<rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><channel><title>koto</title><description>koto</description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/blog</link><item><title>Adam Liaw with KOTO on SBS Dateline</title><description><![CDATA[SBS Dateline, with Adam Liaw, explored what it means to be a disadvantaged youth in Vietnam and why an organisation like KOTO is crucial in giving these teens and young adults opportunity and empowerment.<img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/SmHuvKyon9g/mqdefault.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2020/02/26/Adam-Liam-meets-the-kids-cooking-their-way-out-of-poverty</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2020/02/26/Adam-Liam-meets-the-kids-cooking-their-way-out-of-poverty</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 2020 04:26:33 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>SBS Dateline, with Adam Liaw, explored what it means to be a disadvantaged youth in Vietnam and why an organisation like KOTO is crucial in giving these teens and young adults opportunity and empowerment.</div><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SmHuvKyon9g"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why this Australian started a cooking school for street kids in Vietnam</title><description><![CDATA[Sauce: DatelineSeven million people, many of whom are kids, live in poverty in Vietnam. When Jimmy Pham dreamed of helping break the cycle of poverty, he started a cooking school.Jimmy Pham wasn’t a chef, a teacher or a social worker when he started a cooking school for Vietnamese street kids in 1999.The Australian-Vietnamese tour guide from Melbourne had no relevant qualifications and admits he didn’t know what he was doing.He only knew that he wanted to help and even that wasn’t helping.“I was<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_a04dd71e62cf4823bea530bd72d601a7%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_627%2Ch_352/c13e02_a04dd71e62cf4823bea530bd72d601a7%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2020/02/25/Why-this-Australian-started-a-cooking-school-for-street-kids-in-Vietnam</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2020/02/25/Why-this-Australian-started-a-cooking-school-for-street-kids-in-Vietnam</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2020 08:00:32 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_a04dd71e62cf4823bea530bd72d601a7~mv2.jpg"/><div>Sauce: Dateline</div><div>Seven million people, many of whom are kids, live in poverty in Vietnam. When Jimmy Pham dreamed of helping break the cycle of poverty, he started a cooking school.</div><div>Jimmy Pham wasn’t a chef, a teacher or a social worker when he started a cooking school for Vietnamese street kids in 1999.</div><div>The Australian-Vietnamese tour guide from Melbourne had no relevant qualifications and admits he didn’t know what he was doing.</div><div>He only knew that he wanted to help and even that wasn’t helping.</div><div>“I was living the philosophy of give a man a fish today,” Pham says.</div><div>“If I'd see a street kid I'd help them by giving them money. I wasn't helping at all. So, I went on a new chapter of my life to show them how to fish.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_38ed7db4d1664504af879f5d085cde6d~mv2.jpg"/><div>When Jimmy Pham began KOTO he admits he didn't know what he was doing.</div><div>Sauce: Dateline</div><div>Pham started ‘Know One, Teach One,’ a hospitality training centre in Hanoi giving disadvantaged youth a chance to break the cycle of poverty.</div><div>Twenty years later, KOTO is an internationally recognised hospitality boarding school with alumni working in Vietnam’s best hotels and restaurants.</div><div>In the early days the students came from Hanoi’s streets. Today, they’re from Vietnam’s minority ethnic groups, orphans, gangs and victims of abuse and broken families.</div><div>New recruit Duong’s story is typical.</div><div>&quot;My parents both passed away at a very young age.</div><div>“My dad got gastric disease… My mum got a brain tumour.</div><div>“[My] family is poor. I can’t afford to study, or even to live, so I decided to apply to KOTO,” she said.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ac0b4d0069c440b89e261847c3c7dd0~mv2.jpg"/><div>18-year-old Duang says KOTO has given her an opportunity for a better life.</div><div>Sauce: Dateline</div><div>The 18-year-old is from Ha Tinh, the same province as many of the 39 people who were found dead in a refrigerated lorry in the UK last year.</div><div>They left Vietnam in search of work; Duong was close to following in their footsteps.</div><div>“If I didn’t have the chance to study cooking at this school, the opportunities for me to find a job in this country are very limited. I’d have to go overseas to get a job,” she said.</div><div>The World Bank estimates that 7 million Vietnamese live in poverty. Many are children and most of them live rurally.</div><div>Despite rapid urbanisation and phenomenal economic growth, around 40 percent of Vietnam's population work in agriculture.</div><div>The communist government, however, has steered away from a centrally-planned farming model to a market economy where sectors like tourism are booming.</div><div>It’s here that Jimmy Pham sees job opportunities for his students.</div><div>Just don't call KOTO a charity</div><div>“It's a hand up, not hand out,” says Pham, “people have to be empowered.”</div><div>Over 700 students have gone through KOTO’s doors in 20 years but for Pham, it’s about more than skills. It’s about creating an environment where young people are encouraged and valued.</div><div> “I remember all my kids’ names,” he said,</div><div>“If I tell you who sponsored us 7 years ago I won't remember their names but if you ask about my kids I'll be able to tell you who was in the class 20 years ago.</div><div> “I gave them a family.”</div><div>Nguồn: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/why-this-australian-started-a-cooking-school-for-street-kids-in-vietnam</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO on Hanoi TV</title><description><![CDATA[Thank you Hanoi TV for sharing our story. Meet Do and Mo from Class 34 who are currently halfway through their 24-month program at KOTO. "The first meal I had at KOTO was my first meal ever with meat. It was the most delicious meal I have had. While eating, I was thinking about my parents. They would be working in the fields, having no rice for a proper meal. Instead, they have to eat corn. Sometimes they don't even have corn... My dream is to work in a bar or as a front of house staff in an<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_83960a4ce7ee418192dd22bc15276fbb%7Emv2.png"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2020/02/13/KOTO-on-Hanoi-TV</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2020/02/13/KOTO-on-Hanoi-TV</guid><pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2020 16:58:26 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_83960a4ce7ee418192dd22bc15276fbb~mv2.png"/><div>Thank you Hanoi TV for sharing our story. Meet Do and Mo from Class 34 who are currently halfway through their 24-month program at KOTO. </div><div>&quot;The first meal I had at KOTO was my first meal ever with meat. It was the most delicious meal I have had. While eating, I was thinking about my parents. They would be working in the fields, having no rice for a proper meal. Instead, they have to eat corn. Sometimes they don't even have corn... My dream is to work in a bar or as a front of house staff in an upmarket restaurant.&quot; </div><div> Hờ A Dơ - KOTO trainee class 34. </div><div>&quot;My father died when I was young. My mum couldn't cover our costs so I went to SOS. At 18, I had to move out. SOS suggested I apply to KOTO because I didn't have the money to go to university. I was lucky to be accepted at KOTO. I want to be a chef in a big hotel&quot; </div><div>Đỗ Thị Mơ - KOTO trainee class 34</div><div>&quot;The reason why I came back to KOTO is I appreciate and am thankful to KOTO Founder, Mr Jimmy Pham. He's like a father, a big brother in a family, who gives us a lot of love. He gives us opportunity to change our lives&quot;. </div><div>Ms Phan Thu Thao - KOTO restaurant supervisor</div><div><a href="http://hanoitv.vn/koto---mot-mo-hinh-thien-nguyen-can-duoc-nhan-rong-v132013.html?fbclid=IwAR0KD5WC1n9UMnqtv4_PlRvEcl8phNFlY7x2liBG9ftjZCVerSy70kwgP2c">http://hanoitv.vn/koto---mot-mo-hinh-thien-nguyen-can-duoc-nhan-rong-v132013.html?</a></div><div>Nguồn: http://hanoitv.vn</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>VNExpress - Nhà hàng 'truyền cảm hứng nhất Việt Nam'</title><description><![CDATA[HÀ NỘI KOTO được CNN vinh danh là nhà hàng truyền cảm hứng nhất Việt Nam, nơi tạo cho người trẻ gặp khó khăn cơ hội nghề nghiệp trong ngành dịch vụ.Xem video tại đâyTrân thành cảm ơn VNExpress.net thực hiện bài viết này!]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/12/11/VNExpress---Nh%C3%A0-h%C3%A0ng-truy%E1%BB%81n-c%E1%BA%A3m-h%E1%BB%A9ng-nh%E1%BA%A5t-Vi%E1%BB%87t-Nam</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/12/11/VNExpress---Nh%C3%A0-h%C3%A0ng-truy%E1%BB%81n-c%E1%BA%A3m-h%E1%BB%A9ng-nh%E1%BA%A5t-Vi%E1%BB%87t-Nam</guid><pubDate>Wed, 11 Dec 2019 12:39:36 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>HÀ NỘI KOTO được CNN vinh danh là nhà hàng truyền cảm hứng nhất Việt Nam, nơi tạo cho người trẻ gặp khó khăn cơ hội nghề nghiệp trong ngành dịch vụ.</div><div>Xem video <a href="https://vnexpress.net/du-lich/nha-hang-truyen-cam-hung-nhat-viet-nam-4024645.html?fbclid=IwAR1fRqCdHaRvvt_hkqCZoWSxgNThg5nGpc2guvrGFkVb0o8ZIti45WUmw0I">tại đây</a></div><div>Trân thành cảm ơn VNExpress.net thực hiện bài viết này!</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dan Tri newspaper features KOTO</title><description><![CDATA["KOTO không chỉ nổi tiếng là một nhà hàng từng đón tiếp các nhân vật quan trọng, mà đây còn là một doanh nghiệp xã hội với hướng đi nhân văn và vì cộng đồng trong hàng chục năm qua", trích Diễn đàn Dân trí Việt Nam. https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nha-hang-viet-tung-don-cuu-tong-thong-my-bill-clinton-len-bao-nuoc-ngoai-20191107165852495.htm<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_89c0def12f544d52b782d9be68163cab%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/10/Dan-Tri-newspaper-features-KOTO</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/10/Dan-Tri-newspaper-features-KOTO</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Nov 2019 12:43:26 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_89c0def12f544d52b782d9be68163cab~mv2.jpg"/><div>&quot;KOTO không chỉ nổi tiếng là một nhà hàng từng đón tiếp các nhân vật quan trọng, mà đây còn là một doanh nghiệp xã hội với hướng đi nhân văn và vì cộng đồng trong hàng chục năm qua&quot;, trích Diễn đàn Dân trí Việt Nam. </div><div><a href="https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nha-hang-viet-tung-don-cuu-tong-thong-my-bill-clinton-len-bao-nuoc-ngoai-20191107165852495.htm">https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nha-hang-viet-tung-don-cuu-tong-thong-my-bill-clinton-len-bao-nuoc-ngoai-20191107165852495.htm</a></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO profiled on CNN</title><description><![CDATA[Thank you CNN for profiling KOTO on Iconic Hanoi this week! Listen to the story of one of our current trainees, Uyen, as she articulates her dreams and the story of our accomplished General Manager, Thao Nguyen. Uyen's radiant smile hides much hurt. In her twenty years of life, Uyen has shown remarkable resilience. In primary school, Uyen's family had to flee from her very violent and abusive father. Her mother recently passed away from breast cancer. Uyen discontinued her university education,<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_d689e957549d4c70b8a62e3c9389bc67%7Emv2_d_2048_1367_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/10/KOTO-profiled-on-CNN</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/10/KOTO-profiled-on-CNN</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Nov 2019 12:37:18 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_d689e957549d4c70b8a62e3c9389bc67~mv2_d_2048_1367_s_2.jpg"/><div>Thank you CNN for profiling KOTO on Iconic Hanoi this week! Listen to the story of one of our current trainees, Uyen, as she articulates her dreams and the story of our accomplished General Manager, Thao Nguyen. </div><div>Uyen's radiant smile hides much hurt. In her twenty years of life, Uyen has shown remarkable resilience. In primary school, Uyen's family had to flee from her very violent and abusive father. Her mother recently passed away from breast cancer. Uyen discontinued her university education, working tremendous hours across multiple jobs to try to cover her mother's medical bills. Fortunately she found KOTO. &quot;I was stunned when I first came to KOTO as I have never seen so many smiles before. From teachers to students, everyone is radiant as well as cheerful. People are so close and treat each other like family.&quot; Uyen is incredibly hard-working and has proven to be very talented and committed to her studies at KOTO. We are so proud of her achievements to date. Uyen has started the final six months of her studies at KOTO and is hoping to complete her internship at a five star hotel on Phu Quoc Island. Continue to reach for the stars, Uyen!</div><div>Link: <a href="https://app.frame.io/presentations/ea983d7b-2d1c-4104-8626-ea94828a9865?fbclid=IwAR27AgZOtR9M2I4dUm02NOtDrETBEKHBSCUnzJqFYxzTeXTiMOHs_s_V-aw">https://app.frame.io/presentations/ea983d7b-2d1c-4104-8626-ea94828a9865?fbclid=IwAR27AgZOtR9M2I4dUm02NOtDrETBEKHBSCUnzJqFYxzTeXTiMOHs_s_V-aw</a></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Stonehouse Foundation sponsor two Box Hill chef apprentices to spend a month at KOTO</title><description><![CDATA[Through the generosity of the Wesley Stonehouse Foundation scholarship, Tanya and Aaron spent a month at the KOTO restaurant and training centre exchanging knowledge and skills with our trainees and staff. The scholarship is provided by the Stonehouse family in loving memory of their son Wesley. Each year two Box Hill culinary arts students are selected to participate in this cultural and educational exchange. Aaron and Tanya both commented "the restaurant chefs and the tenacity of the trainees<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4a079fd65fb64774913150c3546915b9%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_352/c13e02_4a079fd65fb64774913150c3546915b9%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/08/Stonehouse-Foundation-sponsor-two-Box-Hill-chef-apprentices-to-spend-a-month-at-KOTO</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/08/Stonehouse-Foundation-sponsor-two-Box-Hill-chef-apprentices-to-spend-a-month-at-KOTO</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2019 03:09:55 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4a079fd65fb64774913150c3546915b9~mv2.jpg"/><div>Through the generosity of the Wesley Stonehouse Foundation scholarship, Tanya and Aaron spent a month at the KOTO restaurant and training centre exchanging knowledge and skills with our trainees and staff. The scholarship is provided by the Stonehouse family in loving memory of their son Wesley. Each year two Box Hill culinary arts students are selected to participate in this cultural and educational exchange. Aaron and Tanya both commented &quot;the restaurant chefs and the tenacity of the trainees is so impressive. We are so grateful to the Stonehouse Foundation for this amazing experience. We will miss the simplicity and sophistication of Vietnamese food and the smiling trainees and staff.&quot;</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_5744b70c7bcb4d889b95a5a654be9932~mv2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Governor of Victoria visits KOTO</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO was delighted to welcome the Governor of Victoria, HE The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, and Mr Anthony Howard AM QC to lunch and share the mission and philosophy of KOTO as well as the strong links between KOTO and the State of Victoria thanks to the recognition of the hospitality program at KOTO by Box Hill Institute. Two trainees from Class 32, Linh and Loc shared their personal experiences about their studies at KOTO, their immediate plans when they graduate at the end of October and their<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e9c7675ce8ce455ab42cfe8c4a9638c4%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/08/Governor-of-Victoria-visits-KOTO</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/08/Governor-of-Victoria-visits-KOTO</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2019 03:06:35 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e9c7675ce8ce455ab42cfe8c4a9638c4~mv2.jpg"/><div>KOTO was delighted to welcome the Governor of Victoria, HE The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, and Mr Anthony Howard AM QC to lunch and share the mission and philosophy of KOTO as well as the strong links between KOTO and the State of Victoria thanks to the recognition of the hospitality program at KOTO by Box Hill Institute. Two trainees from Class 32, Linh and Loc shared their personal experiences about their studies at KOTO, their immediate plans when they graduate at the end of October and their career aspirations with the Governor, Mr Howard and the delegation.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Jimmy Pham gives the keynote speech at the inaugural Australia Vietnam Skills Conference</title><description><![CDATA[Did you know the Box Hill Institute – KOTO partnership was the first Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) partnership in Vietnam? The Australian Skills Week in Vietnam is designed to raise the status of VET as an aspirational career pathway. Speaking to an audience of 200 Vietnamese government leaders, institutions and industry, Mr Jimmy Pham highlighted the benefits of the KOTO-Box Hill Institute-community-industry partnership and the benefits of these relationships to KOTO, Box<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c811e49d92e54fafb80717e521a75be0%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_417/c13e02_c811e49d92e54fafb80717e521a75be0%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/06/Jimmy-Pham-gives-the-keynote-speech-at-the-inaugural-Australia-Vietnam-Skills-Conference</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/11/06/Jimmy-Pham-gives-the-keynote-speech-at-the-inaugural-Australia-Vietnam-Skills-Conference</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Nov 2019 14:07:10 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c811e49d92e54fafb80717e521a75be0~mv2.jpg"/><div>Did you know the Box Hill Institute – KOTO partnership was the first Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) partnership in Vietnam? The Australian Skills Week in Vietnam is designed to raise the status of VET as an aspirational career pathway. Speaking to an audience of 200 Vietnamese government leaders, institutions and industry, Mr Jimmy Pham highlighted the benefits of the KOTO-Box Hill Institute-community-industry partnership and the benefits of these relationships to KOTO, Box Hill Institute, the industry and our trainees. </div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Standing On Their Own Two Feet</title><description><![CDATA[Charity doesn’t always begin at home, and it can sometimes be a hand up over a hand out. Shira Sebban explains.In March 2017, I began receiving calls from a Vietnamese number at odd hours, often in the middle of the night. Over the next four months, they continued, although I never managed to answer in time.The fact they were from Vietnam was not surprising: I had been striving to help several struggling Vietnamese refugee and failed asylum seeker families since mid-2016. None of them, however,<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e924e58167234f669b57c807a5e0223e%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_387/c13e02_e924e58167234f669b57c807a5e0223e%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/09/26/Standing-On-Their-Own-Two-Feet</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/09/26/Standing-On-Their-Own-Two-Feet</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2019 12:53:03 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Charity doesn’t always begin at home, and it can sometimes be a hand up over a hand out. Shira Sebban explains.</div><div>In March 2017, I began receiving calls from a Vietnamese number at odd hours, often in the middle of the night. Over the next four months, they continued, although I never managed to answer in time.</div><div>The fact they were from Vietnam was not surprising: I had been striving to help several struggling Vietnamese refugee and failed asylum seeker families since mid-2016. None of them, however, had ever tried to ring me. Unable to speak each other’s language, we tended to rely on interpreters or text messages pasted into Google Translate.</div><div>Eventually I managed to work out that my caller was a courageous 13-year-old called Quynh whose hard-working mother was oblivious to his attempts to reach me, while his father was suffering from a disability and no longer able to work. Such tenaciousness in someone so young was impressive: He was determined to seek help to alleviate his family’s plight.</div><div>Saddled with debts, the family had not been able to afford to keep Quynh and his older brother Quyen at school post Grade 3. Weighed down with responsibilities way beyond their years, both boys were expected to contribute to the household, which also includes their grandfather.</div><div>Now without the main breadwinner, they were really in trouble. Their mother works 12-14 hours a day, mostly washing dishes. Meantime, Quynh would walk the streets selling lottery tickets, while at 15, Quyen had become the man of the house, the only one who could do heavy work, including physically carrying his grandfather.