Le Thanh Thuy, 23, KOTO Graduate
Petite and always smiling, it’s hard to imagine that Le Thanh Thuy, 23 carries a burden that some of us will find hard to bear.
Born to a dumb and deaf father and mentally-ill mother, Thuy’s family has had to rely on social subsidies to get by.
Although her father earns income as a shoe shiner, finances are so tight that Thuy’s two younger sisters have had to live in the Sponsoring Center for the past 10 years.
Thuy graduated from high school with the monetary support of her teachers and fellow pupil’s parents, but refused to take exams for further education as she feared that she would be unable to pay for it. As a result, she tried selling bread, but stopped after two months due to poor sales.
It was then that she found out about KOTO.
Upon acceptance, she underwent a two-year training programme at the Front Of House section. After learning of her family’s plight, KOTO also offered her father to work at its kitchen in the stewarding section. With this added income, Thuy then decided to take her two sisters back home, and supported them through education.
Now a KOTO graduate, Thuy’s hopes of a better future have been greatly strengthened. She hopes to see both of her sisters through to university so that her family can have a better life.
