Tohe is a Vietnamese social enterprise that aims to provide opportunities for children with disabilities to practice creativity and express their individuality through art. They have partnered with Cross Fields since 2016, and have accepted 5 volunteers in the Corporate Volunteer Program (CVP) thus far. Outside of CVP, Tohe has collaborated with Cross Fields on many other projects, such as the crowdfunding campaign in 2020 and the volunteer exchange program with Able Art Japan (AAJ) in 2022.
Cross Fields members had the opportunity to speak with Tohe representatives Van and Thu about their experiences with the CVP, as well as their impressions of Tohe’s partnership with Cross Fields overall.
(Written by Elena, Crossfields intern)
Learnings and Impacts from CVP
—Why did you decide to accept our volunteers to your organization, and why do you continue to accept them?
Van: We love to welcome volunteers from Cross Fields because it is a good opportunity for Tohe’s staff to connect to and learn from the experiences of volunteers who are professionals in their fields, such as sales and marketing.
Thu: I think one of the reasons is that we have always considered Cross Fields as a long-term partner and trusted friend. When we trust each other, we believe that we can create great value through any kind of collaboration.
In Tohe, we are just one small company, so we do not necessarily have enough resources to recruit highly professional human resources. So we would be very happy if an organization like Cross Fields can support us to gain these external human resources, especially from overseas like Japan. I think it would be very lucky for Tohe if we could continue the partnership with Cross Fields through the CVP.
Photo of Tohe’s store in Vietnam—Could you share an example of a volunteer that you worked with, and how that person impacted Tohe?
Van: I worked with a volunteer named Daisuke-san. He had the playful spirit of Tohe and the philosophy of Tohe. He fit in with Tohe’s culture really well and became like one of our members during his time here. Even after he came back to Japan, he still supported us in many other projects. I really appreciated his efforts to support Tohe.
While he was in Vietnam, he found Japanese expats in Vietnam who wanted to know more about our activities and wanted to volunteer for Tohe. He also connected us with Japanese companies in Hanoi, did some research about the Japanese market, and gave us a list of potential corporate customers we could collaborate with. So it was not only his professional life experiences but also his life spirit that helped us to learn so much from him.
Photo of Daisuke(left) and Tohe member— Looking back, what were some key takeaways or learning experiences that you gained from accepting these volunteers?
Thu: First is their working attitude. The volunteers concentrated on anything that they wanted to do and were well-prepared for any meeting or presentation. They were very eager to learn everything – Tohe’s business model was very new to them, so they had to study many new topics, not only about the products but also about art education, or working as an art teacher in Vietnam. I was quite impressed with their attitude in working, and their friendly attitudes when working with new colleagues.
Second is their motivation to share. Whenever we want to ask them anything, they are very happy to share. Not all of the volunteers indeed had strong background experiences in particular topics that would directly meet our needs, but we can still learn from their work ethic and can use what they’ve shared to reflect on what Tohe is doing now.
Van: Because the Tohe team has been working together for a long time, sometimes it’s hard to find totally new ideas for our activities. But when we accept someone from outside, they bring us new energy and new ideas that refresh our minds and inspire us to do new things.
Photo of Daisuke(left) were working with Tohe membersCollaboration under COVID-19
— During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tohe collaborated with Cross Fields on a crowdfunding campaign. Could you tell us more about that project, and why you decided to pursue it?
Van: During the pandemic, everything was turned upside down – we couldn’t produce the product, we couldn’t sell it, we needed to close the shop, and needed to work from home… At that time, everyone was stressed and worried about the situation. We didn’t have as much energy and a playful spirit as we usually do.
Because Tohe was going through such challenges, we shared our situation with Cross Fields. Then, members of Cross Fields had the idea to start some crowdfunding campaigns in Japan and get some support from Japanese people. At that time, five of volunteers (Sayumi, Hiro, and Yuichi from Cross Fields, Daisuke and Yu-chen who are CVP alumni) worked with us.
Van: I remember that we had a really good time. Even when we were working 100% online via Zoom, we actually had a lot of fun. Cross Fields gave us a few options for solutions to our financial situation. After many hours of discussion, we found a way to organize a crowdfunding program. We also thought that this project could be used as an example of how Tohe’s products have been loved by Japanese people whenever we are able to reach big Japanese corporations.
I think the campaign was very successful, and the success of the campaign gave us confidence. At the time, everything was very difficult, so this campaign was the highlight of the year. We were able to believe that everything could get better, and if we continued trying, we would find new opportunities, and we would overcome our challenges. Secondly, it gave us financial support because we were able to sell our products and receive funding. I think it also gave us a lot of information and insight into the Japanese market.