</div><div>His wage – about $4 a day earned working in a café – was the only stable income on which his family could depend.</div><div>To ease their burden, along with that of others in similar straits, I had set up a crowdfund, Help Care for the Children, which would go on to raise $15,000.</div><div>Although managing to send their mother some money most months, her younger son serving as a constant reminder, we were still keen to find a more sustainable way to help the family long-term. The situation was rapidly becoming untenable, with Quynh having begun to message or call each month, borrowing a friend’s phone to beg for money, which, if no donations had been forthcoming, I would try to provide from my own pocket.</div><div>At the same time, his determination remained inspiring: We could not contemplate abandoning his family.</div><div>Ever since a friend had introduced me to KOTO (Know One, Teach One), the first registered non-profit social enterprise in Vietnam, I had been hoping the older brother Quyen might be an eligible candidate for the hospitality training it provides for at-risk and disadvantaged youth. But our attempts to reach KOTO founder and executive chairman, Jimmy Pham AM, had initially failed.</div><div>Jimmy had fled Vietnam as a child with his family, coming to Australia where he had later trained in tourism management. A chance meeting with street children during a work trip to Vietnam as a tour operator had led to his eventual establishment of KOTO in 2000.</div><div>Beginning with a small sandwich stall in Hanoi, the organisation had evolved to empower about 1,000 marginalised youth through vocational training, English language, interpersonal and life skills and stable employment as hospitality professionals. Armed with an Australian industry certificate, graduates go on to work in leadership roles in leading hotels and restaurants across Vietnam and overseas, some starting their own businesses.</div><div>As Jimmy has said, “To be successful means giving back. KOTO instils in the kids the idea of participatory community and asks in return that each of the KOTO trainees does the same. It really is asking ourselves, do we give someone a fish or do we teach them how to fish?”</div><div>In other words, we should assist those in need to stand on their own two feet, which would ultimately become the name of our subsequent crowd fund campaign in August 2018.</div><div>Some 12 months earlier, however, it was hard to see how we would ever reach that point. Our initial phone call to the family was met with a swift, albeit respectful, knockback. “He will have to leave home to study, and although the course is free, he won’t get a salary. He needs to be at home to look after the family and they need his income to survive.”</div><div>But we refused to give up: Why not try to raise enough funds to cover Quyen’s café wages? Predictably, securing the family’s agreement would prove a formidable challenge. Their father needed medical treatment and was still unable to work, and so understandably, his wife remained reluctant to let their older son leave home.</div><div>Nevertheless, by mid-2018, they had finally agreed to apply to KOTO, which recruits about 40 candidates, aged 16-22, every six months. Quynh too was keen to abandon selling lottery tickets in favour of carpentry training, and although we would have preferred him to return to school, we eventually agreed to include him in the fund-raising campaign.</div><div>Ultimately, donations exceeded our expectations, reaching over $12,000 in four weeks, notably thanks to the generosity of several members of the Australian Vietnamese community.</div><div>Their mother relayed her gratitude via our translator: “She and her family feel deeply indebted… She never dreamt her two children would have the opportunity to learn and have a proper career.”</div><div>At KOTO’s invitation and with our support, she accompanied Quyen to its Ho Chi Minh City office in September 2018 so he could sit basic literacy and mathematics tests. The organisation also visited the family’s home, checking his background and speaking with neighbours.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e924e58167234f669b57c807a5e0223e~mv2.jpg"/><div>Quyen at KOTO for the first time, September 2018. (IMAGE: Supplied)</div><div>Having been told to return two weeks later for a final test and interview, we remained optimistic he would pass – even though only one in seven applicants gets through – and began making preparations for what we thought would be his imminent flight to Hanoi to embark on a month’s trial period, as per KOTO’s rigorous trainee recruitment process.</div><div>Little did we know how far we still were from a happy ending. Although not normally involved in the recruitment process, Jimmy kindly informed me of the outcome: Quyen had failed the interview round. Aged just 16, he was not mature enough as yet to leave his family.</div><div>“I love my mother so much,” Quyen wrote to me after I met him, together with his brother, mother and Jimmy at KOTO Saigon training restaurant during a brief visit in November 2018. “I have seen her becoming miserable, sacrificing so much for the family. I want to help her but I don’t know how.”</div><div>Nevertheless, KOTO was prepared to give him a second chance in six months’ time, so long as he agreed to undergo another interview in which he could demonstrate “commitment, perseverance and self-discipline”.</div><div>By May 2019, we had good news: After considerable mentoring, Quyen had been able to develop the required motivation to succeed. As the teenager embarked on the flight to Hanoi, Jimmy also asked me for “commitment that you won’t send him money for the two years no matter how tough it gets here so I can slowly move him away from this dependency he seems to have on you or any foreigner… Congratulations – you will see a very different empowered young man at the end.”</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_78ffb58811454afc88fbf8bd17f442f2~mv2.jpg"/><div> Quyen leaving for KOTO, May 2019. (IMAGE: Supplied)</div><div>A few months into the course, Quyen is doing well. As he tells his friends, he is “learning how to listen” as well as how to cook. He occasionally messages me in his gradually improving English: “Thank you and the other benefactors for helping my family. I will try my best … Love you.”</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_428b934309294882a9d95cd4d6772402~mv2.jpg"/><div> In the KOTO training kitchen; Quyen is on the right. (IMAGE: Supplied)</div><div>Jimmy wrote too, sending a photo: “He is settled and happy. Thought you should know.”</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_6b93b0259840410796920d72cb48ee91~mv2.jpg"/><div> On holidays with KOTO (Quyen is third from left). (IMAGE: Supplied)</div><div>Time will tell if Quyen will realise his true potential, but I am already planning to attend his graduation ceremony in 2021.</div><div>After all, as Jimmy has said, “When you give someone love and empowerment, the future is limitless.”</div><div>Source: New Matilda</div><div>https://newmatilda.com/2019/09/23/standing-on-their-own-two-feet/</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO trainees - Hieu and Ngoc from K33 win the inaugural ICB culinary competition!</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO trainees - Hieu and Ngoc from K33 win the inaugural ICB culinary competition! On 6 September, five Hanoi-based hospitality colleges competed in the three-stage event. The first two stages focused on techniques and skills in the kitchen with the final stage requiring the competitors to produce a dish using all three mystery ingredients - beef, nutmeg and BBQ sauce. Hieu and Ngoc from Class 33, demonstrated the skills and techniques that KOTO trainees and graduates are renowned for. The<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ee8851969274614b98d8237c47050c8%7Emv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_417/c13e02_7ee8851969274614b98d8237c47050c8%7Emv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/09/20/KOTO-trainees---Hieu-and-Ngoc-from-K33-win-the-inaugural-ICB-culinary-competition</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/09/20/KOTO-trainees---Hieu-and-Ngoc-from-K33-win-the-inaugural-ICB-culinary-competition</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2019 07:17:12 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ee8851969274614b98d8237c47050c8~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>KOTO trainees - Hieu and Ngoc from K33 win the inaugural ICB culinary competition! </div><div>On 6 September, five Hanoi-based hospitality colleges competed in the three-stage event. The first two stages focused on techniques and skills in the kitchen with the final stage requiring the competitors to produce a dish using all three mystery ingredients - beef, nutmeg and BBQ sauce. Hieu and Ngoc from Class 33, demonstrated the skills and techniques that KOTO trainees and graduates are renowned for. The judges were impressed with the very high skill level shown by all the competitors. These competitions are so important for our trainees to demonstrate their abilities, particularly under pressure. Thanks so much to Annam Group, Kiwi foods, CitySmart Hotel and SH for sponsoring the event. Well done Hieu and Ngoc!</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hành trình của những giấc mơ</title><description><![CDATA[Những mẩu chuyện về doanh nghiệp xã hội đầu tiên của Việt Nam Thời điểm năm 2004, ở một vùng quê của vùng Đồng bằng sông Hồng phía Bắc Hà Nội, có một cậu bé nghèo mô côi cả cha lẫn mẹ đã bước những bước đầu tiên trên hành trình chinh phục những giấc mơ....<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_5ed1cf291d1d476cbb5b256db2100c2b%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/09/06/H%C3%A0nh-tr%C3%ACnh-c%E1%BB%A7a-nh%E1%BB%AFng-gi%E1%BA%A5c-m%C6%A1</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/09/06/H%C3%A0nh-tr%C3%ACnh-c%E1%BB%A7a-nh%E1%BB%AFng-gi%E1%BA%A5c-m%C6%A1</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2019 08:00:04 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Những mẩu chuyện về doanh nghiệp xã hội đầu tiên của Việt Nam</div><div> Thời điểm năm 2004, ở một vùng quê của vùng Đồng bằng sông Hồng phía Bắc Hà Nội, có một cậu bé nghèo mô côi cả cha lẫn mẹ đã bước những bước đầu tiên trên hành trình chinh phục những giấc mơ....</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_5ed1cf291d1d476cbb5b256db2100c2b~mv2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>[KOTO Đang Tuyển Sinh Khóa 36] - HỌC NGHỀ ĐỂ TRỞ THÀNH NHÂN VIÊN NHÀ HÀNG, KHÁCH SẠN CHUYÊN NGHIỆP - HOÀN TOÀN MIỄN PHÍ!</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO chính thức thông báo tuyển sinh khóa mới bắt đầu từ tháng 11/2019. Hãy cùng tìm hiểu thông tin, chia sẻ và tag bạn bè, người thân mà bạn biết để lan tỏa thông tin về chương trình đào tạo nghề tại KOTO bạn nhé! --------------- ✔️ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐÀO TẠO 24 THÁNG TẠI KOTO BAO GỒM: - Kỹ năng nghề (Bàn – Bar/Bếp) - Tiếng Anh - Kỹ năng sống - Kỹ năng tin học cơ bản Ngoài chương trình đào tạo MIỄN PHÍ, học viên sẽ được: - Nhận Chứng chỉ nghề của Úc - Hỗ trợ sinh hoạt và chỗ ở trong 2 năm - Hoạt động<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_501e4a658a7f46cf8c90db0f0099449a%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/27/KOTO-%C4%90ang-Tuy%E1%BB%83n-Sinh-Kh%C3%B3a-36---H%E1%BB%8CC-NGH%E1%BB%80-%C4%90%E1%BB%82-TR%E1%BB%9E-TH%C3%80NH-NH%C3%82N-VI%C3%8AN-NH%C3%80-H%C3%80NG-KH%C3%81CH-S%E1%BA%A0N-CHUY%C3%8AN-NGHI%E1%BB%86P---HO%C3%80N-TO%C3%80N-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/27/KOTO-%C4%90ang-Tuy%E1%BB%83n-Sinh-Kh%C3%B3a-36---H%E1%BB%8CC-NGH%E1%BB%80-%C4%90%E1%BB%82-TR%E1%BB%9E-TH%C3%80NH-NH%C3%82N-VI%C3%8AN-NH%C3%80-H%C3%80NG-KH%C3%81CH-S%E1%BA%A0N-CHUY%C3%8AN-NGHI%E1%BB%86P---HO%C3%80N-TO%C3%80N-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2019 02:42:47 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_501e4a658a7f46cf8c90db0f0099449a~mv2.jpg"/><div>KOTO chính thức thông báo tuyển sinh khóa mới bắt đầu từ tháng 11/2019. Hãy cùng tìm hiểu thông tin, chia sẻ và tag bạn bè, người thân mà bạn biết để lan tỏa thông tin về chương trình đào tạo nghề tại KOTO bạn nhé! ---------------✔️ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐÀO TẠO 24 THÁNG TẠI KOTO BAO GỒM:<div>- Kỹ năng nghề (Bàn – Bar/Bếp) - Tiếng Anh - Kỹ năng sống - Kỹ năng tin học cơ bản Ngoài chương trình đào tạo MIỄN PHÍ, học viên sẽ được: - Nhận Chứng chỉ nghề của Úc - Hỗ trợ sinh hoạt và chỗ ở trong 2 năm - Hoạt động ngoại khóa (thể thao, dã ngoại, hoạt động cộng đồng) - Hỗ trợ tìm việc sau khi tốt nghiệp - Chăm sóc sức khỏe - Sống trong môi trường yêu thương, gắn bó như một gia đình</div>✔️ HỒ SƠ DỰ TUYỂN:<div>1. Sơ yếu lý lịch (có xác nhận của UBND phường/xã) 2. Bản sao công chứng CMND 3. Bản sao công chứng Giấy khai sinh 4. Bản sao công chứng Hộ khẩu 5. 04 ảnh 4x6 (chụp trong vòng 3 tháng) 6. Đơn trình bày hoàn cảnh gia đình 7. Giấy chứng nhận sức khỏe 8. Hình ảnh/bản sao giấy tờ liên quan đến người thân, gia đình bao gồm (nếu có): xác nhận hộ nghèo, tình trạng sức khỏe người thân,…vv.<div>Khai giảng: Tháng 5 và tháng 11 hàng năm Tuyển sinh: Tháng 3 và tháng 8 (nhận hồ sơ quanh năm)</div></div>✔️ HỒ SƠ GỬI VỀ: <div>- Hà Nội: TTDN Nhân đạo KOTO (024 3718 4573) 11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên, Gia Lâm.</div>✔️ CÁC BƯỚC ỨNG TUYỂN:<div>1. Đăng kí thông tin cá nhân tại đường link online để được tư vấn. 2. Làm 1 bộ hồ sơ giấy gửi ngay về cho KOTO theo hướng dẫn phía trên. 3. Tham gia Ngày hội Tuyển sinh để tìm hiểu thông tin về KOTO, làm bài thi và biết rõ về chương trình học. Luôn giữ điện thoại liên hệ được để bộ phận tuyển sinh của KOTO thông báo các bước tiếp theo. Để đăng kí Ngày Hội Tuyển Sinh của KOTO năm 2019, mời các bạn truy cập link sau:https://goo.gl/forms/7lvGfqKsbfE7MAZE3 MỌI CHI TIẾT VỀ TUYỂN SINH XIN LIÊN HỆ (trước 22h hàng ngày):</div></div><div>(097 651 1236) (chị Thúy) - email: tas.recruitment@koto.com.au</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Australian MasterChef shares his cooking philosophy</title><description><![CDATA[Adam Liaw works as a cook, writer and TV presenter in Sydney. He took part in the Taste of Australia 2019 programme in Hà Nội on June 1-3, where he gave a cooking demonstration to some restaurants in Hà Nội and to KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a social enterprise which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds forge a better future. He spoke with Việt Nam News about his cooking philosophy, Australia’s diverse culinary landscape and how to get the best out of Australian produce Adam Liaw in]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/12/Australian-MasterChef-shares-his-cooking-philosophy</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/12/Australian-MasterChef-shares-his-cooking-philosophy</guid><pubDate>Sat, 24 Aug 2019 12:00:24 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Adam Liaw works as a cook, writer and TV presenter in Sydney. He took part in the Taste of Australia 2019 programme in Hà Nội on June 1-3, where he gave a cooking demonstration to some restaurants in Hà Nội and to KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a social enterprise which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds forge a better future. He spoke with Việt Nam News about his cooking philosophy, Australia’s diverse culinary landscape and how to get the best out of Australian produce</div><div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_d34a46e5150a4980a88945ebb32c78f3~mv2.jpg"/></div><div>Adam Liaw in a cooking demonstration at the Taste of Australia event early this month. VNS Photo Đỗ Hữu</div><div>Adam Liaw works as a cook, writer and TV presenter in Sydney. He took part in the Taste of Australia 2019 programme in Hà Nội on June 1-3, where he gave a cooking demonstration to some restaurants in Hà Nội and to KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a social enterprise which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds forge a better future. He spoke with Việt Nam News about his cooking philosophy, Australia’s diverse culinary landscape and how to get the best out of Australian produce</div><div>Inner Sanctum: What’s your inspiration to cook?</div><div>I think the passion for cooking starts from the passion for eating. You like a dish and inquisitively want to make the food by yourself. You love the food and you love creating, so you nurture the love for cooking.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: How has your life changed since you won MasterChef in 2010?</div><div>It's changed a lot. It’s been nearly 10 years since then. Now I'm married and have children. Before I worked as a lawyer but now I have totally taken on the career of a chef.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: In your opinion, what are the elements to make a successful chef?</div><div>To be a good cook, I think you have to be confident. If you are confident and you know what you are going to cook, you can make a good dish from simple ingredients. If a chef is not confident, he or she can make a lot of mistakes.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: If you had the chance to give advice to young people who want to be chefs, what would you say?</div><div>You have to enjoy it. While your friends are having fun outside, you have to work in a kitchen which is hot and has no window. If you don’t enjoy cooking, creating and serving, you can’t do this.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_dd03511803e841e89a0b89e54dd6f5a8~mv2.jpg"/><div>Adam Liaw demonstrates how to make Australian staples in Hà Nội. VNS Photo Đỗ Hữu</div><div>Inner Sanctum: What is your favourite food to cook?</div><div>Maybe it’s chicken rice in the Hainan style. I know that you have a similar version in Việt Nam. My family originated from Hainan, China. I like this dish firstly because my grandmother often cooked it for me when I was young. It’s a very simple dish, just chicken breast and rice.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: Have you ever created a dish using typical ingredients of Việt Nam?</div><div>Yes, it’s easy to find Vietnamese ingredients in Australia. Fresh herbs, fish sauce and chilli are very popular in Australia. We love Vietnamese food. We can buy all of the ingredients for Vietnamese food at supermarkets across the country. One of the Vietnamese dishes I love to cook is fried chicken. In one of my cookbooks, I mention the recipe of this dish which includes chilli, fish sauce and coriander.</div><div>Bún chả (grilled pork served with fresh rice noodles and fish sauce) is another one of my favourites. It’s simple. I often cook it at home. The other one is spring rolls. The way to make them is quite similar to techniques I learned from Chinese cuisine.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: What’s your cooking philosophy?</div><div>Simple. Everything should be simple. There is no connection between cooking something good and making it in a different way. So the most important thing is to keep your ingredients simple to make it taste good.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: You have conducted cooking shows in various countries. How do you think about Vietnamese cuisine and its differences from others?</div><div>Vietnamese cuisine is amazing. It’s always in the top five cuisines Australian people love. Every Australian knows phở and know how to pronounce that word. We can easily find good shops for phở in Sydney and Melbourne.</div><div>One of the key elements for me is the balance of flavours in Vietnamese cuisine.</div><div>We can taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. The good thing about Vietnamese food is that you understand the balance of these flavours. In Australia, we understand this balance through enjoying Vietnamese food.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: What do you think about the significant role of national gastronomy?</div><div>Cuisine is the most important thing for a country because it combines everything from the geography, history, culture and people to the economy, how much people can afford for a meal and how much time people spend to cook and eat food. There is no border between cuisines. Language is not a barrier. You don’t need to know Vietnamese to enjoy Vietnamese food. You don’t need to know English to enjoy Australian food.</div><div>Food illustrates lifestyle and culture. Obviously, the food people make has to fit their lifestyle. In a country where people are busy, they don’t have time to cook something sophisticated for dinner. In a country where people are not wealthy, you can’t find precious ingredients. But the point is how people live their lives. In a rich or poor country, you still find good food. At luxurious restaurants or small shops, you can find the specific dishes of a country.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: How can a nation introduce its image to the world through cuisine?</div><div>I guess the reason why I am here is to explain Australian cuisine. The best way I can do that is to cook the dishes that people in my country love to eat, not create something fancy that is not suitable for the local people’s lifestyle. I choose to cook ordinary dishes for Australian people, not the ones you find at luxurious restaurants. It expresses Australian cuisine through simple dishes that ordinary Australian people cook at home.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: What did you know about Vietnamese food before visiting the country?</div><div>To be honest, I know a lot, though this is my first time to Việt Nam. Australia has a strong connection with Việt Nam. As I told you before, Vietnamese cuisine is very popular in Australia. I think Vietnamese food in my country is quite authentic because it’s cooked by Vietnamese people.