Lý do KOTO ra đời

Key Concepts:

• Making a Difference: The initial motivation for the speaker's actions.
• Cultural Understanding: Acknowledged lack of understanding of the local culture.
• Street Kids: The primary group the speaker initially focused on helping.
• Hospitality Industry: Identified as a practical and transferable skill to offer.
• Tourism/Travel Industry: Leveraged for job creation.
• COD (Center of Opportunity): The organization that emerged from the initial efforts.
• Family and Belonging: Identified as foundational elements for the kids and the organization.

Initial Motivation and Early Efforts

The speaker arrived with a strong desire to "make a difference" but lacked an understanding of the local culture and how to effectively achieve this. For the first three years, their efforts were primarily focused on looking after street kids wherever they traveled. This was a personal initiative, funded by the speaker's own money, driven by identifying needs and acting upon them.

The Genesis of COD

The turning point occurred in 1999 when a group of children the speaker had been supporting for three years in Hanoi approached them. These children expressed a need for more than just basic care; they required employment. The speaker, not being part of an established NGO and lacking financial resources, faced a challenge in fulfilling this request.

Leveraging Hospitality and the Travel Industry

Recognizing the need for practical skills, the speaker identified the hospitality industry as the most transferable and practical area to offer. By utilizing their contacts within the tourism and travel industry, they aimed to create job opportunities.

Early Ventures and the Birth of a Family

The initial ventures involved making "terrible sandwiches" and "terrible milkshakes." Despite the quality of the products, the crucial outcome was the creation of a "family" for these children. This sense of belonging, fostered through these early efforts, is highlighted as the fundamental foundation upon which COD was built.