Background: In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.
At Issue: Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:
• A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
• Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
• Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.
What Can You do?
The first thing that one can do is become aware. Toms Shoes “One Day Without Shoes” is an awareness project. “One Day Without Shoes” is Tuesday April 5, 2011. You can learn more by watching the video at this website:
The second thing one can do is give a gift to help a barefoot person have shoes. For example, one could buy a pair of Toms shoes to have a “one for one” pair go somewhere in the world. Or one could give one or more pairs of new shoes to a homeless shelter or any helping project.
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