</div><div>One of the strengths of Vietnamese cuisine is the way that people adopt different cuisines from China, Japan, France and America. There is a similarity in Australian cuisine. We also have influences from Chinese, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian cuisines.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: To promote culture through cuisine, what should Vietnamese people do?</div><div>Just focus on what Vietnamese people love to eat. Don’t change your cuisine to suit somebody else. I came here to introduce Australian gastronomy through the favourite foods of Australian people, not something foreigners expect to eat when they come to Australia. The best thing you can do is introduce your authentic food.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: What is the biggest similarity between Vietnamese and Australian cuisines?</div><div>We have diversified culture and fusion gastronomy. Both of the cuisines adopted foreign factors. Vietnamese people have incorporated foreign elements into their age-old cuisine and made them their own. For example, when people eat bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette), they know it’s an authentic food of Việt Nam, not something from France.</div><div>Inner Sanctum: Have you ever tried to mix and match Vietnamese and Australian cuisines?</div><div>Yes, of course. But fusion should be done in a natural way. When I hosted a cooking show in Hà Nội and instructed people to cook salmon and macadamia tartar sauce, I added a little fish sauce to the dish. This Mediterranean originated dish is very popular in Australia. Vietnamese fish sauce improved the taste of the dish a lot.</div><div>I often create 600-700 recipes a year, so I always look for new things. But I never mix and match two different things without care. VNS</div><div>Nguồn: https://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/521299/australian-masterchef-shares-his-cooking-philosophy.html#Y4sMP7xib7WzJzuO.97</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gần 150 trẻ em khó khăn, cơ nhỡ được cấp chứng chỉ nghề của Úc mỗi năm</title><description><![CDATA[VietTimes -- Gần 1.000 trẻ lang thang cơ nhỡ, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn đã được học nghề tại KOTO trong suốt 20 năm qua và nay đã trở thành nhân viên, quản lý tại nhà hàng khách sạn đẳng cấp quốc tế. KOTO trở thành nơi chắp cánh cho những ước mơ còn dang dở của trẻ em lang thang, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn với mong muốn tìm được nghề và công việc phù hợp.Ông Jimmy Phạm - Nhà sáng lập KOTO.KOTO được viết tắt từ cụm Know One Teach One” (biết một dạy một), ông Jimmy Phạm, nhà sáng lập KOTO cho biết. Trước<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_3394e8b006894ab4b6c70449a654e444%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_418/c13e02_3394e8b006894ab4b6c70449a654e444%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/12/G%E1%BA%A7n-150-tr%E1%BA%BB-em-kh%C3%B3-kh%C4%83n-c%C6%A1-nh%E1%BB%A1-%C4%91%C6%B0%E1%BB%A3c-c%E1%BA%A5p-ch%E1%BB%A9ng-ch%E1%BB%89-ngh%E1%BB%81-c%E1%BB%A7a-%C3%9Ac-m%E1%BB%97i-n%C4%83m</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/12/G%E1%BA%A7n-150-tr%E1%BA%BB-em-kh%C3%B3-kh%C4%83n-c%C6%A1-nh%E1%BB%A1-%C4%91%C6%B0%E1%BB%A3c-c%E1%BA%A5p-ch%E1%BB%A9ng-ch%E1%BB%89-ngh%E1%BB%81-c%E1%BB%A7a-%C3%9Ac-m%E1%BB%97i-n%C4%83m</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:51:51 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>VietTimes -- Gần 1.000 trẻ lang thang cơ nhỡ, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn đã được học nghề tại KOTO trong suốt 20 năm qua và nay đã trở thành nhân viên, quản lý tại nhà hàng khách sạn đẳng cấp quốc tế. KOTO trở thành nơi chắp cánh cho những ước mơ còn dang dở của trẻ em lang thang, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn với mong muốn tìm được nghề và công việc phù hợp.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_3394e8b006894ab4b6c70449a654e444~mv2.jpg"/><div>Ông Jimmy Phạm - Nhà sáng lập KOTO.</div><div>KOTO được viết tắt từ cụm Know One Teach One” (biết một dạy một), ông Jimmy Phạm, nhà sáng lập KOTO cho biết. Trước đây, khi còn là hướng dẫn viên du lịch thường đưa du khách Úc thăm quê hương Việt Nam, ông Jimmy có dịp tiếp xúc với những trẻ em cơ nhỡ ở Hà Nội. “Những đứa trẻ ấy nhìn tôi và nói: Chúng em muốn có cái nghề trong tay để có thể kiếm được công việc ổn định” - ông Jimmy hồi tưởng. “Tôi lúc đó chưa biết sẽ làm gì, nhưng tôi biết nhất định mình cần hành động”.</div><div>Từ cuộc nói chuyện đó, ông Jimmy mở cửa hàng bán sandwich gần Văn Miếu (Hà Nội) và tổ chức ‘khóa học KOTO đầu tiên’ với 9 trẻ em đường phố và 2 tình nguyện viên vào năm 1999. Cho đến nay, KOTO đã phát triển thành một doanh nghiệp xã hội và đã phục vụ hơn 1 triệu thực khách từ khắp nơi trên thế giới.</div><div>Với 110 nhân viên - trong đó có 50 nhân viên là cựu học viên KOTO, KOTO hiện đang cung cấp các khóa đào tạo được cấp chứng chỉ nghề quốc tế của Úc cho gần 150 trẻ em cơ nhỡ hoặc có hoàn cảnh khó khăn mỗi năm.</div><div>Ông Jimmy Phạm đã lập ra một danh mục những việc phải làm đầy tham vọng, nhằm đẩy mạnh KOTO trong tương lai. Trong đó, bao gồm cả việc sở hữu một khu đất để xây dựng trường học và khu ký túc xá - và một chương trình đào tạo nâng cao nhằm hỗ trợ các cựu học viên thực hiện ước mơ phát triển sự nghiệp theo mảng nhà hàng khách sạn.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_cf9d72a6c18840b3b36848602cca624c~mv2.jpg"/><div>Nhờ học tại KOTO - 59 Văn Miếu (Hà Nội) rất nhiều bạn trẻ đã trở thành những đầu bếp thực thụ.</div><div>&quot;Chúng tôi có thể tiếp tục duy trì tỷ lệ 100% sinh viên KOTO có việc làm trong vòng 1 năm, 5 năm và thậm chí là 10 năm tới&quot; - ông Jimmy lạc quan và dẫn chứng rằng bản khảo sát năm 2015 cho thấy tất cả các học viên tốt nghiệp từ KOTO đều tìm được việc làm.</div><div>Nổi bật hơn, có hơn 40 cựu học viên hiện đang điều hành công ty riêng và nhiều người trong số đó còn tiếp nhận thực tập viên và tuyển dụng các học viên KOTO. Ngoài ra, nhiều cựu học viên hiện tại đang làm việc ở nhiều quốc gia trên thế giới như Úc, Đức, New Zealand và Singapore. </div><div>“Chúng tôi có thể tiếp tục duy trì tỷ lệ 100% sinh viên KOTO có việc làm trong vòng 1 năm, 5 năm và thậm chí là 10 năm tới”, ông Jimmy lạc quan và dẫn chứng rằng bản khảo sát năm 2015 cho thấy tất cả các học viên tốt nghiệp từ KOTO đều tìm được việc làm. Nổi bật hơn, có hơn 40 cựu học viên hiện đang điều hành công ty riêng, và nhiều người trong số đó còn tiếp nhận thực tập viên và tuyển dụng các học viên KOTO. Ngoài ra, nhiều cựu học viên hiện tại đang làm việc ở nhiều quốc gia trên thế giới như Úc, Đức, New Zealand và Singapore.</div><div>Anh Lê Quốc Triệu - cựu học viên khóa 6 của KOTO, hiện đang làm việc cho chuỗi khách sạn căn hộ dịch vụ nổi tiếng của Úc ở bang Victoria - cho biết, cách đây hơn 10 năm, khi đó anh đã mồ côi cha mẹ, gia nhập KOTO với hy vọng sẽ được học tiếng Anh và xin được việc làm ổn định trong ngành khách sạn. Lúc đầu việc học đối với tôi rất khó, nhất là khi tôi không biết gì về ngành khách sạn. Nhưng đến đây, tôi cảm nhận được tình cảm, sự đoàn kết trong gia đình mới KOTO của tôi.</div><div>“Thông điệp quý giá nhất tôi nhận được khi học ở KOTO: Hãy trang bị cho những bạn kém may mắn các kỹ năng và kiến thức cần thiết để họ không chỉ đứng vững trên đôi chân của mình mà còn có thể giúp đỡ người khác khi cần. Sau này, tôi vẫn cố gắng vận dụng triết lý này bằng cách tổ chức những bữa tối gây quỹ ở Úc cho KOTO, giúp đỡ những cựu học viên, hỗ trợ các sự kiện của KOTO &quot; - anh Triệu chia sẻ thêm.</div><div>Ngày 15/6 tới, KOTO sẽ trao bằng tốt nghiệp cho 86 học viên, đưa tổng số học viên đã tốt nghiệp các khóa đào tạo ngành nhà hàng khách sạn của KOTO lên 986 người. Các em được trao chứng chỉ nghề quốc tế thuộc các lĩnh vực phục vụ và pha chế, chuyên ngành đầu bếp, cùng với các kinh nghiệm làm việc thực tiễn tại nhà hàng đào tạo KOTO cũng như các nhà hàng nổi tiếng Việt Nam.</div><div>Nguồn: https://viettimes.vn/gan-150-tre-em-kho-khan-co-nho-duoc-cap-chung-chi-nghe-cua-uc-moi-nam-356482.html</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO: Chắp cánh ước mơ đào tạo nghề cho 1.000 trẻ nghèo Việt Nam</title><description><![CDATA[Gần 1.000 trẻ lang thang cơ nhỡ, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn được học nghề tại KOTO, nay đã trở thành nhân viên, quản lý tại nhà hàng khách sạn đẳng cấp quốc tế. KOTO thực sự là nơi chắp cánh cho những ước mơ còn dang dở của trẻ em lang thang, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn với mong muốn tìm được nghề và công việc phù hợp.Được sáng lập bởi ông Jimmy Phạm, KOTO được viết tắt từ cụm từ "Know One Teach One" là trung tâm dạy nghề nhân đạo chính thức được công nhận là doanh nghiệp xã hội đầu tiên theo Luật Doanh<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_3394e8b006894ab4b6c70449a654e444%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_418/c13e02_3394e8b006894ab4b6c70449a654e444%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/12/KOTO-Ch%E1%BA%AFp-c%C3%A1nh-%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc-m%C6%A1-%C4%91%C3%A0o-t%E1%BA%A1o-ngh%E1%BB%81-cho-1000-tr%E1%BA%BB-ngh%C3%A8o-Vi%E1%BB%87t-Nam</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/08/12/KOTO-Ch%E1%BA%AFp-c%C3%A1nh-%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc-m%C6%A1-%C4%91%C3%A0o-t%E1%BA%A1o-ngh%E1%BB%81-cho-1000-tr%E1%BA%BB-ngh%C3%A8o-Vi%E1%BB%87t-Nam</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:46:32 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Gần 1.000 trẻ lang thang cơ nhỡ, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn được học nghề tại KOTO, nay đã trở thành nhân viên, quản lý tại nhà hàng khách sạn đẳng cấp quốc tế. KOTO thực sự là nơi chắp cánh cho những ước mơ còn dang dở của trẻ em lang thang, có hoàn cảnh khó khăn với mong muốn tìm được nghề và công việc phù hợp.</div><div>Được sáng lập bởi ông Jimmy Phạm, KOTO được viết tắt từ cụm từ &quot;Know One Teach One&quot; là trung tâm dạy nghề nhân đạo chính thức được công nhận là doanh nghiệp xã hội đầu tiên theo Luật Doanh nghiệp sửa đổi 2014 trong số các doanh nghiệp mà CSIP hỗ trợ và tư vấn pháp lý chuyển đổi và thành lập doanh nghiệp xã hội mới.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_3394e8b006894ab4b6c70449a654e444~mv2.jpg"/><div>Chia sẻ về hành trình trở thành một doanh nghiệp xã hội tại buổi họp báo nhân kỷ niệm 20 năm thành lập của KOTO ngày 6/6, ông Jimmy Phạm cho biết, trước đây, khi còn là hướng dẫn viên du lịch thường đưa du khách Úc thăm quê hương Việt Nam, ông có dịp tiếp xúc với những trẻ em cơ nhỡ ở Hà Nội. &quot;Những đứa trẻ ấy nhìn tôi và nói: Chúng em muốn có cái nghề trong tay để có thể kiếm được công việc ổn định&quot; - ông Jimmy nói.</div><div>Từ cuộc nói chuyện đó, ông Jimmy mở cửa hàng bán sandwich gần Văn Miếu Hà Nội và tổ chức khoá học KOTO đầu tiên với 9 trẻ em đường phố và 2 tình nguyện viên vào năm 1999. Cho đến nay, KOTO đã phát triển thành một doanh nghiệp xã hội và đã phục vụ hơn 1 triệu thực khách từ khắp nơi trên thế giới. Với 110 nhân viên, trong đó có 50 nhân viên là cựu học viên KOTO.</div><div>Ngoài ra, KOTO hiện đang cung cấp các khóa đào tạo được cấp chứng chỉ nghề quổc tế của Úc cho gần 150 trẻ em cơ nhỡ hoặc có hoàn cảnh khó khăn mỗi năm.</div><div>Cùng với tầm nhìn phát triển tương lai, ông Jimmy Phạm đã lập ra một danh mục những việc phải làm đầy tham vọng nhằm đẩy mạnh KOTO trong tương lai. Trong đó, bao gồm cả việc sở hữu một khu đất để xây dựng trường học và khu ký túc xá - và một chương trình đào tạo nâng cao nhằm hỗ trợ các cựu học viên thực hiện ước mơ phát triển sự nghiệp theo mảng nhà hàng khách sạn.</div><div>&quot;Chúng tôi có thể tiếp tục duy trì tỷ lệ 100% sinh viên KOTO có việc làm trong vòng 1 năm, 5 năm và thậm chí là 10 năm tới&quot; - ông Jimmy lạc quan và dẫn chứng rằng bản khảo sát năm 2015 cho thấy tất cả các học viên tốt nghiệp từ KOTO đều tìm được việc làm.</div><div>Nổi bật hơn, có hơn 40 cựu học viên hiện đang điều hành công ty riêng và nhiều người trong số đó còn tiếp nhận thực tập viên và tuyển dụng các học viên KOTO. Ngoài ra, nhiều cựu học viên hiện tại đang làm việc ở nhiều quốc gia trên thế giới như Úc, Đức, New Zealand và Singapore.</div><div>Mặc dù doanh nghiệp xã hội này đã đào tạo gần 1.000 học viên tốt nghiệp, nhưng giá trị đóng góp xã hội thực sự của KOTO và ông Jimmy được nhân lên gấp nhiều lần khi chính lực lượng học viên này lại tiếp bước mô hình đào tạo KOTO. Mỗi học viên tốt nghiệp khi làm việc trong ngành nhà hàng khách sạn và vươn đến những vị trí cao cấp, kinh nghiệm mà họ có được sẽ được chia sẻ và truyền tải đến thế hệ sau. Nhiều bạn trẻ trong số đó đang hỗ trợ về mặt tài chính cho gia đình và cộng đồng của họ.</div><div>Anh Lê Quốc Triệu - cựu học viên khóa 6 của KOTO, hiện đang làm việc cho chuỗi khách sạn căn hộ dịch vụ nổi tiếng của Úc ở bang Victoria - cho biết, cách đây hơn 10 năm, khi đó anh đã mồ côi cha mẹ, gia nhập KOTO với hy vọng sẽ được học tiếng Anh và xin được việc làm ổn định trong ngành khách sạn. Lúc đầu việc học đối với tôi rất khó, nhất là khi tôi không biết gì về ngành khách sạn. Nhưng đến đây, tôi cảm nhận được tình cảm, sự đoàn kết trong gia đình mới KOTO của tôi.</div><div>“Thông điệp quý giá nhất tôi nhận được khi học ở KOTO: Hãy trang bị cho những bạn kém may mắn các kỹ năng và kiến thức cần thiết để họ không chỉ đứng vững trên đôi chân của mình mà còn có thể giúp đỡ người khác khi cần. Sau này, tôi vẫn cố gắng vận dụng triết lý này bằng cách tổ chức những bữa tối gây quỹ ở Úc cho KOTO, giúp đỡ những cựu học viên, hỗ trợ các sự kiện của KOTO &quot; - anh Triệu chia sẻ thêm.</div><div>Trong năm 2019, các nhà tài trợ thân thiết của KOTO sẽ tổ chức nhiều sự kiện kỷ niệm KOTO 20 tuổi, gồm các hội thảo phát triển nghề nghiệp dành cho cựu học viên KOTO do Đại học RMIT Việt Nam tổ chức; hội thảo Công dân Tiêu biểu dành cho cựu học viên và nhân viên được tổ chức bởi Hội đồng Anh; giao hữu bóng đá tổ chức tại trường UNIS Hà Nội; tiệc chiêu đãi tại nhà riêng của Đại sứ Úc và tiệc tối “Chào mừng trở về nhà” dành cho cựu học viên KOTO.</div><div>Nguồn: https://congthuong.vn/koto-chap-canh-uoc-mo-dao-tao-nghe-cho-1000-tre-ngheo-viet-nam-120747.html</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>[KOTO Đang Tuyển Sinh Khóa 35] - HỌC NGHỀ ĐỂ TRỞ THÀNH NHÂN VIÊN NHÀ HÀNG, KHÁCH SẠN CHUYÊN NGHIỆP - HOÀN TOÀN MIỄN PHÍ!</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO chính thức thông báo tuyển sinh khóa mới bắt đầu từ tháng 3/2019. Hãy cùng tìm hiểu thông tin, chia sẻ và tag bạn bè, người thân mà bạn biết để lan tỏa thông tin về chương trình đào tạo nghề tại KOTO bạn nhé!---------------✔️ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐÀO TẠO 24 THÁNG TẠI KOTO BAO GỒM: - Kỹ năng nghề (Bàn – Bar/Bếp) - Tiếng Anh - Kỹ năng sống - Kỹ năng tin học cơ bảnNgoài chương trình đào tạo MIỄN PHÍ, học viên sẽ được: - Nhận Chứng chỉ nghề của Úc - Hỗ trợ sinh hoạt và chỗ ở trong 2 năm - Hoạt động<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_612303592a8a46b294676fc36f088687%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_231/c13e02_612303592a8a46b294676fc36f088687%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/03/05/KOTO-%C4%90ang-Tuy%E1%BB%83n-Sinh-Kh%C3%B3a-35---H%E1%BB%8CC-NGH%E1%BB%80-%C4%90%E1%BB%82-TR%E1%BB%9E-TH%C3%80NH-NH%C3%82N-VI%C3%8AN-NH%C3%80-H%C3%80NG-KH%C3%81CH-S%E1%BA%A0N-CHUY%C3%8AN-NGHI%E1%BB%86P---HO%C3%80N-TO%C3%80N-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2019/03/05/KOTO-%C4%90ang-Tuy%E1%BB%83n-Sinh-Kh%C3%B3a-35---H%E1%BB%8CC-NGH%E1%BB%80-%C4%90%E1%BB%82-TR%E1%BB%9E-TH%C3%80NH-NH%C3%82N-VI%C3%8AN-NH%C3%80-H%C3%80NG-KH%C3%81CH-S%E1%BA%A0N-CHUY%C3%8AN-NGHI%E1%BB%86P---HO%C3%80N-TO%C3%80N-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2019 10:21:53 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_612303592a8a46b294676fc36f088687~mv2.jpg"/><div>KOTO chính thức thông báo tuyển sinh khóa mới bắt đầu từ tháng 3/2019. Hãy cùng tìm hiểu thông tin, chia sẻ và tag bạn bè, người thân mà bạn biết để lan tỏa thông tin về chương trình đào tạo nghề tại KOTO bạn nhé!</div><div>---------------</div><div>✔️ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐÀO TẠO 24 THÁNG TẠI KOTO BAO GỒM: - Kỹ năng nghề (Bàn – Bar/Bếp) - Tiếng Anh - Kỹ năng sống - Kỹ năng tin học cơ bản</div><div>Ngoài chương trình đào tạo MIỄN PHÍ, học viên sẽ được: - Nhận Chứng chỉ nghề của Úc - Hỗ trợ sinh hoạt và chỗ ở trong 2 năm - Hoạt động ngoại khóa (thể thao, dã ngoại, hoạt động cộng đồng) - Hỗ trợ tìm việc sau khi tốt nghiệp - Chăm sóc sức khỏe - Sống trong môi trường yêu thương, gắn bó như một gia đình</div><div>✔️ HỒ SƠ DỰ TUYỂN: 1. Sơ yếu lý lịch (có xác nhận của UBND phường/xã) 2. Bản sao công chứng CMND 3. Bản sao công chứng Giấy khai sinh 4. Bản sao công chứng Hộ khẩu 5. 04 ảnh 4x6 (chụp trong vòng 3 tháng) 6. Đơn trình bày hoàn cảnh gia đình 7. Giấy chứng nhận sức khỏe 8. Hình ảnh/bản sao giấy tờ liên quan đến người thân, gia đình bao gồm (nếu có): xác nhận hộ nghèo, tình trạng sức khỏe người thân,…vv.</div><div>Khai giảng: Tháng 5 và tháng 11 hàng năm Tuyển sinh: Tháng 3 và tháng 8 (nhận hồ sơ quanh năm)</div><div>✔️ HỒ SƠ GỬI VỀ:  - Hà Nội: TTDN Nhân đạo KOTO (024 3718 4573) 11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên, Gia Lâm - TP.HCM: Nhà hàng KOTO (028 3822 9357) 19 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, phường Đa Kao, quận 1</div><div>Để đăng kí Ngày Hội Tuyển Sinh của KOTO năm 2019, mời các bạn truy cập link sau: <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/7lvGfqKsbfE7MAZE3">https://goo.gl/forms/7lvGfqKsbfE7MAZE3</a></div><div>MỌI CHI TIẾT VỀ TUYỂN SINH XIN LIÊN HỆ (trước 22h hàng ngày): (097 651 1236) (chị Thúy), email: tas.recruitment@koto.com.au</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TUYỂN SINH CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐÀO TẠO 6 THÁNG MIỄN PHÍ DÀNH RIÊNG CHO PHỤ NỮ YẾU THẾ</title><description><![CDATA[Học viên Khóa 1 - Chương trình Women's Economic Empowerment 2Đây là Chương trình hỗ trợ nghề ngắn hạn nằm trong dự án “HER TURN” do KOTO kết hợp với Bộ ngoại giao và Thương Mại Úc (DFAT) thực hiện, nhằm mang đến cơ hội được trang bị các kỹ năng nghề và công việc để cải thiện cuộc sống cho các bạn nữ có hoàn cảnh khó khăn, các mẹ đơn thân, các bạn nữ tại vùng dân tộc thiểu số, hay đang sống & làm việc trong môi trường có nguy cơ cao. Đến với chương trình, các bạn sẽ nhận được: Khóa học hoàn toàn<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e4cadbd5084a4d28b33593c4e4eef1c3%7Emv2_d_5472_3072_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/12/20/TUY%E1%BB%82N-SINH-KH%C3%93A-2---CH%C6%AF%C6%A0NG-TR%C3%8CNH-%C4%90%C3%80O-T%E1%BA%A0O-6-TH%C3%81NG-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D-D%C3%80NH-RI%C3%8ANG-CHO-PH%E1%BB%A4-N%E1%BB%AE-Y%E1%BA%BEU-TH%E1%BA%BE-WEE-2</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/12/20/TUY%E1%BB%82N-SINH-KH%C3%93A-2---CH%C6%AF%C6%A0NG-TR%C3%8CNH-%C4%90%C3%80O-T%E1%BA%A0O-6-TH%C3%81NG-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D-D%C3%80NH-RI%C3%8ANG-CHO-PH%E1%BB%A4-N%E1%BB%AE-Y%E1%BA%BEU-TH%E1%BA%BE-WEE-2</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Dec 2018 14:08:33 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e4cadbd5084a4d28b33593c4e4eef1c3~mv2_d_5472_3072_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Học viên Khóa 1 - Chương trình Women's Economic Empowerment 2</div><div>Đây là Chương trình hỗ trợ nghề ngắn hạn nằm trong dự án “HER TURN” do KOTO kết hợp với Bộ ngoại giao và Thương Mại Úc (DFAT) thực hiện, nhằm mang đến cơ hội được trang bị các kỹ năng nghề và công việc để cải thiện cuộc sống cho các bạn nữ có hoàn cảnh khó khăn, các mẹ đơn thân, các bạn nữ tại vùng dân tộc thiểu số, hay đang sống &amp; làm việc trong môi trường có nguy cơ cao. </div><div>Đến với chương trình, các bạn sẽ nhận được:</div><div>Khóa học hoàn toàn miễn phí 6 tháng với một trong bốn chuyên ngành:</div><div>Nấu ăn (món Á)Làm bánhPhục vụPha chế. </div><div>Sau khi tốt nghiệp sẽ được KOTO cấp chứng chỉ hoàn thành khóa học.</div><div> 2. Học tiếng Anh giao tiếp với bốn kĩ năng: nghe, nói, đọc và viết.</div><div> 3. Học các kĩ năng mềm cần thiết cho định hướng nghề.</div><div> 4. Hỗ trợ tâm lý và định hướng xin việc.</div><div> 5. 1,500,000 đồng tiền trợ cấp hàng tháng trong suốt 6 tháng học.</div><div> 6. Cơ hội thực tập tại các nhà hàng khách sạn đối tác của KOTO.</div><div> 7. Hỗ trợ xin việc 100% sau khi tốt nghiệp chương trình.</div><div>Điều kiện ứng tuyển: </div><div>Các bạn nữ từ 18 - 25 tuổi thuộc những nhóm sau:</div><div>Dân tộc thiểu số.Vùng sâu vùng xa, nơi thiếu điều kiện sống.Mẹ đơn thân khó khăn chưa có nghề nghiệp ổn định.Nhóm yếu thế hoặc đang là lao động trong các môi trường bấp bênh, nhiều nguy cơ.</div><div>Hồ sơ gồm có:</div><div>Sơ yếu lý lịchBản sao công chứng CMND, bản sao công chứng hộ khẩu (có xác nhận của UBND phường/xã)Giấy khám sức khỏe + ảnh 3x4 (chụp trong vòng 3 tháng gần đây)Đơn trình bày hoàn cảnh và xin họcCác giấy tờ liên quan chứng minh gia cảnh (có xác thực địa phương)</div><div>Hồ sơ xin gửi về: </div><div>- Địa chỉ nhận hồ sơ với khóa 6 tháng: chỉ duy nhất ở Trung tâm dạy nghề nhân đạo KOTO</div><div>(11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên Gia Lâm, Hà Nội).</div><div>Thông tin chi tiết về chương trình, vui lòng tham khảo </div><div>Hãy đăng ký online với KOTO ngay hôm nay:<a href="https://bit.ly/2ECoigp">TẠI ĐÂY</a></div><div>Hotline liên hệ: Ms Thúy 0976511236 (trước 20h hàng ngày), hoặc số bàn (024) 37184573, số máy lẻ: 122 (trong giờ hành chính)</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Fundraiser 2018 in Hong Kong.