“The Exchange program also gave us many takeaways”
— In 2022, Tohe collaborated in the volunteering exchange program with Able Art Japan (AAJ), a Japanese non-profit organization that promotes inclusivity for people with disabilities through art. This involved sending two Tohe members, Ming and Trang, to AAJ and accepting one AAJ staff member, Saki, to Tohe for two weeks. What was your experience with this program?
Van: When I first received the information from Sayumi san from Cross Fields that they had a program like this, I was very excited. When Saki came to Tohe, and Ming and Trang went to AAJ in Japan, I think it was one of the decisions that I was most proud of.
Since AAJ is very similar to Tohe, we could learn a lot from their model and activities. They are like a role model for Tohe to learn and develop. So it was a very valuable experience for us to join that exchange program.
We also learned a lot from Saki because she had a lot of experience in working with people with disabilities. She was also the coordinator of a program that supports people with disabilities to experience art, which is very close to what we are doing, so we learned a lot from her.
Photo of Saki(center) was working at Tohe—What kind of learning experiences did Mihn and Trang have at AAJ, and how did that bring change to Tohe when they returned?
Van: Trang is a designer, and she’s in charge of creating the products for Tohe. And Ming is currently the Event Manager at Tohe, but at the time she was in charge of organizing events and collaborations with our partners.
For Trang, one of the things that I remember is that she was very impressed with how AAJ respected artists with disabilities and their talents, trying to keep their original artwork for every product. For Ming, she learned a lot about how AAJ designs inclusive events and programs for artists with many different disabilities – people who have visual impairment, deaf people, and others.
I think that the experience not only impacted Ming and Trang but also inspired the other staff a lot because I think it gave us new energy. In Vietnam, there are no other social enterprises that work to support people with disabilities through art, so we don’t have other models to look up to or learn from. So this was a valuable experience.
We also cooperated with AAJ to organize an art exhibition in Hanoi. AAJ sent artworks from Japan, and we displayed them with the Vietnamese artists’ artworks in Hanoi. We received many visitors, which helped to raise awareness about autism. So I think the impact of the program reached much further than just the people who joined the program because it opened many new opportunities for cooperation.
Photo of Ming and Trang were visiting JapanCross Fields is a “Trusted partner”
—What does Cross Fields as a partner organization mean to Tohe?
Thu: Firstly, they are a good friend to Tohe. We always appreciate this friendship because we believe that if we have friendship, we can accomplish a lot of things together – could be in business, or in any other kind of collaboration, like community activity, charity, or other topics. We appreciate all the support and the partnership between Tohe and Cross Fields for the past years.
Van: I think that Cross Fields is our trusted partner. I really appreciate our relationship because I have learned a lot from the Cross Fields members through the past programs; such as how they manage the program, how they prepare for every volunteer, how professional and hardworking they are, and how they always keep a good spirit. We can share a lot with Cross Fields, not only during the good times but also during the difficult times. Also, they have connected us and introduced us to many other organizations and potential partners, not only in Japan but also in Korea and Vietnam. Tohe is very thankful for this.
—Finally, please give a message to Cross Fields members!
Thu: Keep up your good work!
Van: Thank you very much for always being there and supporting us. Keep up your good work, and I hope we will have more opportunities to work together in the near future.
Afterwords
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to speak with Van san and Thu san during my short time with Cross Fields this summer. Having previously worked with the Field Study team and attended events with alumni of the corporate volunteering program, I had an understanding of the volunteers’ perspective of such partnerships. However, this was my first time learning the hosting organization’s side of the story.It was wonderful to hear that their experience was just as positive as that of the volunteers. I was stunned by how clearly both Van san and Thu san remembered each of the volunteers that had come to work with Tohe in the past, and the experiences they had shared. It was clear that a permanent impact had been made not just on their organization overall, but on individual staff members too. A mutual passion for learning and sharing ideas brought them together and forged strong personal connections that last to this day.
Personally, I found the most touching part of this interview was the way both Van san and Thu san described Tohe’s partnership with Cross Fields as a friendship. Especially during challenging times, I thought it was so special that both organizations have a trusted friend in each other rely on for support and inspiration.
Hearing about Tohe’s experiences made me curious about how other organizations have been touched by working with Cross Fields and their volunteers. I think that hearing and sharing their stories would be extremely valuable as well, for both Cross Fields members and its partners.
Thank you again to Van san and Thu san of Tohe for agreeing to this interview, and for sharing your beautiful words with us! (Elena, Crossfields intern)
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