TOMS – One for One

To tell you honestly, I am so hesitant to buy any TOMS Shoes because it is so expensive, I think that if I will go for another brand, I can have for at least 2 – 3 pairs of slip on shoes. But not until the day that GeislerMaclang Marketing held a private sale at their office. A booming 20-40% off for TOMS shoes and since Christmas is fast approaching I bought myself an early Christmas gift – a Silver HoundsTooth. My first and the start of my TOMS Collection I guess.

Toms' Silver Houndstooth

At the TOMS Holiday 2011 Collection Launch, I was enlighten of how generous TOMS is and why it is so expensive compared to others, mainly because I am buying shoes for the price of 2 pairs of shoes on which the other one is will be given to the person who don’t have any protection for his feet. TOMS – One for One advocacy is really a heart-melting one. Please do watch the video below to see and feel what I have seen and felt during and after watching the video.

WHY SHOES?

In many developing countries, children must walk barefoot for miles to school, clean water and medical help. Hundreds of millions of children are at risk of injury, infection and soil-transmitted diseases that most can't afford to prevent and treat. Children who are healthy are more likely to be successful students, and access to education is a critical determinant of long-term success. A village of healthy, educated children has a better chance of improving the future of their entire community.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Step 1. Identify a need: Rely on local experts to identify communities that will benefit most from shoes due to economic, health, and education needs, and where local business will not be affected.

Step 2. Establish a partnership: Vet NGO partners on the ground for expertise and capabilities. Establish a sustainable giving partnership. Monitor for accountability.

Step 3. Give..and give again: Once we identify a community and partner, we set up a schedule to give, then give again as children grow.

WHAT SHOES DO YOU GIVE?

The shoes we give are:

1. Made to order: We make only the sizes the children need. We want to ensure no shoes go to waste.

2. Evolving all the time: In new environments and terrains, we are learning to adapt our shoes to best fit the children's lives. This includes everything from thicker soles to deal with rocky terrain, to more weather resistant materials, and black shoes required for school uniforms.

We are currently developing: cold weather shoe & wider shoe-- we learned that some children who have been barefoot for years have wider feet.

WHERE DO YOU GIVE?

We currently give in 24 countries:

PHILIPPINES - UNITED STATES - EL SALVADOR - GUATEMALA - NICARAGUA - HAITI - HONDURAS - PERU - ARGENTINA - MALI - NIGER - UGANDA - RWANDA - BURUNDI - ZAMBIA - SWAZILAND - LESOTHO - ETHIOPIA - SOUTH AFRICA - MALAWI - ARMENIA - MONGOLIA - CHINA - CAMBODIA

The Journey of a Giving Shoe: 4-6 months

Purchase-->Factory --> Boat --> Truck/Jeep --> Child Receives a Pair of New Shoes

FACTS:

THERE IS NO TOM

Our founder's name is Blake. TOMS is actually an abbreviation for "Shoes for a Better Tomorrow", but we couldn't get that on the back of a shoe, so we shortened it to TOMS.

WE ARE CONSIDERATE OF LOCAL BUSINESSES

Going in and trampling the local economy would be downright un-TOMSy. We always try to make sure there won't be any mom and pop shoe makers put out of business by our giving activities.

WE DONT GIVE ONCE AND LEAVE

We keep giving. Kids grow out of shoes. So we strive to set up sustainable giving partnerships that allow us to give repeatedly as children grow.

WE DONT DO IT ALONE

As of September, our customers have given away 1,000,000 pairs of shoes (awesome), and could only have done so through our vetted NGO partners on the ground in each location. If our little family of employees had to do that all themselves, they'd never have time to make new shoes or answer your calls.

WE DONT GIVE GLITTER OR WEDGES TO CHILDREN

Promise. Not to say they wouldn't like them, but the shoes hand-placed on children's feet are specially designed for their terrain and environment.

GIVING ISN'T INSTANTANEOUS

When a purchase is made, it takes about 4-6 months from purchase to feet.

KIDS DONT MAKE OUR SHOES

This one is for the real cynics out there. Our factories in Argentina, Ethiopia, and China are all AAA rated, and third-part audited to ensure they employ no child labor, and pay fair wages.

WE DONT JUST "DECIDE" TO START GIVING SHOES TO A VILLAGE

We're learning a lot, but still rely heavily on local experts to determine our areas of giving.

TOMS Holiday 2011 Collection:

Yay! Flats in cute design - want one!

So, kindly buy TOMS shoes because you help many children in the world. TOMS is not only limited to shoes because they also introduced their Eyewear on which in every Eyewear you will buy, one person will bring back his eyesight. It is really a One for One!

About TOMS Shoes

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a Village 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 fair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. To date, TOMS has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children through giving partners around the world.

Love,

Aylin