</title><description><![CDATA[On August 30th, 2018, an event with a family style banquet will be held at Le Garcon Saigon in Hong Kong to raise funds for the KOTO foundation.This is an initiative of Chef Bao, Head Chef at Le Garcon Saigon and Le Petit Saigon, to raise enough funds to sponsor eight KOTO trainees who are in the program now, and after two years, they will become hospitality professionals ready to embrace their lives. Mr. Jimmy Pham will take two KOTO trainee/alumni to participate in this special fundraiser.At<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e1636b6581c146868166a7627171668a%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/08/03/KOTO-Fundraiser-2018-in-Hong-Kong</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/08/03/KOTO-Fundraiser-2018-in-Hong-Kong</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Nov 2018 07:28:49 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>On August 30th, 2018, an event with a family style banquet will be held at Le Garcon Saigon in Hong Kong to raise funds for the KOTO foundation.This is an initiative of Chef Bao, Head Chef at Le Garcon Saigon and Le Petit Saigon, to raise enough funds to sponsor eight KOTO trainees who are in the program now, and after two years, they will become hospitality professionals ready to embrace their lives. Mr. Jimmy Pham will take two KOTO trainee/alumni to participate in this special fundraiser.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_e1636b6581c146868166a7627171668a~mv2.jpg"/><div>At the event, a short film about KOTO trainees will be shown. There is also a wide range of prizes to be auctioned during the event. </div><div>All donations will be served to sponsor a two-year training program in the hospitality industry.</div><div>To book a ticket, please kindly contact Huong Dang at huongdt.hn@koto.com.au.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO DREAM RIDE 2018</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO is excited to announce that our annual fundraising event – KOTO DREAM RIDE 2018 will run on the 10th of November 2018.Since the very first KOTO Dream Ride took place in 2001 from Hanoi to Tam Dao mountain, this activity has become a traditional event that gathers hundreds of expats and the local community to participate. For Dream Ride 2018, we aim to raise USD30,000 to support the operation of KOTO Foundation.The 55km bike riding route will start at The United Nations International School<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_ae27da5e421247da888dc38c09f55004%7Emv2_d_1795_2528_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/09/20/KOTO-DREAM-RIDE-2018</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/09/20/KOTO-DREAM-RIDE-2018</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Sep 2018 03:00:21 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>KOTO is excited to announce that our annual fundraising event – KOTO DREAM RIDE 2018 will run on the 10th of November 2018.</div><div>Since the very first KOTO Dream Ride took place in 2001 from Hanoi to Tam Dao mountain, this activity has become a traditional event that gathers hundreds of expats and the local community to participate. For Dream Ride 2018, we aim to raise USD30,000 to support the operation of KOTO Foundation.</div><div>The 55km bike riding route will start at The United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS) and pass through many stunning landscapes of Northern Vietnam such as villages, pagodas &amp; green paddy fields providing an adventurous and different taste of fun. Especially this year, the option of riding 25 km is available for any junior and adult rider if it better suits you. The finish line for this route option is at Co Loa Citadel (tea break destination) and a bus will be provided for riders to return to UNIS.</div><div>Dream Ride 2018 is a fantastic occasion for people to support a great cause while enjoying a good time on the weekend. It promises to offer a different experience for all riders, friends and families. Join us to make Dream Ride this year a success while you personally, will create a positive impact to many street kids and disadvantaged youthS in Vietnam through the empowerment of social enterprise.</div><div>Event’s details are as below: KOTO DREAM RIDE 2018 – Ride to Build DREAMS</div><div>Date &amp; Time: 7.00 a.m, Saturday, 10th November 2018</div><div>Start and finish at: United Nations International School of Hanoi – G9 Ciputra, Tay Ho, Hanoi.</div><div>Entry tickets: 1,980,000VND per person ($85).</div><div>Special offers for groups, students and children.</div><div>Group from 5 riders: VND 1,780,000 ($76)Students: VND 1,680,000 ($72)Children under 12 years old: VND 1,400,000 ($60)</div><div>10% off for registrations before 13th October 2018.</div><div>REGISTER <a href="https://bit.ly/2MKzvuL">HERE</a></div><div>Cannot ride on the day? Sponsor KOTO trainees to ride on your behalf: https://www.givenow.com.au/koto</div><div>All proceeds go directly to change the lives of many at risk kids via KOTO program.</div><div>For media, please contact: Ms.Hanh Bui at honghanh.bui@koto.com.au or (+84) 975319654.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_ae27da5e421247da888dc38c09f55004~mv2_d_1795_2528_s_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understandings between QTS &amp; KOTO.</title><description><![CDATA[On August 23rd 2018, a signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between KOTO and Quality Training Solutions (QTS) was held at KOTO Saigon Training Restaurant. The MoU is acknowledged as a first significant step in the collaboration to empower the high-performing KOTO trainees through English by giving them the access to QTS global standardized courses. Photos Credit: QTS.In accordance with this agreement, 30 full QTS English scholarships are offered to 30 brilliant trainees from<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1612eaac2bf4453c8715b6267b893762%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/08/28/Signing-Ceremony-of-Memorandum-of-Understandings-between-QTS-KOTO</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/08/28/Signing-Ceremony-of-Memorandum-of-Understandings-between-QTS-KOTO</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:37:32 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>On August 23rd 2018, a signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between KOTO and Quality Training Solutions (QTS) was held at KOTO Saigon Training Restaurant. The MoU is acknowledged as a first significant step in the collaboration to empower the high-performing KOTO trainees through English by giving them the access to QTS global standardized courses. </div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1612eaac2bf4453c8715b6267b893762~mv2.jpg"/><div>Photos Credit: QTS.</div><div>In accordance with this agreement, 30 full QTS English scholarships are offered to 30 brilliant trainees from KOTO whom highly appreciate English as a tool to develop themselves for a better future. Along with that, 50% scholarship tuition fee is also provided for KOTO Alumni to empower them further in their career path.</div><div> QTS is a not-for-profit Australian Education and Training Organisation, formed by Australian honoured Professors delivering internationally recognized courses. In Vietnam, QTS serves all learners and especially supports the young generation to make a better future with education through their courses and services, which are designed with flexible learning in mind and are tailored to meet the developmental needs of employers and individual students. By allowing students to study when and where they like, technology platform applied enables them to fit study within their busy schedules.</div><div>If you are interested in this flexible learning method and more information on QTS courses, please visit https://www.qts.edu.vn/</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_5ad86a0212e84b1db9b8f55d7697e7c8~mv2.jpg"/><div>Photos Credit: QTS.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Announcement of Her Turn: Women's Economic Empowerment Project.</title><description><![CDATA[In 2016, Department of Foreign Affair and Trade (DFAT) funded a pilot program worth AUD$25,000 as part of their Women’s Economic Empowerment to provide training opportunities for five minority ethnic background girls to study at KOTO. These five girls are from the hill tribes and traveled to Hanoi for the first time to join class 30. They are now in the last stage of their training where they will move out of KOTO house and intern in restaurants/hotels outside of KOTO. They will graduate in<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_86d2f653794447afb21b712f085bc960%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/08/07/Announcement-of-Her-Turn-Womens-Economic-Empowerment-Project</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/08/07/Announcement-of-Her-Turn-Womens-Economic-Empowerment-Project</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2018 06:44:36 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>In 2016, Department of Foreign Affair and Trade (DFAT) funded a pilot program worth AUD$25,000 as part of their Women’s Economic Empowerment to provide training opportunities for five minority ethnic background girls to study at KOTO. These five girls are from the hill tribes and traveled to Hanoi for the first time to join class 30. They are now in the last stage of their training where they will move out of KOTO house and intern in restaurants/hotels outside of KOTO. They will graduate in November 2018. </div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_86d2f653794447afb21b712f085bc960~mv2.jpg"/><div> Five minority ethnic girls from the pilot program </div><div>Following the success of that pilot, the Embassy has provided AUD$250,000 in funding towards a three-year program (called “Her Turn”) to further increase access to KOTO training for rural and ethnic minority women. We are working towards three phases of the projects:</div><div>WEE I: At least 30 women graduating with Australian post-secondary VET accreditation via KOTO 24 month program.</div><div>WEE II: At least 110 women completing vocational education and training in areas where there are skills shortages or market demand via KOTO 6-month training program for women from 18 to 25 years old.</div><div>WEE III: By the end of the project, at least 15% of alumni will own their own enterprises, and at least 30% of these enterprises will utilize the social enterprise model. This phase focuses on the KOTO Future Leader Program.</div><div>This is a matching fund project in which KOTO is working on our fundraising activities to contribute AUD$250,000 towards making this project a success. Her Turn promises to bring a bright future with sustainability, empowerment, and hope for the women of our society. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Australian Government for partnering with KOTO.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_6c2976ed34fb4c45a2263c83b6634510~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO GRADUATION CEREMONY 2018 – “THIS IS ME”</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO Foundation and Social Enterprise is excited to announce that one of our most meaningful events – KOTO GRADUATION CEREMONY 2018 of class 11, 28 & 29 took place on the 11th of June 2018 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, 1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi. Pan Pacific has kindled sponsored us the elegant venue, great food and beverage and also luxurious rooms for our singer Pham Hong Phuoc and speakers. The KOTO Graduation Ceremony is an annual event highlighting a very important milestone in<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ccc96a81c2643cfba3957af2e4cea10%7Emv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/06/20/KOTO-GRADUATION-CEREMONY-2018-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%9CTHIS-IS-ME%E2%80%9D</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/06/20/KOTO-GRADUATION-CEREMONY-2018-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%9CTHIS-IS-ME%E2%80%9D</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jun 2018 03:13:27 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>KOTO Foundation and Social Enterprise is excited to announce that one of our most meaningful events – KOTO GRADUATION CEREMONY 2018 of class 11, 28 &amp; 29 took place on the 11th of June 2018 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, 1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi. Pan Pacific has kindled sponsored us the elegant venue, great food and beverage and also luxurious rooms for our singer Pham Hong Phuoc and speakers. </div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ccc96a81c2643cfba3957af2e4cea10~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>The KOTO Graduation Ceremony is an annual event highlighting a very important milestone in each trainee’s life when completing an intensive 24-month hospitality-training program at KOTO. It marks the beginning of a new journey with promising opportunities and challenges ahead; however, we hold a firm belief that our trainees are well-prepared to overcome any obstacles and prove to themselves that they can succeed. It was also an occasion when KOTO and all graduates can express their deep gratitude to the sponsors and partners who have accompanied them over the past 19 years. Without their substantial support, there would not be a successful KOTO today.</div><div>The theme of the KOTO Graduation Ceremony 2018 conveys a powerful self-affirmation message “This is ME” - “With Confidence, Love, Knowledge, Empowerment and Skills, I am now brave enough to rise on my own”. The ceremony took all of the guests and trainees through an unforgettable night full of emotion, from uplifting speeches by the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam - Mr Craig Chittick, our founder Jimmy Pham, et al., to delightful performances by UNIS students, SINE and well-known artists Le Cat Trong Ly, Pham Hong Phuoc and Trang Trinh. Beyond a night of graduation, it was a recognition and huge encouragement for KOTO graduates to confidently continue their steps in their career path and life.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_6913f1bee8a04ead8fdf553406181b49~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><div> The KOTO trainees were accompanied on the piano by the famous pianist Trang Trinh.</div><div>&quot;It is that time of the year, where we hold our breath for the most anticipated event of the KOTO calendar: The KOTO graduation. This year's theme &quot;This is Me&quot; is about how these individuals went from poverty to security, from low self-esteem to empowerment, from hopelessness to a future of endless possibilities. This fully sponsored graduation ceremony was full of surprises, tears and validations: This is them, our 69 graduates ready to embark on a new journey and a new chapter&quot; - Jimmy Pham, KOTO founder.</div><div> Mr.Jimmy Pham gave a speech in the graduation ceremony.</div><div>“This graduating class of 69 outstanding young Vietnamese men and women enter a hospitality industry that is booming, and is eager for the world class skills that KOTO – and its Australian training partners – deliver.</div><div>The Australian Embassy in Hanoi – and the Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City – have been proud KOTO supporters since day one. I recall from my second visit to Vietnam in 2002 that Australian Embassy functions were exclusively catered by KOTO in its early days. And I certainly recall my first KOTO meal back then after a hot morning at the Temple of Literature. We see those graduating here today as Australian alumni, and you join the more than 60,000 Vietnamese who are, in a sense, part of the “Australian family”, congratulations”. – Craig Chittick, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_f9a0dff5a54247d2b399a16a45046717~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><div> Mr. Craig Chittick gave a speech at the graduation ceremony.</div><div> “After 2 years of study at KOTO, I have totally changed. Before I was very timid and felt low self-esteem, but now I am confident, full of life purposes and ambitions. I believe that other friends of mine at KOTO feel the same way. I have been trained to work front of house, I love my work and my customers every day. From gradually increasing experience, I know how to serve them well and when they are happy, I feel happy. Thanks KOTO for giving me the opportunity to develop and become mature.” – Huong Giang, a Class 29 student, one of 69 graduates this year.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TUYỂN SINH CHƯƠNG TRÌNH ĐÀO TẠO MIỄN PHÍ DÀNH RIÊNG CHO PHỤ NỮ YẾU THẾ| KOTO IS RECRUITING FOR &quot;WEE 2&quot; PROJECT</title><description><![CDATA[Để hỗ trợ tốt hơn cho các bạn nữ có hoàn cảnh khó khăn, mẹ đơn thân cần nghề mưu sinh, các bạn nữ vùng dân tộc, các bạn nữ đang làm việc trong môi trường có nguy cơ cao, KOTO kết hợp với Bộ ngoại giao và Thương Mại Úc (DFAT) tài trợ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH HỖ TRỢ NGHỀ NGẮN HẠN dành cho các bạn.Đây là khóa học ngắn gọn, thiết thực và đảm bảo công việc, thay đổi cuộc sống dành cho các bạn nữ khó khăn. Cụ thể các bạn sẽ nhận được:1. Khóa học hoàn toàn miễn phí 6 tháng với 1 trong 4 chuyên ngành: nấu ăn (đồ<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_8303db5281a8458e8bb98bccc998b1b6%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>KOTO TAS</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/06/11/TUY%E1%BB%82N-SINH-CH%C6%AF%C6%A0NG-TR%C3%8CNH-%C4%90%C3%80O-T%E1%BA%A0O-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D-D%C3%80NH-RI%C3%8ANG-CHO-PH%E1%BB%A4-N%E1%BB%AE-Y%E1%BA%BEU-TH%E1%BA%BE-KOTO-IS-RECRUITING-FOR-WEE-2-PROJECT</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/06/11/TUY%E1%BB%82N-SINH-CH%C6%AF%C6%A0NG-TR%C3%8CNH-%C4%90%C3%80O-T%E1%BA%A0O-MI%E1%BB%84N-PH%C3%8D-D%C3%80NH-RI%C3%8ANG-CHO-PH%E1%BB%A4-N%E1%BB%AE-Y%E1%BA%BEU-TH%E1%BA%BE-KOTO-IS-RECRUITING-FOR-WEE-2-PROJECT</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Jun 2018 03:56:17 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_8303db5281a8458e8bb98bccc998b1b6~mv2.jpg"/><div>Để hỗ trợ tốt hơn cho các bạn nữ có hoàn cảnh khó khăn, mẹ đơn thân cần nghề mưu sinh, các bạn nữ vùng dân tộc, các bạn nữ đang làm việc trong môi trường có nguy cơ cao, KOTO kết hợp với Bộ ngoại giao và Thương Mại Úc (DFAT) tài trợ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH HỖ TRỢ NGHỀ NGẮN HẠN dành cho các bạn.</div><div>Đây là khóa học ngắn gọn, thiết thực và đảm bảo công việc, thay đổi cuộc sống dành cho các bạn nữ khó khăn. </div><div>Cụ thể các bạn sẽ nhận được:</div><div>1. Khóa học hoàn toàn miễn phí 6 tháng với 1 trong 4 chuyên ngành: nấu ăn (đồ Á), làm bánh, phục vụ, pha chế. Tốt nghiệp nhận được chứng chỉ do KOTO cấp</div><div>2. Học tiếng anh giao tiếp 4 kĩ năng + trang bị các kĩ năng mềm cần thiết cho định hướng nghề</div><div>3. Hỗ trợ tâm lý + định hướng xin việc</div><div>4. Nhận 1,500,000 VND tiền trợ cấp hàng tháng trong 6 tháng học</div><div>5. Đi thực tập ở các nhà hàng khách sạn đối tác của KOTO</div><div>6. Hỗ trợ xin việc 100% sau khi ra trường</div><div>Điều kiện ứng tuyển: Các bạn nữ từ 18 - 25 tuổi thuộc các nhóm sau: - Thuộc dân tộc thiểu số - Thuộc các miền quê nghèo vùng sâu xa, nhà thiếu điều kiện. - Mẹ đơn thân khó khăn chưa có nghề ổn định - Các bạn nữ thuộc nhóm yếu thế hoặc đang là lao động trong các môi trường bấp bênh, nhiều nguy cơ.</div><div>Thông tin chi tiết về chương trình, vui lòng tham khảo </div><div>ĐĂNG KÝ ONLINE NGAY HÔM NAY: <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhNcWvJkktRTbYiKa2pmJc88SzhF1c0qtACjNvAwa3IYIhkw/viewform">https://goo.gl/DHRpdV</a></div><div>Hồ sơ gồm có: - Sơ yếu lý lịch - Bản sao công chứng CMT, hộ khẩu  - Giấy khám sức khỏe + ảnh 3x4 - Đơn trình bày hoàn cảnh và xin học - Các giấy tờ liên quan chứng minh gia cảnh.</div><div>Hồ sơ gửi về: Chương trình tuyển sinh - Trung tâm KOTO số 11/670 Yên Viên, Hà Huy Tập, Gia Lâm, Hà Nội.Hotline liên hệ: Ms Thúy 0976511236 (trước 20h hàng ngày) (024) 37184573, số máy lẻ: 113 (trong giờ hành chính)</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Trainees participating in Australian Day</title><description><![CDATA[The Australian Consulate-General held its Australia Day community event in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday 28 January 2018. The Embassy showcased the best Australia has to offer and the joint partnership of Australian’s working together with the Vietnamese. It is a honour for KOTO to be invited to the event with assisting those at the Embassy serve the well-known Australian lamington.Can you believe we gave away four large trays of the delicious treat? No surprise, we saw many happy faces indulge in<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_56324c9e6355437b9da395034b26257a%7Emv2_d_4896_3264_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/06/21/KOTO-Trainees-participating-in-Australian-Day</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2018/06/21/KOTO-Trainees-participating-in-Australian-Day</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jan 2018 08:27:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>The Australian Consulate-General held its Australia Day community event in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday 28 January 2018. The Embassy showcased the best Australia has to offer and the joint partnership of Australian’s working together with the Vietnamese. It is a honour for KOTO to be invited to the event with assisting those at the Embassy serve the well-known Australian lamington.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_56324c9e6355437b9da395034b26257a~mv2_d_4896_3264_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Can you believe we gave away four large trays of the delicious treat? No surprise, we saw many happy faces indulge in the coconut and chocolate delight.