KOTO’s Jimmy Pham with Project Happy Feet’s co-founders Deborah Chew and Terence Quek
Founder of Know-One-Teach-One (KOTO), a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam stopped by Project Happy Feet office on 3 Nov, bringing with him updates on developments in KOTO Hanoi and Saigon, as well as how PHF’s sponsored students and graduates are doing.
During the lunch meeting, Jimmy, who was honoured as Young Global Leader 2011 by the World Economic Forum, shared that after months of hard work, the KOTO Saigon Restaurant is now open for business at 151A Hai Ba Trung Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Jimmy also shared future plans for KOTO to support more graduates in opening up their own restaurants with the help of sponsors, so that they can be empowered to grow their future and help others like them.
Even more exciting are plans with Project Happy Feet to bring one of the classes (about 25 youths) to Singapore for them to give back to society, gain greater exposure, and hopefully, land a job in the hospitality industry here. In addition, plans for KOTO to organise Project Happy Feet Slipper Race in Hanoi, and for Chefs for a Cause 2 to be organised in Singapore are brewing. Needless to say, it was a short, but productive meeting!
Project Happy Feet wishes Jimmy, staff of KOTO, and its students past and present, all the very best in their endeavours! And we look forward to our sponsored students graduating!
