They’re just one of the many things that can plague a child without shoes, but they’re a big one. Some pretty amazing stats, from the World Health Organization and some of our field partners:

• 400 million children are infected or at risk of being infected with “soil-transmitted helminths” – worms in the soil that can enter the body through the soles of bare feet.
• An additional 200 million people worldwide (adults and children) are infected with schistosomiasis, which comes from another type of worm – shoes can play a big prevention role with “schisto”, too.
• If a child has enough worms in her body, they will stunt her physical growth, make her more susceptible to other infections, and even cause permanent cognitive damage – that’s a lower IQ, just because of worms!
• Children with worms also suffer from lower school attendance.

I wanted to share a couple of emails I’ve received in the last week, from experts in public health and disease prevention. We’re now working with these organizations to get shoes to were they’re needed most.

“Shoes  to children can provide additional protection against worm infections…”

“(Shoes) will make a huge difference in children’s  burden of disease…”

For me, every day that we give is another day to learn just how instrumental shoes can be as building blocks to children being healthy and able to get an education. This thing we’re doing with something so simple – shoes – gets bigger and more exciting every day, and I am so grateful to be part of it!

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Some memorable Yetebon/TOMS moments:

1. Meeting volunteer Kayla, who was living in Yetebon and wearing her burlap TOMS  every day.

2. Alejo deciding to ride on the top of our van for about 5 miles. You can see his trusty TOMS hanging over the side (these were taken by the less adventurous people inside the van).

We love Ethiopia! Such a beautiful country filled with warm and welcoming people. Can’t wait to go back!

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On a side note, this was the most difficult set to rank. How is one awesome Shoe Drop moment better than another awesome Shoe Drop moment? So please, take the ranking with a grain of salt. They’re all number 1’s in our book.

10. Argentina, April 2009: Have you ever seen a happier face?

9. South Africa, October 2009: Boys will be boys.

Photo credit: Marc Falkenstien

8. Argentina, January 2009: Chief Shoe Giver is a pro at hand placing TOMS.

7. South Africa, October 2009: a Zulu dancer gives his new TOMS the ultimate test.

Photo credit: Marc Falkenstien

6. New Orleans, April 2009: Ana Maria, who coordinates Shoe Drops for TOMS, shares a big smile with a student in New Orleans.

Photo credit: Cambria Harkey Photography

5. New Orleans, April 2009: New Orleans students jump high with their custom TOMS.

Photo credit: Cambria Harkey Photography

4. South Africa, October 2009: The proper way to conclude a Shoe Drop? PLAY!

3. New Orleans, August 2009: A TOMS intern makes new friends in NOLA.

Photo credit: Allie Dominguez

2. Ethiopia, October 2009: Whether you’re in the States or all the way in Africa, one thing remains: kids are silly!

Photo credit: Kwaku Alston

1. Beautiful girls in South Africa pose and show us how proud they are of their new TOMS in October 2009.

Photo credit: Marc Falkenstien

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The majority of our volunteer Shoe Drops have taken place there and I was fortunate to have been a part of one in March, 2008 with an amazing group of people. I called them our Guinea Pigs because it was the first Shoe Drop we had ever coordinated just for our TOMS supporters! Fortunately they were adventurous enough to take that title with pride and go with the flow of the week. We gave shoes to children that Blake and his friends and family had visited in 2006 and made some new friends who received their first pair of TOMS from us.

I remember learning at our first drop location in Misiones that the kids had cleaned up, combed their hair, and wore their best clothing that day – they had been expecting us for weeks. The school director boasted that she had never seen her students so primped and excited for visitors before. At that moment I realized that there really was more to the children (their lives outside of school and their aspirations) than met the eyes. We could see that they were barefoot and that others had shoes that were tattered and beyond repair but we might have never known that they were wearing their BEST clothing, even if they had holes and stains on them. Our visit was special not only to us, but to them.

I could go on for days about the children we met but I’m going to highlight messages we received last week from two Shoe-Droppers in Argentina: one lucky TOMS sweepstakes winner and one TOMS employee. This is why we choose shoes …

Hello,
My name is Lindsey and I am the sweepstakes winner with the group in Argentina…
I am a teacher and I thought I had experienced a lot as far as kids in need. But, no. This trip to Argentina has been humbling (ask Anya who had to comfort me our second drop because I got so emotional). I can´t tell you what a difference TOMS is making in the lives of these children. To put shoes on a child whose feet are torn, dirty and swollen because they walk barefoot is the most amazing experience. To see kids wear closed toed shoes for the first time is almost more than I can describe.
Thank you, thank you, thank you TOMS for allowing me this experience. I am so ready to spread the One for One message when I return home. To see first hand the meaning of this motto is such a gift!
I can´t wait for you to see our pictures. They speak volumes.
Lindsey K.

Hey!
Today we gave shoes in the rain despite getting a flat tire a few miles away from the second village! While we all huddled under the awning, most of the kids played joyfully in the storm with Melissa, kicking their soccer ball…. After we made sure everyone had shoes, we danced, high-fived, and gave thumbs up to Tec and his camera. The kids loved seeing the photos of themselves. They were so giggly and energetic. I miss them already. I’m so glad well continue to give shoes to these villages. For many today, it was their first pair. xo katie

To many more moments like this.

All my best,

Ana Maria
Friends of TOMS Program Manager

Read more about TOMS giving programs in Ethiopia.