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO VIETNAM</title><description><![CDATA[During the recent APEC Summit in Da Nang City, KOTO Founder, Jimmy Pham, and two KOTO alumni, Quan Nguyen and Tam Nguyen joined the dinner to welcome Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Malcolm Turnbull, to Vietnam.It was a real honor for KOTO to attend the event and share with the Prime Minister the work we do in Vietnam. The great relationship between KOTO and the Australian Government and their strong support has made KOTO who we are today. Quan, who was the winner of Taste of Australia in<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1509cd44c0ca48b18488c9a40110db76%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/11/17/AUSTRALIAN-PRIME-MINISTERS-VISIT-TO-VIETNAM</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/11/17/AUSTRALIAN-PRIME-MINISTERS-VISIT-TO-VIETNAM</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Nov 2017 03:33:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>During the recent APEC Summit in Da Nang City, KOTO Founder, Jimmy Pham, and two KOTO alumni, Quan Nguyen and Tam Nguyen joined the dinner to welcome Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Malcolm Turnbull, to Vietnam.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1509cd44c0ca48b18488c9a40110db76~mv2.jpg"/><div>It was a real honor for KOTO to attend the event and share with the Prime Minister the work we do in Vietnam. The great relationship between KOTO and the Australian Government and their strong support has made KOTO who we are today. Quan, who was the winner of Taste of Australia in Vietnam in 2017 and Tam who was a finalist, participated in cooking for the event with Pullman Hotel team. Tam said “It was an amazing experience to be part of the event and meet the Prime Minister of Australia. Never in my wildest dreams have I dreamed of one day meeting such high profile governmental officials, thanks to the support of KOTO and Australian Embassy in Vietnam”</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>EDUTAINMENT CONFERENCE</title><description><![CDATA[As part of the APEC Summit, the Ministry of Education, Open University of Hanoi and Institute of APEC Collaborative Education (IACE) Korea organised the first Edutainment Conference, where Jimmy Pham and KOTO International Partnership and Engagement Manager, Huong Dang were invited as keynote speakers. The conference committee also launched a social entrepreneurship competition to bring out the potential of students who will be the future change makers in Vietnam.Jimmy was delighted to share<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_2e5db59d54ff469b95b9df06552ad5e5%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/11/15/EDUTAINMENT-CONFERENCE</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/11/15/EDUTAINMENT-CONFERENCE</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Nov 2017 02:45:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>As part of the APEC Summit, the Ministry of Education, Open University of Hanoi and Institute of APEC Collaborative Education (IACE) Korea organised the first Edutainment Conference, where Jimmy Pham and KOTO International Partnership and Engagement Manager, Huong Dang were invited as keynote speakers.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_2e5db59d54ff469b95b9df06552ad5e5~mv2.jpg"/><div> The conference committee also launched a social entrepreneurship competition to bring out the potential of students who will be the future change makers in Vietnam.</div><div>Jimmy was delighted to share with them his journey of coming back to Vietnam and starting KOTO,“the social enterprise model was still undefined 20 years ago, and it was a challenging journey” Jimmy said, but he encouraged the audience to be persistent, to make mistakes, to learn and stand up again because that is a social entrepreneur’s journey. Huong, provided a different angle, sharing her story of becoming a KOTO trainee. From a street kid to becoming the first Victorian International Student of the Year in 2013,she is now returning the favour to KOTO, the organization she said changed her life. Both Jimmy and Huong’s speeches aimed to empower the young generation of Vietnam to take a leadership role and bring out their entrepreneurial spirit.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Saigon restaurant celebrates move to new location</title><description><![CDATA[On 28th October 2017, KOTO Saigon Restaurant celebrated the move to a new location at 19 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Da Kao Ward, in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City with a housewarming party.It was our pleasure to welcome Australian Consul-General Ms Karen Lanyon, leaders of international organisations, corporate partners, donors, supporters, friends and media at the event, which was a special evening to show off our beautiful, new venue and share our new signature dishes. This was also an opportunity to]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/11/06/KOTO-Saigon-restaurant-celebrates-move-to-new-location-with-a-housewarming</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/11/06/KOTO-Saigon-restaurant-celebrates-move-to-new-location-with-a-housewarming</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2017 04:45:46 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>On 28th October 2017, KOTO Saigon Restaurant celebrated the move to a new location at 19 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Da Kao Ward, in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City with a housewarming party.</div><div>It was our pleasure to welcome Australian Consul-General Ms Karen Lanyon, leaders of international organisations, corporate partners, donors, supporters, friends and media at the event, which was a special evening to show off our beautiful, new venue and share our new signature dishes. This was also an opportunity to show our gratitude to all the friends, donors and supporters who made this all possible and who have continued to support KOTO throughout the years.</div><div>Mr Jimmy Pham, KOTO’s founder, stated that: “After a very successful period in the wonderful Kumho Building, we are excited to bring KOTO back to grassroots in our new premises on Nguyen Dinh Chieu. Our new venue is homely, it has character, yet still with the same good food for a great cause philosophy.. and those trademark smiles of our trainees that reflects our mission.”</div><div>KOTO Saigon’s Head Chef, Mr Trinh Van Quyen said, “Our new menu features a very personal showcase of rich and diverse cuisine from northern to southern Vietnam. We have added new signature dishes that capture the wonder and warmth of home-style cooking. We are using the freshest in-season fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat, fish and spices. We source our ingredients locally, which further supports the Vietnamese community and economy. We want to reduce the distance from farm to table.”</div><div>Located in a beautifully renovated French colonial building, the new KOTO Saigon occupies two levels and offers a range of dining, function and catering services. Open daily from 07:00am to 10:00pm. KOTO’s new restaurant serves as one of the most delightful dining experiences in Saigon for breakfast, lunch or dinner — and everything in between.</div><div>-------------</div><div>Vào ngày 28/10/2017 vừa qua, Nhà hàng KOTO tổ chức “Tiệc Tân Gia” nhân dịp khai trương nhà hàng tại địa điểm mới - số 19 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, phường Đa Kao, quận 1, thành phố Hồ Chí Minh.</div><div>Chương trình có sự góp mặt và ủng hộ của Bà Karen Lanyon, Tổng lãnh sự quán Úc tại TP.Hồ Chí Minh, Lãnh đạo các Doanh nghiệp và Tổ chức trong và ngoài nước cùng đại diện các cơ quan báo chí truyền hình tại TP. Hồ Chí Minh. Sự kiện diễn ra trong một không gian ấm cúng, sang trọng và để lại nhiều ấn tượng sâu sắc cho tất cả khách mời tham dự cũng như các thành viên trong gia đình KOTO.</div><div>Các vị Khách mời tham dự bữa tiệc tân gia đã cùng lắng nghe những chia sẻ hết sức thú vị từ Người sáng lập của KOTO, tìm hiểu những nét mới trong phong cách ẩm thực của nhà hàng, thưởng thức món ăn thuần việt “chuẩn vị nhà làm” được phục vụ bởi Bếp trưởng của nhà hàng trên nền nhạc acoustic và cùng giao lưu với các khách mời cũng như các em học viên KOTO trong một không gian mở và hết sức thân thiện.</div><div>Bếp trưởng của nhà hàng, anh Trịnh Văn Quyền, Cựu học viên của KOTO, chia sẻ “Thực đơn mới của nhà hàng chúng tôi phản ánh sự phong phú và đậm đà của ẩm thực Việt Nam từ Bắc vào Nam. Nguồn thực phẩm được nhập từ những người nông dân địa phương nhằm ủng hộ cộng đồng. Vì không tốn nhiều thời gian di chuyển thực phẩm từ nông trại đến bàn ăn nên luôn đảm bảo sự tươi ngon của nguyên liệu và hàm lượng dinh dưỡng.”</div><div>Với phong cách ấm cúng, không khoa trương, nhà hàng KOTO còn là địa điểm lý tưởng cho các buổi hội thảo với phòng họp được trang bị hiện đại với tổng sức chứa lên tới 120 khách. Dù là gặp gỡ tạo mối quan hệ làm ăn, giờ thư giãn giữa nhân viên công ty hay tụ họp gia đình, bạn sẽ hài lòng với địa điểm và cách bài trí tại nhà hàng.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO ONE 2017</title><description><![CDATA[Our KOTO ONE Fundraising Gala Dinners were successfully organized in Melbourne at the International of Brighton, in Sydney at the Novotel Central Sydney and in Auckland at Sen Vietnamese Kitchen and Bar. We had hundreds of sponsors, partners, friends, KOTO International board members, and alumni attend. Together as ONE, we raised up to 50,000$ includes Trainee Sponsorships. KOTO ONE concept has been strongly supported by the Vietnamese community in Ho Chi Minh City last year, and this year is<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1768c35d56c0482bb40c6abafbe83d7f%7Emv2_d_2048_1365_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>KOTO IPE</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/10/17/KOTO-ONE-2017</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/10/17/KOTO-ONE-2017</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:32:19 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Our KOTO ONE Fundraising Gala Dinners were successfully organized in Melbourne at the International of Brighton, in Sydney at the Novotel Central Sydney and in Auckland at Sen Vietnamese Kitchen and Bar. We had hundreds of sponsors, partners, friends, KOTO International board members, and alumni attend. Together as ONE, we raised up to 50,000$ includes Trainee Sponsorships. KOTO ONE concept has been strongly supported by the Vietnamese community in Ho Chi Minh City last year, and this year is the first time we brought it to the world. We are pleased that the events were such great successes and we thank our guests and sponsors for being part of the events and supporting us.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1768c35d56c0482bb40c6abafbe83d7f~mv2_d_2048_1365_s_2.jpg"/><div>“KOTO is proud to have so many supporters and friends as recently witnessed at the KOTO one events in both Australia and New Zealand. All events we have achieved three objectives; 1. Raise much-needed funds for KOTO, 2. Share the inspiring stories of the graduates and 3. &quot;Together as ONE, we build a global community. Thank you to all involved- without your faith in the KOTO program, your hearts and your continued support - KOTO wouldn't have organized such successful events as we have,&quot; Jimmy Pham said</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4955da5f6e1e4ca184bc5b8110536e78~mv2_d_2048_1365_s_2.jpg"/><div>The purpose of these events was not only to raise funds to build our school but also to reach out to sponsors for our trainees. We still have five trainees from class 31 who need sponsorship, if you are in the position to do so, please contactsponsorship@koto.com.au</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_60b683aa57fb4610a73875ef5f5872c2~mv2_d_5472_3648_s_4_2.jpg"/><div> Thank you all of sponsors for supporting us during the events!</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO DREAM RIDE 2017</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO is excited to announce that our annual fundraising event – KOTO DREAM RIDE 2017 will once again run on the 25th of November 2017.The very first KOTO Dream Ride took place in 2001 from Hanoi to Tam Dao mountain. Over the last 16 years, Dream Ride has become a traditional event that gathers hundreds of expats to support our cause. KOTO Dream Ride is proud to rally the local community to come together in order to raise most needed funds for our hospitality training program.This year’s riding<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_21aa7f164a664f07b342839be91bb613%7Emv2.png"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/10/17/KOTO-DREAM-RIDE-2017</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/10/17/KOTO-DREAM-RIDE-2017</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2017 05:34:17 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>KOTO is excited to announce that our annual fundraising event – KOTO DREAM RIDE 2017 will once again run on the 25th of November 2017.</div><div>The very first KOTO Dream Ride took place in 2001 from Hanoi to Tam Dao mountain. Over the last 16 years, Dream Ride has become a traditional event that gathers hundreds of expats to support our cause. KOTO Dream Ride is proud to rally the local community to come together in order to raise most needed funds for our hospitality training program.</div><div>This year’s riding route will start at the British International School. The course will take our riders through a 55km scenic route passing through villages, pagodas and green paddy fields providing an adventurous and different taste of fun.</div><div>Dream Ride 2017 promises to offer a different experience to riders and their friends and family. The funds raised from this event will cover the cost of a year's accommodation for our 200 trainees who have currently commenced training. Join us to make Dream Ride this year a success while you personally, will create a positive impact to the many street kids and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam through the empowerment of social enterprise.</div><div>“The dream ride in its 16th year is still and always will be about community fun day whilst helping the at-risk and disadvantaged youth of Vietnam. We thank you for making this event going from strength to strength.&quot; – Jimmy Pham, KOTO founder.</div><div>Event’s details are as below:</div><div>KOTO DREAM RIDE 2017 – Ride to Build DREAMS</div><div>Date &amp; Time: 7.00 a.m, Saturday, 25th November 2017</div><div>Start at: British International School of Hanoi – Vinhome Riverside, Long Bien Hanoi</div><div>Finish at: KOTO Training Centre – Yen Vien, Gia Lam, Hanoi.</div><div>Entry tickets: 1,980,000VND per person ($88). Special offers for groups, students and children.</div><div>10% off for registrations before 26th October.</div><div>REGISTER<div><a href="http://bit.ly/2ieMmf7">HERE</a><a href="http://bit.ly/2ieMmf7"></a></div></div><div>Cannot ride on the day? Sponsor KOTO trainees to ride on your behalf: <a href="https://www.givenow.com.au/koto">https://www.givenow.com.au/koto</a></div><div>All proceeds go directly to change the lives of many at risk kids via KOTO program.</div><div>For media, please contact: Huong Dang at <a href="mailto:huongdt.hn@koto.com.au?subject=">huongdt.hn@koto.com.au</a>or +84901245073</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_21aa7f164a664f07b342839be91bb613~mv2.png"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO and Screamin' Veemis Partnership</title><description><![CDATA[As a part of a partnership between KOTO and Screamin' Veemis, Andy Howard and Adam Lance – two founders of Screamin' Veemis established a charitable program with KOTO which aims to pay for 100 young people to attend the KOTO training school. They sponsored 2 trainees in this latest intake – class 31 of KOTO. This sponsorship will go towards trainees’ holistic training program, accommodation, health check, vaccination and other costs. The opportunity to work with Screamin' Veemis strengthen our]]></description><dc:creator>KOTO IPE</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/09/12/KOTO-and-Screamin-Veemis-Partnership</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/09/12/KOTO-and-Screamin-Veemis-Partnership</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Sep 2017 03:41:03 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>As a part of a partnership between KOTO and Screamin' Veemis, Andy Howard and Adam Lance – two founders of Screamin' Veemis established a charitable program with KOTO which aims to pay for 100 young people to attend the KOTO training school. They sponsored 2 trainees in this latest intake – class 31 of KOTO. This sponsorship will go towards trainees’ holistic training program, accommodation, health check, vaccination and other costs. The opportunity to work with Screamin' Veemis strengthen our relationships and create more possibilities for our trainees to gain a brighter future. Nguyễn Thị Bích Nhật could not hide her excitement: “Thank you so much for your support. Going to KOTO and being sponsored by you were the best thing that ever happened to me.” Đinh Quang Minh expressed his gratitude: “Never had I imagine that one day my life is turning into a brighter future, thank you Screamin Veemis for your great support. This really means so much to me knowing that I will be able to get a job and earn a living in the future.”</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hội thi nấu ăn ''Khám phá ẩm thực Địa Trung Hải 2017&quot; | Mediterranean Gastronomy Discovery 2017</title><description><![CDATA[Ẩm thực Địa Trung Hải là tinh hoa của thực phẩm và sự tỉ mẫn trong khâu chuẩn bị của người dân vùng phía Nam Châu Âu trong việc nấu nướng. Bên cạnh đó, món ăn vùng Địa Trung Hải còn được xem là thực đơn ăn uống lành mạnh bậc nhất vì giàu dưỡng chất từ trái ô liu, ngũ cốc và rau quả, phù hợp với chế độ ăn kiêng của nhiều người.Với mục tiêu mang ẩm thực Địa Trung Hải đến gần hơn với văn hóa ẩm thực Việt cũng như tìm kiếm và phát triển những tài năng trẻ trong lĩnh vực bếp Âu, Công ty TNHH THỰC<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_502a9d8a0b294807ba8ae8651711402f%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_415/c13e02_502a9d8a0b294807ba8ae8651711402f%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/Mediterranean-Gastronomy-Discovery-2017</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/Mediterranean-Gastronomy-Discovery-2017</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2017 03:22:36 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Ẩm thực Địa Trung Hải là tinh hoa của thực phẩm và sự tỉ mẫn trong khâu chuẩn bị của người dân vùng phía Nam Châu Âu trong việc nấu nướng. Bên cạnh đó, món ăn vùng Địa Trung Hải còn được xem là thực đơn ăn uống lành mạnh bậc nhất vì giàu dưỡng chất từ trái ô liu, ngũ cốc và rau quả, phù hợp với chế độ ăn kiêng của nhiều người.</div><div>Với mục tiêu mang ẩm thực Địa Trung Hải đến gần hơn với văn hóa ẩm thực Việt cũng như tìm kiếm và phát triển những tài năng trẻ trong lĩnh vực bếp Âu, Công ty TNHH THỰC PHẨM ÂN NAM, phối hợp với một số Trường dạy nghề trên địa bàn Hà Nội, tổ chức cuộc thi nấu ăn 2017 với chủ để “Khám phá ẩm thực Địa Trung Hải” với tổng giá trị giải thưởng lên đến hơn 20,000,000 đồng.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_502a9d8a0b294807ba8ae8651711402f~mv2.jpg"/><div>Hình thức tham dự:</div><div>- Học viên KOTO gửi công thức tự phát triển với nguyên liệu chính là dầu ô liu Latino hay mì ống Barilla cho Mr.Hậu, Giảng viên Bếp của KOTO, qua email: kitchen.trainer@koto.com.au, trước ngày 12/09/2017</div><div>-15 công thức tốt nhất sẽ được chọn để tham gia vòng thi tuần tại KOTO vào ngày 22/09/2017. </div><div>Giảng viên KOTO và đại diện công ty sẽ chọn ra 3 món ngon nhất tham dự vòng chung kết sẽ diễn ra vào ngày 12/10 cùng với các học viên của Trường Hoa Sữa và Cao đẳng du lịch Hà Nội.</div><div>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div>Mediterranean cuisine is famous as the quintessence of food and the diligent preparation of the people in southern Europe. In addition, Mediterranean food is considered as the most healthy and nutritious because it made from olives, cereals and vegetables, which is suitable for people on diet.</div><div>With the aim of bringing Mediterranean cuisine closer to the Vietnamese culinary culture as well as seeking and developing young talents in the field of European cookery, ÂNNAM FINE FOOD CO., in collaboration with other vocational schools in Hanoi, held a cooking contest named &quot;Mediterranean Gastronomy Discovery 2017’’ with the total value of the prize up to 20,000,000 VND</div><div>How to join?</div><div>- KOTO’s trainees send their own recipe using Latino olive oil or Barilla pasta as the main ingredients to Mr. Hau - KOTO cooking instructor via email: kitchen.trainer@koto.com.au by September 12.</div><div>- The 15 best recipes will be selected for the weekly contest at KOTO on 22/09/2017.</div><div>- KOTO lecturers and company representatives will select the 3 best dishes to attend the final round, taking place on October 12 with the students of Hoa Sua College and Hanoi College of Tourism.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_a0dff13ecb9c4331956f285789985994~mv2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Graduation Ceremony 2017</title><description><![CDATA[If you missed Class 26 and 27's Graduation Ceremony, you can view it here. A beautifully shot video, you will be moved and inspired by the trainees and their two-year journey.<img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/PuFy4eg4ZqQ/mqdefault.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/11/KOTO-Graduation-Ceremony-2017</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/11/KOTO-Graduation-Ceremony-2017</guid><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2017 08:54:18 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>If you missed Class 26 and 27's Graduation Ceremony, you can view it here. A beautifully shot video, you will be moved and inspired by the trainees and their two-year journey.