Established in 2006, Tohe provides disadvantaged children in Viet Nam with creative playgrounds for learning, playing, and artistic experiences. Tohe works with children with disabilities, autistic children, orphans, and more – and returns 5% of the revenue to those whose paintings are used.
Tohe Co-Founder and Chairman Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nguyen shares his #impact journey.
Tell me briefly about your #impact business activities.
Tohe is a Vietnamese social enterprise established in 2006 with the mission of providing creative playgrounds for children in need (children with disabilities, children with autism, orphans, children living in remote areas, etc.). Their works are selected to design lifestyle products (accessories, fashion, children’s toys, etc.) that are sold to individual and corporate customers in Viet Nam and overseas. Five percent of sales are paid to the children as a tribute.
In addition, Tohe regularly organizes art exhibitions to honor the artistic talents of special children and raise awareness about autism. We also organize “edu-tainment” events for children and families in different areas of Viet Nam.
Tohe organizes art playgrounds and art coaching classes with specialized content built according to the 3H method (Head – Hand – Heart) and Learning through play to help children improve and develop their Knowledge, Skills, Emotions. When participating in activities, children can have fun, freely, and confidently express themselves, connect and explore the world.
*** “tò he” is the name of a folk toy in Viet Nam. It is made from sticky rice powder and natural food colouring. Children can play with it, then can eat it. This is close to the concept of Tòhe brand.
How did your #impact journey begin?
In 2005, a group of friends and I started to have volunteer activities at social protection centers near Hanoi. We went to the centers every weekend, organizing art sessions/playgrounds for disadvantaged children. Many of them have severe disabilities. Of course, they had never got opportunity to learn or play with art before. Participating the playgrounds, they were very excited and happy.
And we were strongly fascinated by their artworks which not only were beautiful and playful but also brought us positive emotions. Tohe was established in 2006 to not only help them learn and experience art, but also get benefits from their artworks. We started to support special children to improve their material and spiritual lives through our business model.
When working with autistic children, communication is extremely difficult for them. Difficulty in communicating with others causes children to have many other problems in life (not being able to express their inner desires and emotions, not having the opportunity to access other necessary supports, etc.). Through playing with art, children gradually find ways to express themselves and communicate with people.
Art is also a great means to help children develop creative thinking and imagination, helping to nurture their emotions and spirit.
– Nguyen Dinh Nguyen, Co-Founder and Chairman of Tohe
Why did Tohe decide to focus its work on children with disabilities?
According to Tuoi Tre newspaper of Viet Nam,Viet Nam has about 2 million disabled children. Children with autism account for about 1% of children born.
Currently in Viet Nam there are very few units providing art education programs for children with disabilities, especially autistic children. Tohe is the organization with the longest operating time. For nearly 18 years, we have continuously maintained art classes, training programs and playgrounds for those children, even during the Covid-19 period.
Autism awareness in Viet Nam is still limited, and support for autistic children is also very limited. Every year we actively work to raise awareness about autism syndrome in Viet Nam (exhibitions, workshops, seminars, events, etc.). Our wish is not only to help children and their families improve their material and spiritual lives, but also to spread good values and playful spirit to everyone.
Tohe is also currently the only unit in Viet Nam that designs and sells lifestyle products using special children’s drawings.
How did you scale your #impact business?
In the early stages of establishing Tohe, we, of course, encountered many difficulties. Tohe’s model is associated with educational activities for special children, so it is not simple. In addition, we had to start a completely new field compared to previous business experiences, from studying materials, printing technology, to processing, retail.
In the early days of operation, we did not know that we were a social enterprise model. Then we were supported by some NGOs and the British Council in Viet Nam and we were identified as a social enterprise since around 2008. We also received a lot of support for capacity building and networking for business activities.
Year by year, by our commitment to pursuing social goals along with much efforts to improve business performance, we have gradually gained a stronger foothold in the market.
To date, Tohe has been a trusted partner of hundreds of domestic and international businesses and development organizations. Our contributions to children also increase significantly every day. Until now we have delivered art education to more than 5000 disadvantaged children at about 50 places and 100 online workshops.
By early 2024, it is estimated that the amount of painting copyrights we have sent back to the children will reach more than 2 billion VND.
What is the goal of your #impact business?
From the beginning days, Tohe’s mission was to provide opportunities to access art /creative playgrounds for disadvantaged children. We aim to improve the spiritual and material life of children in difficult circumstances.
After many years of working with children, we have also learned a lot from them.
It is the children’s playful, optimistic spirit and wonderful creative qualities that are the inspiration for all our work.
– Nguyen Dinh Nguyen, Co-Founder and Chairman of Tohe
Besides supporting the children, we also want to spread that playful spirit to everyone, helping to improve mental health as well as profound insights in life.
What are challenges you faced in your business journey and how did you overcome these?
Our biggest challenge is to ensure two goals at the same time: business and society. Regarding social objective, working with disadvantaged children, especially in the field of education takes a long time to prove specific results.
As pioneers in this field in Viet Nam, we have to research most of the necessary knowledge, skills, etc. by ourselves. We execute, test, innovate and gradually build impact measurement tools for our own activities. In the meantime, parents’ needs and awareness of art education for special children have also been limited. They have not really prioritized this activity in caring for and raising autistic children.
We also have to mobilize and provide training for collaborators from many sources (most of them students), but they cannot participate in a long term. We need to recruit new collaborators every year (or even every six months). Regarding business, the field of lifestyle products and providing gift services for individuals and businesses faces great competition, especially in terms of price.
What further support are you seeking from the Vietnamese government?
We expect to get supportive policies on taxes, administrative procedures and networking support for social enterprises in both Viet Nam and overseas. In Viet Nam now, there are almost no specific policies to support social enterprises.
What are some growth strategies you can share with other ASEAN #impact business owners?
Tohe is a complex business model with many different areas of activity. Participating in or building the ecosystem has supported us a lot in mobilizing resources, as well as expanding our network of partners.
In a competitive and rapidly changing market context, innovation and quick adaptation are extremely important.
– Nguyen Dinh Nguyen, Co-Founder and Chairman of Tohe
What we are proud of is that Tohe never intended to give up. We are fortunate to have a wonderful staff who share a love for children and bring enthusiasm, innovative spirit and creativity to all their work. Tohe’s partners, collaborators, and customers are valuable friends, special ambassadors of playful spirit who accompany us on our journey.
*Photos courtesy of Tohe.
Learn more about Tohe on their website: https://www.tohe.vn/
Disclaimers: This article does not constitute the promotion of the featured business. Interviews have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
| #ImpactASEAN is an initiative by the ASEAN-Japan Centre to spotlight impact investment & sustainable finance ecosystem actors of ASEAN and Japan. The ASEAN-Japan Centre works as an Enabler collaborating directly with its counterparts to promote impact investment through seminars, collaborative workshops, company visits, and research publications among others. Be a part of the #imapct and send us an email at info_rpa@asean.or.jp. |
