young person to live their lives with skills, dignity and pride, and empower young people in the program with the necessary life skills to make the right decisions, encourage confidence and to invest positively in themselves and their community.

what we do

Every six months we recruit 25 to 30 trainees aged between 16 and 22 from disadvantaged backgrounds in our 24-month program. We have run 13 classes with over 300 trainees so far - 10 of which have already graduated.

The internationally recognized Box Hill Institute accredits our curriculum, comprising of Food & Beverage Service or Commercial Cookery. The trainees also receive hospitality-based English language classes, life skills lessons that encompass everything from hygiene to adult reproductive health, and sports activities at the nearby United Nations International School.

Trainees also get the chance to help their own community through KOTO's Winter Appeal which assists local disadvantaged groups through the distribution of clothes, blankets and food.