</div><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PuFy4eg4ZqQ"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO 15th Dream Trip 2017</title><description><![CDATA[Dream Trip is the annual week - long adventure that is offered to every trainee who lives a KOTO’s life. It is a chance for them to experience a vacation and explore a different part of Vietnam and take part in team building activities, for every KOTO kid, it is the first time they are on holiday and for many trainees, it is their first time seeing the beach.The Dream Trip 2017 took place in Da Nang from July 23rd to 28th. Our trainees had their chance to visit the ancient town Hoi An, the<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4759df7520a74c2d93b960c25a194cdf%7Emv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>KOTO IPE</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/02/KOTO-15th-Dream-Trip-2017</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/02/KOTO-15th-Dream-Trip-2017</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Aug 2017 06:52:08 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4759df7520a74c2d93b960c25a194cdf~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Dream Trip is the annual week - long adventure that is offered to every trainee who lives a KOTO’s life. It is a chance for them to experience a vacation and explore a different part of Vietnam and take part in team building activities, for every KOTO kid, it is the first time they are on holiday and for many trainees, it is their first time seeing the beach.</div><div>The Dream Trip 2017 took place in Da Nang from July 23rd to 28th. Our trainees had their chance to visit the ancient town Hoi An, the stunning Ba Na Hills, enjoyed the activities on the beautiful beaches of Da Nang and especially, and experienced different food cultures in various restaurants.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_90b10d6ca1b749d8b09d2909c990d05a~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Dream Trip designs to bring out talents of our trainees where they act at the Talent Show, a night that marked an unforgettable end of the trip. The performances were the perfect combinations of the trainees’ talent, creativities, great efforts and amazing teamwork spirit.</div><div>To make this year Dream Trip a fulfilling experience to our kids, it would have not been possible without the strong support of our sponsors, friends, partners, staff and alumnus, we would like to THANKS: Buffalo Tours, Chapi Tour, Raffles Medical, Fusion Suites, Vy’s Market, the Dao Tien Restaurant, PEAK DMC Vietnam, Suntory PepsiCo, Waterfront Restaurant and Bar, My Casa Restaurant, Macquarie University, Classic Fine Foods Vietnam, The Al Fresco's Group Vietnam, Paper Scissors Rock and the staff and volunteers who helped to make this Dream Trip happen.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO ONE DOWN UNDER</title><description><![CDATA[We are excited and proud to be bringing our popular KOTO One event to Australia and New Zealand for the very first time. In the past, the Vietnamese community came together and in the spirit of “ together as one, we build our global community”. We hope that the Australian and New Zealand community will continued to support KOTO through our national fundraising efforts with the end objective to built KOTO its first ever hospitality school.The event will take place in Melbourne on the 20th of<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_19d18a1cee044ea1929d499cdafeaf09%7Emv2_d_1789_2504_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>KOTO IPE</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/02/KOTO-ONE-DOWN-UNDER</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/02/KOTO-ONE-DOWN-UNDER</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Aug 2017 05:04:54 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_19d18a1cee044ea1929d499cdafeaf09~mv2_d_1789_2504_s_2.jpg"/><div>We are excited and proud to be bringing our popular KOTO One event to Australia and New Zealand for the very first time. In the past, the Vietnamese community came together and in the spirit of “ together as one, we build our global community”. We hope that the Australian and New Zealand community will continued to support KOTO through our national fundraising efforts with the end objective to built KOTO its first ever hospitality school.</div><div>The event will take place in Melbourne on the 20th of September 2017, Sydney on the 22nd of September 2017, Adelaide on the 28th of September 2017 and Auckland, NZ on the 2nd of October 2017. We are grateful to the strong support of KOTO International Board of Directors, KOTO Alumnus, Shared Tables Hospitality Club, Rice Kitchen, The International of Brighton, Heathfield High School, Sen Vietnamese Kitchen and Bar, Trudi Nelson the MC and our special guests chef Vanessa Baxter.</div><div>Jimmy Pham – KOTO Founder/Executive Chairman will be representing KOTO there and update on the growth of KOTO as the first and leading Social Enterprise in Vietnam.</div><div>“As an Australian citizen, I am grateful to the strong support from friends, sponsors and partners in my home country, from the curriculum training for my kids to the scholarships for my alumnus, from the sponsorship program to many other opportunities that Australians have generously given KOTO in the last 18 years. Alongside, the New Zealand community has embraced our KOTO kids when we participated in the 2015 Taste of Auckland and AUT hosted us last year with 6 of our trainees for the once in a lifetime work experiences to the some of the Accor properties. I feel truly blessed to be in a company of so many change makers and I look forward to sharing more stories, our work and our hearts with our Aussie and Kiwi friends and supporters without your sprits and compassion - KOTO wouldn’t not have had the opportunity that we are and have enjoyed - thank you”</div><div>*****</div><div>“KOTO ONE Fundraising Event”</div><div>For media information, please contact:</div><div>Ms. Huong Dang – KOTO International Partnership and Engagement Manager at huongdt.hn@koto.com.au</div><div>To book a ticket/table please contact: Ms. Huong Dang at huongdt.hn@koto.com.au</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO and IDP Partnership</title><description><![CDATA[In late 2016, Jimmy Pham – KOTO Founder/Executive Chairman and KOTO graduate Huong Dang were invited to speak at Australian International Education Conference as plenary keynote speakers on the topic “Recipe for life’s success” organized by IDP Australia. There were 1,200 people from the international educational sector attended the conference. IDP has never ceases to amaze KOTO for its strong support over the year and in 2017, we formed the partnership where IDP comes on board and sponsor two<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_eb725c09d638412f9f3a5ae800a018e1%7Emv2_d_2963_1457_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>KOTO IPE</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/01/KOTO-and-IDP-Partnership</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/08/01/KOTO-and-IDP-Partnership</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Jul 2017 17:06:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>In late 2016, Jimmy Pham – KOTO Founder/Executive Chairman and KOTO graduate Huong Dang were invited to speak at Australian International Education Conference as plenary keynote speakers on the topic “Recipe for life’s success” organized by IDP Australia. There were 1,200 people from the international educational sector attended the conference. IDP has never ceases to amaze KOTO for its strong support over the year and in 2017, we formed the partnership where IDP comes on board and sponsor two KOTO trainees who is undertaking their training at KOTO Hanoi for the duration of two years. This partnership means a lot to KOTO as we works toward our sustainability, the opportunity to work with IDP will strengthen our relationships and create more possibilities for our trainees to gain a brighter future.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_eb725c09d638412f9f3a5ae800a018e1~mv2_d_2963_1457_s_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO is recruiting for Class 32 | KOTO tuyển sinh khoá 32</title><description><![CDATA[Bạn thấy rất nhiều trường hợp trẻ em có hoàn cảnh đặc biệt khó khăn? Bạn mong muốn có thể làm gì đó để thay đổi cuộc sống của các em nhỏ? Không thể lúc nào cũng trợ giúp tiền và đồ ăn cho các em để sống qua ngày, hãy giới thiệu các em đến với KOTO để trao cho các em cơ hội thực sự để thay đổi cuộc đời.KOTO là một doanh nghiệp xã hội hoạt động nhân đạo, đào tạo hướng nghiệp, giáo dục định hướng và tạo công ăn việc làm miễn phí cho các thanh thiếu niên đường phố, lang thang cơ nhỡ; các em<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1aab5148d74a45e7bc16f9f6578e232f%7Emv2_d_1500_2100_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/07/18/KOTO-is-recruiting-for-Class-31-KOTO-tuy%E1%BB%83n-sinh-kho%C3%A1-32</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/07/18/KOTO-is-recruiting-for-Class-31-KOTO-tuy%E1%BB%83n-sinh-kho%C3%A1-32</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Jul 2017 06:43:21 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Bạn thấy rất nhiều trường hợp trẻ em có hoàn cảnh đặc biệt khó khăn? Bạn mong muốn có thể làm gì đó để thay đổi cuộc sống của các em nhỏ? Không thể lúc nào cũng trợ giúp tiền và đồ ăn cho các em để sống qua ngày, hãy giới thiệu các em đến với KOTO để trao cho các em cơ hội thực sự để thay đổi cuộc đời.</div><div>KOTO là một doanh nghiệp xã hội hoạt động nhân đạo, đào tạo hướng nghiệp, giáo dục định hướng và tạo công ăn việc làm miễn phí cho các thanh thiếu niên đường phố, lang thang cơ nhỡ; các em có hoàn cảnh đặc biệt khó khăn, người dân tộc thiểu số tại các vùng miền đặc biệt khó khăn, nạn nhân buôn bán phụ nữ, trẻ em và bạo hành gia đình, trong độ tuổi từ 16 - 22 trên toàn lãnh thổ Việt Nam. KOTO đã hoạt động từ năm 1999 với lĩnh vực đào tạo gồm 2 nghề là nghiệp vụ bàn - bar và nghiệp vụ nấu ăn.</div><div>Với triết lý &quot;Biết một, Dạy một&quot; (Know One, Teach One), trong suốt 17 năm qua, KOTO đã đào tạo thành công và tạo công ăn việc làm ổn định cho hơn 800 em học viên có hoàn cảnh đặc biệt. Phần lớn các em hiện đang làm việc tại các nhà hàng, khách sạn 5 sao trong và ngoài nước. Trong đó, 60% các học viên KOTO đang giữ vị trí Quản lý tại các đơn vị, tổ chức lớn và 92% các em đã có thể tự chủ về tài chính và hỗ trợ cho gia đình mình. </div><div>Để chuẩn bi khai giảng khóa 32, nhập học vào ngày 01/11/2017, KOTO đang tiến hành tuyển sinh tại cả 2 miền với thông tin chi tiết như dưới đây:</div><div>- Tại Hà Nội: ngày 18/08/2017, chúng tôi dự kiến sẽ tổ chức ngày hội tuyển sinh tại 11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên, Gia Lâm, Hà Nội.</div><div>- Tại Sài Gòn: ngày 15/08/2017 chúng tôi dự kiến sẽ tổ chức ngày hội tuyển sinh tại 19 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, phường Đa Kao, Quận 1, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh.</div><div>👍Đăng ký tham gia trực tuyến ngay tại đây: <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSWlS7b7YEEf5tNs5gBV0uchqMhHd4GA_Zo5IMMLEHQ7feFw/viewform">goo.gl/jRKqkC</a></div><div>Những em nào thuộc diện trên hãy làm hồ sơ như thông tin bên dưới rồi gửi về những địa chỉ sau:</div><div>Hồ sơ tuyển sinh khu vực miền Bắc gửi về:</div><div>1) Trung Tâm dạy nghề nhân đạo KOTO, số 11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên, Tp Hà Nội. </div><div>2) Nhà hàng KOTO, số 59 Văn Miếu, Quận Đống Đa. Tp Hà Nội.</div><div>Hồ sơ tuyển sinh khu vực miền Nam gửi về: 3) KOTO Catering, 29/23/10 Hoàng Quốc Việt, Phường Phú Nhuận, Quận 7, TP-HCM. </div><div>Hoặc liên hệ Hotline:</div><div>- Khu vực miền Nam: Chị Thúy 0976 511 236, Email: <a href="mailto:thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au?subject=thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au">thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au</a></div><div>- Khu vực miền Bắc: Anh Duy Anh 0911 034 923, Email: <a href="mailto:ts.recruitment@koto.com.au?subject=ts.recruitment@koto.com.au">ts.recruitment@koto.com.au</a></div><div>---------------------------------</div><div>There are many children and young adults living in difficult circumstances. Seeing these young people, you may want to help them have a better chance at life. However, you can’t always support them with food, and you can never be sure that the money you give them is staying with them or being spent well. One way that you can support these young people is by introducing them to KOTO. Introducing them to KOTO will give them an excellent opportunity to change their life.</div><div>KOTO is the first Vietnamese nationally recognized social enterprise. At KOTO we provide holistic life skills and English courses and vocational training to disadvantaged youth through a two-year hospitality training program in either front of house of back of house tracks. Our students come from impoverished backgrounds, are ethnic minorities, victims of human trafficking or domestic violence and are aged 16-22, from all over Vietnam. We are currently looking for new students to join Class 32!</div><div>Throughout it 17 years, KOTO has embodied its “know one, teach one” philosophy, and successfully trained 800 youth from difficult backgrounds. Almost all of them are currently working in the five-star hotels or and restaurants not only in Vietnam but also abroad. Of our 800 graduates, more than 60% are in management positions and 92% of them financially stable and able to provide a better life for their loved ones.</div><div>To welcome the potential students of Class 32, KOTO is hosting two Open Days at the following locations:</div><div>· In Ha Noi on August 18th, 2017 at KOTO Training Centre: 11/670 Ha Huy Tap, Yen Vien, Gia Lam, Ha Noi</div><div>· In Ho Chi Minh City on August 15th, 2017 at 19 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Da Kao ward, District 1, HCMC</div><div>👍 Register Online Here: <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSWlS7b7YEEf5tNs5gBV0uchqMhHd4GA_Zo5IMMLEHQ7feFw/viewform">goo.gl/jRKqkC</a></div><div>To those listed above, please write the necessary information as below and either send or deliver it to:</div><div>In the North:</div><div>1. KOTO Training Centre: 11/670 Ha Huy Tap, Yen Vien, Gia Lam, Ha Noi</div><div>2. KOTO Training Restaurant: 59 Van Mieu, Dong Da District, Ha Noi</div><div>In the South:</div><div>1. KOTO Catering: 29/23/10 Hoàng Quốc Việt Street, Phú Nhuận Ward, District 7, HCMC.</div><div>Hotline for any comments or questions?</div><div>In the South: Ms. Thuy - 0976 511 236, Email: <a href="mailto:thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au?subject=thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au">thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au</a></div><div>In the North: Mr. Duy Anh - 0911 034 923, Email: <a href="mailto:ts.recruitment@koto.com.au?subject=ts.recruitment@koto.com.au">ts.recruitment@koto.com.au</a></div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1aab5148d74a45e7bc16f9f6578e232f~mv2_d_1500_2100_s_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Graduation Ceremony class 26 &amp; 27</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO is proud to have successfully organised the 2017 Graduation Ceremony for Classes 26 and 27, held at the United Nation International School of Hanoi on 10 June 2017.The 44 bright young people that comprise Classes 26 and 27 have completed a two-year intensive training program and received an internationally accredited Certificate III in Hospitality from Box Hill Institute, Australia.We are proud to present another 44 employable young adult to the hospitality world, who are ready to empower<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_6f73da501bc04eff97160397828cb4b3%7Emv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_416/c13e02_6f73da501bc04eff97160397828cb4b3%7Emv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/06/28/KOTO-GRADUATION-CEREMONY-2017---class-26-27</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/06/28/KOTO-GRADUATION-CEREMONY-2017---class-26-27</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2017 03:50:39 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>KOTO is proud to have successfully organised the 2017 Graduation Ceremony for Classes 26 and 27, held at the United Nation International School of Hanoi on 10 June 2017.</div><div>The 44 bright young people that comprise Classes 26 and 27 have completed a two-year intensive training program and received an internationally accredited Certificate III in Hospitality from Box Hill Institute, Australia.</div><div>We are proud to present another 44 employable young adult to the hospitality world, who are ready to empower and inspire the community and live the philosophy of “Know One, Teach One” wherever they go.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_6f73da501bc04eff97160397828cb4b3~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>We chose the theme “DARE” because it reflects the characteristics of Classes 26 and 27 — they have DARED to change their lives through KOTO. They have DARED to be special, DARED to dream, DARED aspire to something better and DARED to simply be more. They have DARED to be loved and then to give love.</div><div>“For the KOTO kids who are still in the program, graduation is motivation. To our supporters – graduation is results. To our donors – it’s an investment into youth development. To our partners – it is reassuring for your future employees and perhaps managers. To the KOTO staff – graduation is emotional goodbyes and good luck. To the parents and guardians – graduation is pride and a promise of a better tomorrow for them and for their child. To me – graduation is about making sure that we have done all that we can to prepare our youth for their tomorrow. Because after all tomorrow is a whole new chapter.” – From Jimmy’s Speech at the Graduation Ceremony.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_5ddf52970d5a4fc59ca9e83d0efbddd4~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c60d5552d57c458483abb04a0eb294bc~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_3323962b0bdf4f95b4c6d98c07288742~mv2_d_4288_2848_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>This year’s event is also a celebration of the 15 years of the KOTO and Box Hill Institute partnership and nearly two decades of support from UNIS. An event like this — attended by 500 people and fully sponsored — would have not been possible without our strong supporters. We would like to thank to our major sponsors UNIS, Box Hill Institute, Red Brand Builder, Red Apron, Experian, Ao Dai ABC, Duong Minh English School, VCafe, Pan Pacific, Pots n Pans, Phoenix Flowers, Arim media, Bao Anh Salon and all stakeholders who made this year’s Graduation Ceremony a successful event.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Trainees: Taste of Australia Culinary Competition winners</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO trainees Nguyen Hong Quan from class of K27 and Nguyen Phuong Dieu K25 from KOTO Hanoi Team have taken out the inaugural 2017 Taste of Australia Culinary Competition, winning the major prize of a week-long trip to Sydney—including all flights, accommodation, transport and meals—to the William Blue College of Hospitality Management.Nguyen Hong Quan K27 and Nguyen Phuong Dieu K25 – Winner of Taste of Australia 2017Vietnamese hospitality schools who participated nominated a one or two person<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_55ffceaf2ed24f5c9af5c315124672c0%7Emv2_d_3300_2203_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_418/c13e02_55ffceaf2ed24f5c9af5c315124672c0%7Emv2_d_3300_2203_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/04/28/KOTO-Trainees-Taste-of-Australia-Culinary-Competition-winners</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/04/28/KOTO-Trainees-Taste-of-Australia-Culinary-Competition-winners</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Apr 2017 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>KOTO trainees Nguyen Hong Quan from class of K27 and Nguyen Phuong Dieu K25 from KOTO Hanoi Team have taken out the inaugural 2017 Taste of Australia Culinary Competition, winning the major prize of a week-long trip to Sydney—including all flights, accommodation, transport and meals—to the William Blue College of Hospitality Management.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_55ffceaf2ed24f5c9af5c315124672c0~mv2_d_3300_2203_s_2.jpg"/><div>Nguyen Hong Quan K27 and Nguyen Phuong Dieu K25 – Winner of Taste of Australia 2017</div><div>Vietnamese hospitality schools who participated nominated a one or two person team, with competitors coming from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang and including KOTO Hanoi and KOTO Saigon. Participants had to have been in the final year of their qualification or a recent graduate, and with reasonable English.</div><div>The purpose of the competition was to promote Australian cuisine and produce while developing the educational opportunities of Vietnamese culinary students.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_f5d20bc248154d478890abc1462db266~mv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg"/><div>Tran Dinh Tien K27 and Le Thi Xuan K27, one of two KOTO Hanoi Teams</div><div>The competition followed the Masterchef model, with teams competing over two knockout rounds in a single day, both for the heats and the final. The first heats were held on 18 April and took place simultaneously in 3-4 cities, with the final round happening on 20 April. In the first heats, competitors cooked from a mystery box that included vegemite, Cooper’s stout and Australian beef.</div><div>KOTO Saigon was represented by Hien and Tam, and made it through to the last round, before being pipped at the post by KOTO Hanoi in the final round at the InterContinental Hotel in Danang.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_cdebb1fdaacc48b6907c60f20093a36c~mv2_d_2016_1512_s_2.jpg"/><div>Tran Thi Hien K26 and Pham Thi Minh Tam K8 – KOTO Sai Gon Team</div><div>The judging panel consisted of celebrity chefs, Luke Nguyen, Ngo Thanh Hoan, Madame Anh Tuyet, Bao La and Sid Choi. Criteria for judging included taste and seasoning, preparation and innovation, creativity, kitchen skills and personal presentation.