Charities

We believe in the power of international education. It opens our eyes to new perspectives and gives us a better understanding of the world – and how we can change it for the better. A constant search and thirst for education doesn’t stop with a graduation ceremony.

Actually, it never stops.

Our work

We are proud to work with a variety of education-related charities from around the world to help them effect change and, more importantly, to educate ourselves about the world we live in. With every article we publish on i-STUDENTglobal, we want to shed light on the principles of doing good, the world in need and the world as a whole.

KOTO

KOTO is a not-for-profit social enterprise that transforms the lives of over 200 disadvantaged and at-risk youth in Vietnam each year through their 24-month holistic hospitality training program. KOTO stands for ‘Know One, Teach One’, and reflects their belief that if you’re in a position where you can help someone less fortunate, then you should. The greatest thanks you can receive is to one day see that person be in a position to do the same for someone else.

Founded by Jimmy Pham, an Australian-Vietnamese man whose desire was to provide 9 street children with training, a stable income and a safe workplace in a small unassuming sandwich café in Hanoi, has evolved and grown over the last twenty years. After two decades, KOTO continues to be recognised as a dynamic organisation producing well-trained graduates who are highly sought after by the tourism and hospitality industry, both within Vietnam and abroad. 

Their almost 1,000 strong alumni network work across the world in leading resorts, hotels, and restaurants. Many have also started their own hospitality and tourism businesses and are employing KOTO graduates themselves. A number of their graduates have received scholarships to further their studies in Australia, thanks to the accreditation of their qualification by Australia’s Box Hill Institute. Visit KOTO’s whySTUDYhere page.

Lights for Learning

Lights for Learning is a UK charity based in Cricklade, Wiltshire. They build and install solar-powered lighting in places of education. They work mainly in areas of the world where artificial lighting is impossible or hard to obtain. This benefits the entire communities in which these schools or clinics are based. They also provide solutions and training to other charities who have their own projects that are also aimed to help lift the education & health standards of similar communities.

Kathmandu Kids

In 2009, a ragtag group of travellers headed up Yala peak in Nepal. Seeing the faces of smiling yet poverty-stricken children was a bittersweet experience. These kids have no material goods and limited opportunities, yet still embrace the joy of life. Kathmandu Kids’ intrepid explorers felt a strong need to give something back. Back home in Perth, they joined forces with Sunrise Children’s Association Incorporated (SCAI). The result was Kathmandu Kids and a series of successful fundraising events. Every cent raised has gone towards improving the lives of children in Nepal. In recent years, the programme has expanded out to also provide education for children in the Jhapa and Nuwakot areas as well.

COCO

COCO provides sustainable sources of quality education to children living in poor and marginalised communities in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. They believe that education gives children the best possible opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. COCO was founded in 2000 by Steve Cram CBE after he witnessed first-hand the barriers to education for children living in poverty. Since then COCO has raised over £4 million to fund sustainable, community-led initiatives, positively impacting on the lives of over 200,000 people. They are currently partnering with 15 remote schools, providing quality education from nursery through to college level.