Tags: Entrepreneurship, Wholesale and Retail
By Alexander Villafania
TAGUIG CITY, METRO MANILA – There are millions of children around the world who walk without any footwear and most of them are in the poorest sectors of society.
One shoe company is hoping to spread its advocacy of giving shoes to young people. But unlike the usual outfitting of footwear, the goal is to continuously provide the beneficiaries with shoes until they reach their teens.
TOMS Shoes, a US-based footwear firm, had started a global campaign called TOMS Movement, wherein the company would donate one pair of shoe for every pair purchased.
Since 2009, TOMS, established by American traveler Blake Mycoskie, has already given at least 2 million pairs of shoes to 24 countries with some of these being donated to communities in the Philippines.
According to Therese Balaguer la O’, president and CEO of Nothing But H20, a Filipino distribution firm for TOMS Shoes, at least 16 communities in the Philippines have already become beneficiaries of the global movement.
The Philippines is also a unique location for TOMS Shoes as it is the only country in the world where TOMS Shoes are both sold and donated.
“We worked with at least 20 non-government organizations to identify these communities. We’ve been getting a lot of support from these NGOs in looking for the places where there are a number of young people in impoverished places who could really need a good pair of shoes,” Balaguer La O’ said.
Just recently, the company organized an activity with children and their parents to make designs using TOMS shoes as canvass. Balaguer La O’ said that they plan to distribute TOMS shoes in other areas in the Philippines.
“More than just selling the brand, what we’re hoping for is to strengthen this culture of giving among Filipinos. By simply buying a pair of shoes, they’re actually helping a child to literally go through life with a good pair of footwear,” she said.
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Reema Chanco on how to choose the right shoes to suit your lifestyle
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