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When I asked about the girl’s shoes, the clinic director translated and her mother replied that, having lived through the suffering, isolation, and stigma that podo brings with it, she was determined to keep her daughter’s feet protected from the soil. For this woman, shoes for her child are one of the most valuable resources in the world. We find this attitude is common among podo patients who have children, grandchildren, or younger siblings. If shoes are available, these patients are committed to ensuring that the children wear those shoes and wash the soil off their feet and legs every day. However, most podo patients are so financially poor to begin with, and so further economically impacted by the disease, that purchasing shoes for themselves or their children simply is not an option.

And that’s why we do what we do. We’re making great strides in Ethiopia, and I look forward to sharing many more stories and special moments with you here on the blog!

Signing off from the front lines of the One for One movement,

Jessica

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There is so much to share with you here on the TOMS blog, so you might notice a few new authors.

Each semester, we will be pulling a couple campus club members to share their experiences from the ground and this Fall, we have Harris from UNC and Michael from a high school in Maryland. We also have a great new addition to the TOMS family on the giving side, Jessica Shortall. Jessica’s role at TOMS is to head up TOMS shoe giving around the world, including lots of travel to Ethiopia and a complete obsession with podo (she dreams about it at night). She will be providing great insight into TOMS giving initiatives.

Jessica in Ethiopia

If you have a TOMS story that you would like to share, whether it be a photo of you and your TOMS at the top of a mountain, or a funny encounter with a stranger who didn’t know the One for One story, or an organization you’ve been inspired to start because of TOMS… we want to share it here on the TOMS blog. Email Ashley.Powell@TOMSshoes.com!

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We know that TOMS has the most loyal and generous supporters around, and now we want to prove it to America! Help us win $50,000 for Friends of TOMS to go on more TOMS Shoe Drops and fight Podo.

We have until November 6^th to show everyone how incredible TOMS supporters are and all it takes is a small sacrifice from each of you. Can you pass up a sandwich and a drink to help someone walk again? How about that movie on Friday night? All it takes is $10 to help us win America’s Giving Challenge, a Facebook Cause contest, which awards the nonprofit with the highest number of donations from now until the end of the contest on November 6^th.

The total amount donated doesn’t matter! We just need to have more TOMS fans donate more often than supporters for other nonprofits in order to earn $50,000 for Friends of TOMS. Ten TOMS supporters giving $10 is better than one giving $100. And TOMS supporters are already so good at giving.  They do it every time they shop for new TOMS!

So please help us by donating the money you usually use for dessert , laundry (we won’t tell), or lose in the couch to help us fight disease and get more shoes to children in need.

Here is how the contest works. Go to the TOMS Facebook page to find the link to America’s Giving Challenge and donate.

Each day, the nonprofit with the highest number of donations wins $1000, and on November 6^th, whichever non-profit has had the highest number of total unique donations wins $50,000. This money can help us help so many people in need of treatment for Podoconiosis and put shoes on the feet of so many children who do not have any, so please think about what a simple $10 donation can do.  You can give a small amount and still have a huge impact!

We need your help EVERY DAY of this contest!

Thank You!

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The opening night started the weekend off with a bang. We screen printed custom Shoe Drop t-shirts with maps of Shoe Drop locations, parachutes, and more. It was a HUGE success,  and everyone took home their own custom shirt. My personal favorite will always be the TOMS shoes parachutes. I’d decorate all over with those little parachutes!

Blake also gave a very inspiring speech to the group and past Shoe Dropper Olivia made the cutest cake  imaginable.

The Shoe Drop staff from Argentina even flew up from Buenos Aires to join us. We couldn’t be happier to see Alejo, Pablo and Pepe around HQ, especially since this is Pepe’s first time in the United States!

It was wonderful to share TOMS headquarters and Santa Monica with all of our extended Shoe Drop Family in such a fun way. Sharing memories, stories and new ideas is such a refreshing experience. Someone mentioned how we all share a great common bond… and they were certainly right.

Thanks so much to everyone who made the trip, can’t wait for next time! Don’t stay away too long guys!

-Kelli

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The weekend starts this evening here at HQ. We will screen print some t-shirts, eat some delicious dinner and get a chance to hear what’s new and exciting in everyone’s lives.

Tomorrow, the team is volunteering with Coastal Clean Up in the morning and finishing up the day with an awesome picnic on the beach! Can’t wait to share the beauty of the Santa Monica coast with so many people who have never been here.

Its wonderful to know our family of Shoe Drop volunteers continues to grow every year. Having personally been on a Shoe Drop myself in 2008, I know the experience of personally giving a child his or her first pair of shoes- a pair that fit, a pair they love- is undeniably a life changing experience… something you can only imagine until you have the wonderful opportunity to share in that moment. But each of our experiences as a Shoe Drop volunteer are uniquely different too, which makes me so eager to chat with other volunteers this weekend!

With less than 12 hours to go, all of us at TOMS are looking forward to their arrival. We’ll be tweeting this weekend too, so make sure to follow Friends of TOMS on Twitter @FriendsofTOMS.

- Kelli

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“There was a big storm that last night, we enjoyed an amazing lightening show like only the southern hemisphere could perform. It was amazing.

Another photo from the Shoe Drop yesterday here. We’ve had to wait today because of the storms… The red clay roads and rain make it difficult to get around… Hence the need for zapatos!”

Giving shoes

Students writing Thank You notes

A student with his new TOMS shoes!

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