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_acc3481d8b044af2948ea0deefa0b63c~mv2_d_3300_2203_s_2.jpg"/><div>All participants received a Taste of Australia apron and chef’s shirt. As well as the trip to Sydney, Quan and Dieu will be offered sponsorship opportunities if they wished to pursue further study in Australia.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_cb0125f943414a55a326b4f60c77535f~mv2_d_3300_2203_s_2.jpg"/><div>Congratulations to our six KOTO trainees who competed in the competition, and the KOTO staff who supported them.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_1a7521510974473e9fc9ddb84927a0e0~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>You have done us proud!</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TEDx Ba Dinh: The KOTO future is limitless</title><description><![CDATA[With the theme of IDEA—Inspiration, Direction, Execution, Appreciation— and featuring an international line up of 15 guest speakers, this year’s TedX Ba Dinh was always going to be an exciting event. The full day program of TED’s famous 18 minute talks, plus art exhibits, workshops, meeting and networking spaces, was the perfect space for Mr Jimmy to talk about his work in social enterprises generally, and KOTO specifically.TEDx Ba Dinh 2017Opening his presentation with the analogy about<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_da4d541aa56a4491bf95994083a5c34e%7Emv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_417/c13e02_da4d541aa56a4491bf95994083a5c34e%7Emv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/04/20/TedX-Ba-Dinh-The-KOTO-future-is-limitless</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/04/20/TedX-Ba-Dinh-The-KOTO-future-is-limitless</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Apr 2017 04:16:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>With the theme of IDEA—Inspiration, Direction, Execution, Appreciation— and featuring an international line up of 15 guest speakers, this year’s TedX Ba Dinh was always going to be an exciting event. The full day program of TED’s famous 18 minute talks, plus art exhibits, workshops, meeting and networking spaces, was the perfect space for Mr Jimmy to talk about his work in social enterprises generally, and KOTO specifically.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_da4d541aa56a4491bf95994083a5c34e~mv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_14a19af52e404a638f64d68af654ae87~mv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>TEDx Ba Dinh 2017</div><div>Opening his presentation with the analogy about teaching men and women to fish, Mr Jimmy spoke about social entrepreneurs being the revolutionaries and disrupters of the fishing industry and then need to turning it on its head. Mr Jimmy then spoke about the KOTO approach to training: building a family rather than a school.</div><div>After his return to Vietnam in his 20s and driven to do something positive to change the lives of street children, Mr Jimmy told the rapt 350-strong audience members that: “I didn’t know very much, but one thing I did know that was I wanted to not build a school; I wanted to build a family.”</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ab7ee5469bd4c6e9b52dd56bf58f491~mv2_d_4256_2832_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Mr Jimmy then went on to talk about KOTO’s training model, and the importance of KOTO alumni to the sense of family that has been created. Using this approach, KOTO is more than training and job placements, and all alumni “Know One, Teach One”.</div><div>With KOTO being the first social enterprise recognised by the Vietnamese government, the future is limitless and could even include KOTO hotels and resorts, HR agency for F&amp;B placements, and KOTO school.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_2ff2d0320d0940fd92fbf43d4bf8033f~mv2_d_4256_2832_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Jimmy Pham with other guest speaker of TEDx Ba Dinh 2017</div><div>And it’s with this vision that Mr Jimmy is revolutionising the “fishing industry”.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO welcomes Australian celebrity chef, Luke Nguyen</title><description><![CDATA[Visiting Vietnam for this year’s Taste of Australia, it made sense for KOTO to take advantage of Mr Luke Nguyen’s offer of presenting an information session at the Yen Vien Training Centre, and taking it one step further: having our trainees also cook for him.Mr Luke—restaurateur, celebrity chef, author and documentary maker—was in Vietnam for this year’s Taste Australia, an Australian Government-run mix of official events and a wide variety of partner events in bars, restaurant and retail in Ha<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_2958af25602642fe92b76aa021cea912%7Emv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_417/c13e02_2958af25602642fe92b76aa021cea912%7Emv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/04/06/KOTO-welcomes-Australian-celebrity-chef-Luke-Nguyen</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/04/06/KOTO-welcomes-Australian-celebrity-chef-Luke-Nguyen</guid><pubDate>Thu, 06 Apr 2017 04:08:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Visiting Vietnam for this year’s Taste of Australia, it made sense for KOTO to take advantage of Mr Luke Nguyen’s offer of presenting an information session at the Yen Vien Training Centre, and taking it one step further: having our trainees also cook for him.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_2958af25602642fe92b76aa021cea912~mv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg"/><div>Mr Luke—restaurateur, celebrity chef, author and documentary maker—was in Vietnam for this year’s Taste Australia, an Australian Government-run mix of official events and a wide variety of partner events in bars, restaurant and retail in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and central Vietnam.</div><div>The Australian Embassy contacted KOTO, mentioning that Mr Luke would be available for an information session with KOTO’s students on April 5. The date of his visit coincided with the final assessment of Class 11, and the ever-proactive Mr Tan recognised an opportunity for the trainees to include Mr Luke in their final assessment, and jumped on it.</div><div>For their assessment, our trainees were responsible for designing the lunch menu, prepping and cooking the food, setting up the training room to replicate as restaurant and setting the table, and full restaurant service. Front of house trainees welcomed Mr Luke and KOTO staff and guests with aperitifs and canapes, before taking food and drink orders.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_fd518e59cfd6465ea4624789871d2563~mv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg"/><div>Mr Luke was impressed with not only the cooking skills and the presentation of the food, but also with the front of house service. He was extremely interested in the trainees and KOTO, asking questions about their backgrounds and the training program, and even checked out trainees cooking in the kitchen.</div><div>Tucking into his stuffed squid, Mr Luke said, ‘If I was served this in a restaurant, I’d be pretty happy.’</div><div>After finishing his lunch, he went on to talk to the trainees about his career in hospitality and his love for Vietnam. To say trainees were inspired by Mr Luke was an understatement, and all expressed what an honour it was for him to visit KOTO.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_0e92b62a375842318eb68a447a1e8eac~mv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_b8f11b30c3bc45f6a8325c003c69af5a~mv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>We look forward to Mr Luke being a regular visitor, and perhaps hiring some of our graduates in his new restaurant in Saigon!</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_da1b4eec3268461db2821b84b6515a30~mv2_d_3300_2196_s_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>7 KOTO trainees went to a 3-month internship program in New Zealand</title><description><![CDATA[Photo: From right to left, top to bottom: Độ - Quân - Hảo from class 27 during their internship programIn the beginning of December, 7 outstanding KOTO trainees from class 11, 26 and 27 headed to New Zealand to experience their very first overseas internship. This was the first time KOTO could bring trainees to charming New Zealand to experience the new culture. The internship program lasted for 3 months, in which they had gained priceless experience in Auckland’s top hotels and restaurants.<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4b8d197fd5d648eda32a71484b9f904f%7Emv2_d_3508_2480_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/03/02/7-KOTO-trainees-went-to-a-3-month-internship-program-in-New-Zealand</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/03/02/7-KOTO-trainees-went-to-a-3-month-internship-program-in-New-Zealand</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Mar 2017 07:57:53 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4b8d197fd5d648eda32a71484b9f904f~mv2_d_3508_2480_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>Photo: From right to left, top to bottom: Độ - Quân - Hảo from class 27 during their internship program</div><div>In the beginning of December, 7 outstanding KOTO trainees from class 11, 26 and 27 headed to New Zealand to experience their very first overseas internship. This was the first time KOTO could bring trainees to charming New Zealand to experience the new culture. The internship program lasted for 3 months, in which they had gained priceless experience in Auckland’s top hotels and restaurants. This internship resulted from KOTO’s previous partnership with New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, and from the idea of bringing a slice of KOTO to the people of Auckland; to raise awareness for the initiative and its social enterprise model, to forge lasting relationships with the foundation, and to get some beautiful, authentic Vietnamese cuisine into Auckland.</div><div>The hotels and restaurants’ supervisors expressed their appreciation for the trainees:</div><div>“Hao is knowledgeable, well trained and has a good work ethic. She was a great asset to have in our team. She always maintained a professional image and her performance was always very consistent.” - said Tsheten Yolmo | Supervisor Sofitel Hotel, Auckland</div><div>“Connor (Cường) has done exceptionally well in his internship. He has a great work ethic and has a good willingness to learn. He always shows good initiative at work and does not have to be always told to perform his tasks. Well done Connor. Keep it up!!” -said Tsheten Yolmo | Supervisor Sofitel Hotel, Auckland</div><div>“Độ learnt fast and became an asset to our kitchen. He is reliable, precise and consistent and capable of reproducing what he is taught. He is very interested in cooking and wrote down everything he learnt, a very good way to develop knowledge and skills. I have no doubt he will continue learning. It was a real pleasure working with Độ” – said Yannick Cayrol | Supervisor Pullman Hotel, Auckland</div><div>On behalf of 7 trainees, Ngọc from Class 26 expressed his sincere gratitude:</div><div>“I would like to send my gratitude to Mr.Jimmy and KOTO for giving us this exceptional opportunity to experience international working environment in one of the best places in the world. We also want to thank our supervisors at the Novotel Auckland Ellerslie, Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour, Sen Kitchen Restaurant, Pullman Auckland for your hospitality and continuous guidance in not only working but also in our life in Auckland”</div><div>KOTO would not make this trip a reality without the support of sponsors: Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, Mr. Nick La, Dr. Trung Dinh-Toan, Meadow High School, and our donors for your donations through GoFundMe Campaign; supporters and Partners: New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam, Sen Vietnamese Kitchen and Bar, Novotel Ellerslie, Pullman Hotel, Sofitel Hotel Auckland, Mr &amp; Mrs Barton, Mrs. Freddie and her family, Ms. Kathryn and her family, Mr. Darryn Bell &amp; Mrs. Joni Hoang, Mr.Tony Martin - Consul General Ms. Michelle Preston - HCMC 2016 New Zealand Food &amp; Wine Festival and of course amazing KOTO team for making this trip a memorable one.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>LEADING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR JIMMY PHAM WINS PRESTIGIOUS KOREAN POSCO AWARD</title><description><![CDATA[The 2017 POSCO TJ Park Prize for Community Development & Philanthropy has been awarded to Mr. Jimmy Pham – KOTO Founder - in recognition of his significant contribution to disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.On March 29, Mr. Pham will be conferred with his award at a large ceremony in Seoul, Korea. – The annual POSCO TJ Park Prizes recognize individuals and organisations, which have made significant contributions in the fields of science, technology, education, and philanthropy. Mr. Pham was awarded<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7aebc5c6bb3244b680b3b90e4f6d1181%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_418/c13e02_7aebc5c6bb3244b680b3b90e4f6d1181%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/02/26/LEADING-SOCIAL-ENTREPRENEUR-JIMMY-PHAM-WINS-PRESTIGIOUS-KOREAN-POSCO-AWARD</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/02/26/LEADING-SOCIAL-ENTREPRENEUR-JIMMY-PHAM-WINS-PRESTIGIOUS-KOREAN-POSCO-AWARD</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Feb 2017 02:39:00 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7aebc5c6bb3244b680b3b90e4f6d1181~mv2.jpg"/><div>The 2017 POSCO TJ Park Prize for Community Development &amp; Philanthropy has been awarded to Mr. Jimmy Pham – KOTO Founder - in recognition of his significant contribution to disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.</div><div>On March 29, Mr. Pham will be conferred with his award at a large ceremony in Seoul, Korea. – The annual POSCO TJ Park Prizes recognize individuals and organisations, which have made significant contributions in the fields of science, technology, education, and philanthropy. Mr. Pham was awarded in the Community Development &amp; Philanthropy category.</div><div>&quot;The selection standard of POSCO TJ Park Prize for Community Development and Philanthropy is whether the activity is creative, the system is well-established, and is sustainable. Such standard may be the biggest factor that defines the nature of Community Development and Philanthropy Award. </div><div>The committee regconised Jimmy Pham overcame his rough childhood and established a success model for the changes in lives of children in difficult situations and their independence. We believe that he established a powerful and differentiated circulation structure, which is employment and giving back to society through job training, and furthermore life skill training. In addition, by establishing a model that is financially and socially sustainable by combining business with social purpose, its social impact is quite significant in terms of its size and performance. We believe that this model may be highly applicable in Korea as well to solve the problems of adolescents and young generation in socially disadvantaged group.&quot; - said POSCO TJ Park Prize Committee for Community Development and Philanthropy</div><div>Jimmy Pham also expresses his sincere gratitude:</div><div>&quot;The award is for all the Social Enterprises in Vietnam who like KOTO work tirelessly in contributing to a better Vietnam! I am honoured to be recognised by the Korean people and the prize money will help go towards ensuring that more at risk and disadvantaged youth are helped and KOTO becoming a sustainable and successful not-for-profit Social Enterprise. I would like to thank POSCO TJ Park for this honourable recognition”</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_f77c4598ed724fe0bf09cd0503335a83~mv2.jpg"/><div>About POSCO TJ Park Prize</div><div>The POSCO TJ Park Prize was established to commemorate the founder of the giant Korean POSCO enterprise, Tae-Joon Park. In recognizing excellence in numerous fields, the prizes mirror POSCO’s founding spirit of ‘respecting creativity, nurturing talent, and promoting philanthropy in the hope that, by doing so, people from every walk of life will be able to work together to build a better future for all mankind’. The annual prizes are awarded in the fields of science, technology, education, and philanthropy. Only recipients who have made significant, world class and enduring contributions are rewarded.</div><div>About Jimmy Pham and KOTO</div><div>Jimmy Pham, AM, was born in Vietnam in 1972 to a Vietnamese mother and a Korean father. He migrated to Sydney, Australia as a young child with his mother and 4 older siblings. His interest in tourism led him to enter the tourism management field. In 1996, he went back to Vietnam for the first time as a tour operator where he witnessed the plight of at-risk youth on the streets of Hanoi. Jimmy was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in January 2013, an honour acknowledging his significant service to the community, particularly with marginalised children and youth in Vietnam through the work of KOTO, which he founded.</div><div>KOTO is a pioneer social enterprise in Vietnam with the mission of providing vocational skills, which empower disadvantaged, and at-risk youth to find careers in hospitality thus enabling them a secure future. KOTO provides trainees with accommodation, food, an internationally recognised Australian vocational qualification, and medical care, all free of charge. KOTO has nearly 800graduates with close to 100% job placement. KOTO operates on a mixture of revenue generated from its leading commercial restaurants, where trainees receive their on-the-job training, and donations. It is a mature social enterprise well on the journey to full sustainability. This is a very significant record of achievement.</div><div>END</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO is recruiting for Class 31 | KOTO tuyển sinh khoá 31</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO là một doanh nghiệp xã hội hoạt động nhân đạo, đào tạo hướng nghiệp, giáo dục định hướng và tạo công ăn việc làm miễn phí cho các thanh thiếu niên đường phố, lang thang cơ nhỡ; các em có hoàn cảnh đặc biệt khó khăn, người dân tộc thiểu số tại các vùng miền đặc biệt khó khăn, nạn nhân buôn bán phụ nữ, trẻ em và bạo hành gia đình ở độ tuổi 16 - 22 tuổi trên toàn lãnh thổ Việt Nam. KOTO đã hoạt động từ năm 1999 với lĩnh vực đào tạo gồm 2 nghề là nghiệp vụ bàn - bar và nghiệp vụ nấu ăn.Chúng<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4c75a2c7db7b4149908a57af2d324a25%7Emv2_d_1290_1830_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_889/c13e02_4c75a2c7db7b4149908a57af2d324a25%7Emv2_d_1290_1830_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/02/15/KOTO-is-recruiting-for-Class-31-KOTO-tuy%E1%BB%83n-sinh-kho%C3%A1-31-t%E1%BA%A1i-H%C3%A0-N%E1%BB%99i</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/02/15/KOTO-is-recruiting-for-Class-31-KOTO-tuy%E1%BB%83n-sinh-kho%C3%A1-31-t%E1%BA%A1i-H%C3%A0-N%E1%BB%99i</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2017 08:34:03 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>KOTO là một doanh nghiệp xã hội hoạt động nhân đạo, đào tạo hướng nghiệp, giáo dục định hướng và tạo công ăn việc làm miễn phí cho các thanh thiếu niên đường phố, lang thang cơ nhỡ; các em có hoàn cảnh đặc biệt khó khăn, người dân tộc thiểu số tại các vùng miền đặc biệt khó khăn, nạn nhân buôn bán phụ nữ, trẻ em và bạo hành gia đình ở độ tuổi 16 - 22 tuổi trên toàn lãnh thổ Việt Nam. KOTO đã hoạt động từ năm 1999 với lĩnh vực đào tạo gồm 2 nghề là nghiệp vụ bàn - bar và nghiệp vụ nấu ăn.</div><div>Chúng tôi đang tiến hành tuyển sinh cho khóa 31 học tại Hà Nội, nếu trúng tuyển các em sẽ nhập học vào ngày 03/05/2017. - Tại Hà Nội: ngày 10/03/2017, chúng tôi dự kiến sẽ tổ chức ngày hội tuyển sinh 11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên, Gia Lâm, Hà Nội. - Tại Sài Gòn: ngày 15/03/2017 chúng tôi dự kiến sẽ tổ chức ngày hội tuyển sinh tại 39 Lê Duẩn, phường Bến Nghé, Quận 1, HCM</div><div>Những em nào thuộc diện trên hãy làm hồ sơ như thông tin bên dưới rồi gửi về những địa chỉ sau:</div><div>Hồ sơ tuyển sinh khu vực miền Bắc gửi về: 1) Trung Tâm dạy nghề nhân đạo KOTO, số 11/670 Hà Huy Tập, Yên Viên, Tp Hà Nội. Tel: 04 37184573 2) Nhà hàng KOTO, số 59 Văn Miếu, Quận Đống Đa. Tp Hà Nội. Hồ sơ tuyển sinh khu vực miền Nam gửi về: 3) Nhà hàng KOTO Kumho tầng 3, tòa nhà Kumho Link, 39 Lê Duẩn, Quận 1, TP-HCM. Tel: (84) 8 3822 9357</div><div>Hoặc liên hệ với hotline: Ms Thúy 0976 511 236 (khu vực miền Nam)Email: thuy_training.hn@koto.com.auMs Lan 0904596474 (khu vực miền Bắc) Email: thuy_training.hn@koto.com.au lan.nguyen@koto.com.au</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_4c75a2c7db7b4149908a57af2d324a25~mv2_d_1290_1830_s_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_33087a4abbbe4da599bc628e272b88eb~mv2_d_1290_1830_s_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO Winter Appeal 2016: 1,800 bowls of “Phở” for children in Ngan Son, Bac Can</title><description><![CDATA[On December 30th and 31st, 120 KOTO staff and trainees spent the last days of 2016 in Ngan Son, Bac Can, a small village located in the remote mountainous regions 220 kilometres away from Hanoi. This annual charity trip “Winter Appeal” is a part of the KOTO community service program, which aims to support the underprivileged communities and at the same time, a chance for our trainees to give back to the community and help those less fortunate than themselves. This year, the event took place in<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_9afb766e4c6b4314a549e4352ccd3448%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_423/c13e02_9afb766e4c6b4314a549e4352ccd3448%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/01/03/KOTO-Winter-Appeal-2016-1800-bowls-of-%E2%80%9CPh%E1%BB%9F%E2%80%9D-for-children-in-Ngan-Son-Bac-Can</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2017/01/03/KOTO-Winter-Appeal-2016-1800-bowls-of-%E2%80%9CPh%E1%BB%9F%E2%80%9D-for-children-in-Ngan-Son-Bac-Can</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2017 02:38:07 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_9afb766e4c6b4314a549e4352ccd3448~mv2.jpg"/><div>On December 30th and 31st, 120 KOTO staff and trainees spent the last days of 2016 in Ngan Son, Bac Can, a small village located in the remote mountainous regions 220 kilometres away from Hanoi. This annual charity trip “Winter Appeal” is a part of the KOTO community service program, which aims to support the underprivileged communities and at the same time, a chance for our trainees to give back to the community and help those less fortunate than themselves. </div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c7e9a431683a4554b3f4a3129f0e2a07~mv2_d_4895_3975_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>This year, the event took place in Thuan Mang School, the biggest school in the area. KOTO was able to bring some joy and a new experience for the children of this region as most of therm has never tasted Pho - the Vietnam's signature dish. </div><div>Photo: Thang and Hai – 7 years old - could not hide their excitement and happiness.