This Vietnamese-Australian Is Turning Hanoi’s Impoverished Kids Into Top Chefs

The journey of KOTO (Know One, Teach One) began in the late 1990s in Hanoi, born from a moment of betrayal that Jimmy Pham transformed into a mission of empowerment. After discovering that the street children he had been supporting were exploiting his charity, the Vietnamese-Australian realized that handouts were a temporary fix for a systemic problem. Rather than turning his back on them, he decided to replace "giving a fish" with "teaching how to fish," establishing Vietnam’s first social enterprise to provide marginalized youth with actual career paths.

What started as a small sandwich shop has evolved into a powerhouse for social mobility, having reshaped the lives of over 1,000 disadvantaged young people as of 2021. The heart of the program is a rigorous, two-year scholarship that covers everything from hospitality training and English literacy to board and mental welfare. Crucially, the curriculum is accredited by Australia’s Box Hill Institute, granting students a globally recognized Hospitality Certificate that serves as a direct bridge to higher education and international career opportunities.

The economic results of this model are nothing short of transformative. KOTO boasts a 100% employment rate for its graduates, who earn a median income nearly 96% above the national minimum wage. This financial stability ripples through entire communities: over 30% of alumni hold managerial positions, and nearly 80% provide enough support to keep their younger siblings in school. By setting high professional standards, KOTO ensures its graduates are viewed not as charity cases, but as highly skilled professionals.

In recognition of this impact, Jimmy Pham has received prestigious global honors, including the UNICEF Zero Award and the King Hamad Award. Most recently, the 2021 Waislitz Global Citizens' Choice Award provided a $50,000 grant that proved critical in sustaining the organization through the pandemic. This funding ensured that the 100 students currently enrolled could complete their training and enter a global market where their skills are in high demand due to widespread labor shortages in the hospitality sector.

Beyond the technical skills, the soul of KOTO lies in its "pay it forward" philosophy. Students are selected based on their drive and their willingness to contribute to society, rejecting the idea that their background entitles them to a living without effort. For Pham, the ultimate metric of success isn't the prestige of the awards or the growth of the restaurants; it is seeing his graduates use their newfound stability to uplift at least one other life, effectively breaking the cycle of poverty one person at a time.