KOTO
This Australian-Vietnamese organisation is a vocational training scheme that works with disadvantaged young people in Vietnam. Founded by Jimmy Pham, who was born in Vietnam and migrated to Australia as a child, the scheme helps children graduate with an internationally recognised hospitality certificate. Trainees are given accommodation and training, and graduates work in top hotels and restaurants across Vietnam, including the KOTO restaurants in Saigon or Hanoi.
There are a plethora of ways to help. You can help by sponsoring a trainee, sponsoring a brick in the restaurant, volunteering or buying a gift. Find out more here and help keep this valuable work going
Feeding America
The largest domestic hunger-relief charity in the US supplies food to more than 25 million Americans each year. Among these are 14 million children, who receive essential food from the organisation’s 202 food banks.
The group estimates that one in six people in the US don’t have enough to eat. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.
They are calling for supporters to help by buying a family a meal for the festive season. The amount given us being matched by Unilever, meaning you can give those in need, two meals for the price of one. Find out more and give your support here
Action Against Hunger
Among many important projects, the Central African Republic is a key project for the charity. The Action Against Hunger team told Foodservice Consultant about the work they are doing there:
While the world’s attention is focused on the devastating crises in Syria and the Philippines, another emergency is unfolding unnoticed in one of the poorest countries worldwide, the Central African Republic. Located in the heart of Africa, many people do not even know it exists. And yet over a third of its population does not know what tomorrow may bring.
The situation came to a head earlier this year, when the government was overthrown. Since then thousands of people already living on the brink of survival are facing even more challenges. The situation is having dire consequences with children bearing the brunt of the violence: the number of children with life-threatening malnutrition admitted to the health facilities supported by Action Against Hunger has already doubled compared to last year.
Our teams are supporting health centres and treating malnourished children as well as providing families with food vouchers, helping farmers and supporting local markets. Our goal is to restore self-sufficiency for all families affected by the crisis, despite the ongoing challenges. We believe that all children around the world should have access to the nutrition they need to develop.
So we’re calling on all of you to get involved. From runs to bike rides, from pub quizzes to bake sales, we can help you find the best way to fundraise for us. To find out more, visit www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk or email lovefoodgivefood@actionagainsthunger.og.uk.
British Red Cross
The refugee crisis in Syria is the worst in twenty years, according to the United Nations, and shows no sign of abating. Because of its impartiality, the Red Cross is in a good position to reach people in desperate need. Working in incredibly perilous conditions, volunteers and staff with the Red Cross and Red Crescent are travelling to dangerous areas to deliver food and supplies to two million refugees, of which one million are children.
Donating just £32 could buy two kitchen sets, to allow a families to cook for themselves, and £96 will provide three precious food parcels for displaced people. Find out more about the work the Red Cross does in Syria and in other crucial projects here
The Hunger Project
This charity, whose mantra is to “empower women and men to end their own hunger”, works across 11 countries in Africa, South Asia and Latin America to provide programmes that create a lasting change. One such project provides training, savings and credit to food farmers in Africa, of which 75% are women.
Your donations are matched by a group of investors, meaning twice as much can go towards the organisation’s valuable work. Find out more at thp.org
Heifer International
A five-year project in Armenia being run by the World Bank and Heifer International, an organisation that aims to teach self-reliance among struggling communities, is seeking to improve small-scale agriculture. One of many projects run by Heifer, the scheme is supporting 55 communities and 24,000 families. The country has been badly hit by recession and the project will help improve roads to remote pastures, provide equipment for rural farmers, watering points and nutrition for livestock.
Heifer runs projects in 30 countries around the world, working to increase the productivity of small farms and help those who run them see a clear path out of poverty. Help Heifer’s work to end poverty and hunger and donate here.
Helen Roxburgh
