- KOTO
KOTO is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program based in
Hanoi ,Vietnam . Its staff consists primarily of formerstreet children who have receivedtraining incatering through KOTO itself or other similar charities.The organisation was started in 1996 by an Australian of Vietnamese origin Jimmy Pham. He asked street children what they needed to make a start in life and their answer was "we need skills so we can find stable jobs". KOTO is now a 120-seat restaurant, and an organisation teaching life skills as well as
culinary ones.The name of the organisation comes from the phrase "Know One, Teach One", part of a quote by its founder:
"The greatest accomplishment for the person who has helped you, is to see you stand on your own two feet and then in turn help someone else that reminds you of yourself, because if you Know One, then you should Teach One." [http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/vietnam/hanoi/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154654637174 NY Times Travel Guide] ]
By 2008 KOTO had become one of the biggest and known restaurants in Hanoi and all over the world [ [http://travelhappy.info/vietnam/koto-restaurant-reopens-in-hanoi/ Koto Restaurant Reopens In Hanoi] ] [http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/vietnam/hanoi/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154654637174 NY Times Travel Guide] ] . Its operation was featured in a BBC documentary film [ [http://www.profitablehospitality.com/public/375.cfm KOTO - training Hanoi street kids in restaurant skills] ] .
Street children and disadvantaged youths within the KOTO program study
hospitality skills, theEnglish language , and essential life skills. The practical skills are gained at the KOTO restaurant [http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/03/08/forward.pham/index.html CNN News, Jimmy Pham: Know One, Teach One] ] .After such education many of the young staff are invited to work in top hotels and restaurants in Hanoi [ [http://www.streetvoices.com.au/koto_hanoi.asp Street Voices Organization] ] .
References
External links
* [http://www.streetvoices.com.au/ Street Voices - the KOTO home page] This article is related to the
List of non-governmental organizations in Vietnam .
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