Vietnam is the latest location for a new joint initiative by the Tui Care Foundation.
The travel group’s charitable arm is creating a safety network for disadvantaged communities in Hue City in collaboration with humanitarian organisation Plan International.
Vocational training will be provided to 350 disadvantaged young people, with 180 enrolling in tourism-related training.
Students gain practical experience over four months, including time spent at a newly-opened social enterprise training restaurant, to get their hospitality careers underway.
The project also builds on other tools to bolster the potential of the local community by raising awareness on child protection for disadvantaged children, youth and their families.
Hue City authority started to resettle families and communities a decade ago from boats on Hue’s rivers to apartment complexes and houses.
While living on boats, most children did not go to school and many still have little chances of using education to break the cycle of poverty.
Many children are being sent out to work on the streets to support the family’s income by selling snacks or vegetables at street stalls from dawn to midnight.
Foundation executive director, Alexander Panczuk, said: “Youth in the city of Hue have huge potential but often lack proper education and training.
“Together with Plan International we aim to open up new perspectives for young women and men through personal and social empowerment.
“With practical resources on the ground the initiative provides education but also develops organisational support structures which enable the community to further develop on their own.”
Kathrin Hartkopf, director of Plan Germany, added: “Sustainability is a key driver of this project. We are not only giving youth in Hue the chance of a decent education and job opportunities, but also strengthen the local economy with a self-sustaining restaurant and micro-loans for 160 households.
“We want to make sure, that children, youth and their families benefit from our engagement with Tui Care Foundation and we are looking forward to our growing a partnership that will make a real and long lasting change to children’s life.”
Both organisations partnered to establish a Tui Academy in the Dominican Republic, providing education and employment opportunities to more than 150 disadvantaged girls and boys.
Tui Academies are also in place in Zanzibar and Namibia.