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_435edfacfc5440a2a4e8835e58b4f052~mv2.jpg"/><div>Photo: KOTO trainees had a great time helping the kids have their first experience of Phở</div><div>There were over 1,800 bowls of “Pho” served, more than 600 much needed gifts including blankets, warm socks and school supplies were donated to more than 500 children in the remote villages. Necessities including hygiene products and 2 water filters were also given to the local community. </div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c27d2912b07747aaa902d66cf77488b8~mv2_d_7360_4912_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>KOTO trainees and local children also performed dances and songs to entertain the community in the gala night. There were lots of laughs, joys and sharing, together the KOTO team and the locals had an unforgettable bonfire night.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_af5d1eec596c4a03871142e7304245c7~mv2_d_2813_1887_s_2.jpg"/><div>We also would like to express our sincere gratitude to the generous sponsors Childfund organisation, Italisa Sanitary Ware Company, MANHLONG Trade and Tourism Limited Company, Wide Eyes Tour, KOTO alumni and the KOTO staff and trainees for making this event a meaningful and a successful one.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_d95a0e3f36d04e0186c5e24b55df45f5~mv2_d_7360_4912_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>About KOTO</div><div>KOTO stands for “Know One, Teach One”. It is a foundation and social enterprise, aiming to educate and empower at-risk and disadvantaged Vietnamese youths. There are now over 1000 graduates and 200 trainees and any one time.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Over US$20,000 has been raised for the new KOTO school in Dong Nai at the KOTO Charity Dinner</title><description><![CDATA[Ho Chi Minh City - December 20th 2016The warm “KOTO charity dinner” was organised on December 20th, 2016 in support of building the new KOTO school in Dong Nai, which will provide a second training school and better accommodation for the at-risk and disadvantaged Vietnamese youths.The dinner took place at the residence of Ms. Karen Lanyon - Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, catered by KOTO’s very own graduate chefs and current trainees, also thanks to Moet Hennessey for providing<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_b6d4449767ae4544b9a1289e893185c5%7Emv2_d_4204_2876_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_457%2Ch_312/c13e02_b6d4449767ae4544b9a1289e893185c5%7Emv2_d_4204_2876_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/23/Over-US20000-has-been-raised-for-the-new-KOTO-school-in-Dong-Nai-at-the-KOTO-Charity-Dinner</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/23/Over-US20000-has-been-raised-for-the-new-KOTO-school-in-Dong-Nai-at-the-KOTO-Charity-Dinner</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2016 03:14:29 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Ho Chi Minh City - December 20th 2016</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_b6d4449767ae4544b9a1289e893185c5~mv2_d_4204_2876_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>The warm “KOTO charity dinner” was organised on December 20th, 2016 in support of building the new KOTO school in Dong Nai, which will provide a second training school and better accommodation for the at-risk and disadvantaged Vietnamese youths.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_f85daf6bf17443fcb2401204aed66b1f~mv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>The dinner took place at the residence of Ms. Karen Lanyon - Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, catered by KOTO’s very own graduate chefs and current trainees, also thanks to Moet Hennessey for providing the fine wines and decoration.. Three items were auctioned in the dinner: 3 bottles of wine from Mr. Jimmy Pham, a voucher of the Six Senses Resort - Ninh Van Bay and a gold phoenix carving from Mrs. Dương Minh, which raised more than US$20,000.</div><div>The KOTO Foundation was honoured to have the participations of Ms. Mỹ Nguyễn &amp; MMSoft Company, Ms. Truong Thi May (First Runner-up of Miss Ethnic Vietnam 2007), and many other guests in this meaningful event.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_6bed6e3244194f58b343ed30a8ca3314~mv2_d_3071_2903_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>On behalf of The KOTO Foundation, Ms. Yuki Binh Dam – KOTO Marketing Manager expressed her gratitude to all the guests:</div><div>“We would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to your generous contribution to the success of KOTO Charity Dinner. Thanks to the money raised $20,000 from the live auction and donation at the dinner, you have enable us to develop our project of building a new KOTO school in Dong Nai where our trainees will have a place to learn, live, develop and more than that it would be their second home. We hope that you will continue to help to move forward with this school which is expected to finish by winter of 2018.”</div><div>About KOTO</div><div>KOTO stands for “Know One, Teach One”. It is a foundation and social enterprise, aiming to educate and empower at-risk and disadvantaged Vietnamese youths. There are now over 1000 graduates and 200 trainees and any one time.</div><div>Media contact</div><div>Ms. Yuki Binh Dam – Marketing Manager – KOTO Foundation and Enterprise</div><div>E: yuki.binh@koto.com.au</div><div>###</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A cooking class with Chef Alex Fernando Salgado Sanchez from Columbia</title><description><![CDATA[KOTO was lucky enough to enjoy a visit from celebrity chef Chef Alex Fernando Salgado Sanchez, from the OCIO Restaurant, in Botoga the Capital of Columbia on Monday (19/12/2016). Claudia Liliana Zambrano Naranjo, the Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy of Columbia in Hanoi, facilitated the event during a very short visit by chef Alex to the city. The students were very excited to meet the chef but also to be able to learn some information about Columbian food. He did a cooking demonstration in the<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ded9fc6f6b742f190cd656b83543fdc%7Emv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>Thanh Vu</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/21/A-cooking-class-with-Chef-Alex-Fernando-Salgado-Sanchez-from-Columbia</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/21/A-cooking-class-with-Chef-Alex-Fernando-Salgado-Sanchez-from-Columbia</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2016 08:26:50 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_7ded9fc6f6b742f190cd656b83543fdc~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>KOTO was lucky enough to enjoy a visit from celebrity chef Chef Alex Fernando Salgado Sanchez, from the OCIO Restaurant, in Botoga the Capital of Columbia on Monday (19/12/2016). Claudia Liliana Zambrano Naranjo, the Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy of Columbia in Hanoi, facilitated the event during a very short visit by chef Alex to the city. </div><div>The students were very excited to meet the chef but also to be able to learn some information about Columbian food. He did a cooking demonstration in the training kitchen at the KOTO Training Centre at Yen Vien using special herbs and utensils from Columbia. There were a traditional clay cooking pot and a traditional bowl used to both cook in and serve the specific dishes he presented.</div><div>How to make Coconut rice, a popular Columbian dish influenced by the influx of African immigrants in the past, was demonstrated for the trainees, along with Salmon Ceviche.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_9790208cab0b4379aa4a30a2dcaac50f~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_fa1fc05ab6d946d288857543dd518c2c~mv2_d_4704_3242_s_4_2.jpg"/><div> Ms Naranjo attended the event and was accompanied by her husband, and KOTO was honoured to have the group at our centre. They presented the trainees with a white apron with a bright Columbian motif on them. Each of the trainees was also presented with a certificate for having taken part in the training event.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_810f4aee11d5441e9945feec05f949bf~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_50b2711feb064823a8d33211e21ef828~mv2_d_6000_3601_s_4_2.jpg"/><div>We would like to send our heartfelt thanks to both the Chef and the Columbian Embassy for their efforts to share their specialty food with the KOTO team.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The annual KOTO Winter Appeal is coming up soon – we need your support</title><description><![CDATA[Every winter, KOTO staff and trainees visit an organisation as part of their community service program – an opportunity for our trainees to give back to the community and help those less fortunate than themselves.During the annual Winter Appeal, we close the KOTO Restaurant so the entire team can spend the day working in the community, serving food, sharing gifts and providing much needed winter clothing and other items to the beneficiary. This year, KOTO chose to help Ngan Son Bac Can, a<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c616cba262d941408239d4ad3c501462%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_416/c13e02_c616cba262d941408239d4ad3c501462%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/20/The-annual-KOTO-Winter-Appeal-is-coming-up-soon-%E2%80%93-we-need-your-support</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/20/The-annual-KOTO-Winter-Appeal-is-coming-up-soon-%E2%80%93-we-need-your-support</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2016 07:42:37 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c616cba262d941408239d4ad3c501462~mv2.jpg"/><div>Every winter, KOTO staff and trainees visit an organisation as part of their community service program – an opportunity for our trainees to give back to the community and help those less fortunate than themselves.</div><div>During the annual Winter Appeal, we close the KOTO Restaurant so the entire team can spend the day working in the community, serving food, sharing gifts and providing much needed winter clothing and other items to the beneficiary. This year, KOTO chose to help Ngan Son Bac Can, a village located 220 kilometers away from Hanoi.</div><div>Last Sunday, KOTO’s staff went on a journey to visit three different schools in Ngan Son Bac Can, and has made the final decision to host the event in Thuan Mang school, which is the biggest one in the area. All three schools will be reunited there for the event, counting a total of 515 students of varying age: 216 in kindergarten, 170 in primary school, and 129 in secondary school.The event will take place from the 30th to the 31st of December, and 120 members of KOTO’s staff and trainees will be in charge of various entertainments and cooking for the children. The food that will be served is a traditional Vietnamese cuisine named “Pho”, a beef noodle soup. The gifts consist of various clothes to prepare children for the upcoming winter, such as blankets, sweaters and warm socks.</div><div>What is the benefit when you donate for this event?</div><div>All of the support will be included in our thank-you speech in the event.Support of organizations or companies which is above 10.000.000 VNĐ: Your logo will be located on our event banner.Support of organizations or companies which is above 50.000.000 VNĐ: You can join us on our trip and give a speech in our event.</div><div>How you can help us in order to make this happen:</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_c8822da5523e444298169783fbc171b2~mv2_d_2592_1944_s_2.jpg"/><div>Financial support: All financial support is welcomed and will cover the primary needs for the event, as well as the necessary support for that area as following:</div><div>1,500 bowls of Pho (ingredients required: soup, beef and noodles), for 25,000 VND/1 EUR/1.10 USD each - Total: 37,500,000 VND/ 1500 EUR/ 1660 USD655 gifts for 100,000 VND/ 4 EUR/ 4.50 USD each</div><div>Total: 65,500,000 VND/ 2730 EUR/ 2900 USD</div><div>Aside from gifts and food, KOTO required transportation for both days by bus. The good news is that we do not need to worry about it anymore, as one bus has already been funded by Wide Eyes Tour, a local travel agency; the other bus was generously funded by KOTO alumni.</div><div>Additional costs apply for KOTO’s staffs as well as transportation: two lunches (one at arrival and one before departure) for the 120 members of staff and trainees, which will cost 4,000,000 VND/ 160 EUR/ 180 USD in total.</div><div>In-take support: Beside the financial support, you can help the village with their necessity for the area:</div><div>A water filter to provide access to clean and safe water to the village - Total cost: 4,000,000 VND/167 EUR/177 USDComputers that will help the school with the administrative work. The objective is to have at least three computers; however more of them can only benefit the living conditions - Cost: 6,000,000 VND/ 251 EUR/ 266 USD eachBasic school supplies, such as pencils, notebooks, and erasers that will set children into a better learning environment - Total cost for all students: approximately 10,000,000 VND/418 EUR/ 443 USDPhysical education equipment that will encourage students to exercise, and give them the chance to take part in extra-curricular activities - Total cost for all students: approximately 3,000,000 VND/125 EUR/133 USD.Any donation, big or small, does make a big difference to KOTO. Without your support, this annual event wouldn’t be able to take place.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_2f8a09dd745e4f82b34d9050bb4bb947~mv2.jpg"/><div>Any donation, big or small, does make a big difference to KOTO. Without your support, this annual event wouldn’t be able to take place.</div><div>For all the support, please contact: </div><div>Ms. Hanh - alumni.manager@koto.com.au - </div><div>Mob: 0904505393 </div><div>A warm thank from all of our trainees, staff and alumni.</div><div>KOTO.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New classroom for the trainees from the Alfresco's Group</title><description><![CDATA[Last month the Alfresco's Group kindly sponsored a classroom as part of the renovations to the KOTO training centre in Yen Vien. The Alfresco's Group has donated a total of 50,000,000 VNĐ which has allowed us to set up our 'Alfresco's Classroom'. The donation went towards students desks and chairs, a teachers desk and chair, a new data projector, a new Air conditioning unit, a glass white board, flooring, painting and decorating of the room. This has made a huge difference to our training centre<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_05e3c59a59e44619b91a16f34b5c61d0%7Emv2_d_2592_1728_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_417/c13e02_05e3c59a59e44619b91a16f34b5c61d0%7Emv2_d_2592_1728_s_2.jpg"/>]]></description><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/20/New-classroom-for-the-trainees-from-the-Alfrescos-Group</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/20/New-classroom-for-the-trainees-from-the-Alfrescos-Group</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2016 06:27:11 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_05e3c59a59e44619b91a16f34b5c61d0~mv2_d_2592_1728_s_2.jpg"/><div>Last month the Alfresco's Group kindly sponsored a classroom as part of the renovations to the KOTO training centre in Yen Vien. The Alfresco's Group has donated a total of 50,000,000 VNĐ which has allowed us to set up our 'Alfresco's Classroom'. The donation went towards students desks and chairs, a teachers desk and chair, a new data projector, a new Air conditioning unit, a glass white board, flooring, painting and decorating of the room. </div><div>This has made a huge difference to our training centre and to the experience for the trainees while learning at the centre with facilities in the the room being set up with the latest equipment and furniture. </div><div>In the coming months Alfresco's group representatives will visit the training centre and meet with trainees to share knowledge and information about their organisation. KOTO trainees will have the opportunity to do work experience and also apply to work at the Alfresco's group restaurants now this relationship has begun. KOTO and Alfresco's have signed a 3 year MOU which ensures our ongoing relationship in the future.</div><div>Here are some sneak peak photos of this wonderful classroom:</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_32bbcf42c46547ec8cd1f98e294a6e46~mv2_d_2592_1728_s_2.jpg"/><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c13e02_75a9921e46384c87910a2c91b55686be~mv2_d_2592_1728_s_2.jpg"/></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>KOTO’s 15th annual fundraising ride raised more than $8,500 for at-risk and disadvantaged youths.</title><description><![CDATA[Hanoi, Vietnam - November 20:The KOTO Foundation organized an annual fundraising ride for its 15th time - Dream Ride, which raised a record this year - $8,500. Almost 100 cyclists pedalled more than 60 km on the most scenic roads, experiencing iconic historic sites in the countryside of northern Hanoi whilst at the same time contributing to sponsor scholarships to at-risk and disadvantaged youths in Vietnam. The ride concluded with a hearty meal serving by KOTO trainees. Ms. Cynthia Mann won the<img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/8be9a4_5246e335218f4a169f18a6b01c425d70%7Emv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_626%2Ch_469/8be9a4_5246e335218f4a169f18a6b01c425d70%7Emv2.jpg"/>]]></description><dc:creator>Yuki Binh Dam</dc:creator><link>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/01/Dreamride2016</link><guid>https://www.koto.com.au/single-post/2016/12/01/Dreamride2016</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2016 22:06:09 +0000</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div>Hanoi, Vietnam - November 20:</div><div>The KOTO Foundation organized an annual fundraising ride for its 15th time - Dream Ride, which raised a record this year - $8,500. Almost 100 cyclists pedalled more than 60 km on the most scenic roads, experiencing iconic historic sites in the countryside of northern Hanoi whilst at the same time contributing to sponsor scholarships to at-risk and disadvantaged youths in Vietnam. The ride concluded with a hearty meal serving by KOTO trainees. Ms. Cynthia Mann won the first prize, a two day getaway courtesy of Intrepid Travel. The second prize, a dinner for two at Pots’nPans, went to Mr Herve Mangon. And the third prize, a shopping voucher for Emporium, won by Mr Dan Hamer.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/8be9a4_5246e335218f4a169f18a6b01c425d70~mv2.jpg"/><div>Growing from just 30 riders in 2001 to over 100 riders KOTO has been able to raise over $265,000 USD over the last 15 years. Each year the event have attracted around 100-200 riders to fundraise for KOTO trainee scholarships. KOTO Dream Ride 2016 was sponsored by Pan Pacific, Ugether, Furbrew Beer Bar, Starbucks Vietnam, Exotissimo Travel, Chops Vietnam, International SOS, Crown Relocation, Pots n Pans, Intrepid Travel, Emporium.</div><div>A number of the participants showed their excitement through this experience. The organizer of the US Embassy Team said:</div><div> “On behalf of the US Embassy, I want to thank you for an amazing experience and fun event! We had a lot of fun yesterday. The weather was perfect, the ride was inspiring to ride through the villages and plantations and the food and beer was wonderful! Thank you for making it so easy to register and rent bikes. Count us in next year for joining this event again”.</div><img src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/8be9a4_99a19d70bf3d4052b43a182dcd3bfa45~mv2.jpg"/><div>On behalf of The KOTO Foundation, the founder, Jimmy Pham expresses his gratitude to sponsors, participants and all supporters who have made this event a success: “Thank you very much for your fantastic support for our Dream Ride event this year. Your generosity and participation have made a significant contribution to bringing a dream of new and comfortable facility of the brand-new KOTO training centre in Yen Vien, Gia Lam, Hanoi to a reality.”</div><div>About KOTO </div><div>KOTO stands for “Know One, Teach One”. It is a foundation and social enterprise, aiming to educate and empower at-risk and disadvantaged Vietnamese youths. There are now over 1000 graduates and 200 trainees and any one time.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>