TOMS shoes partners with World Vision

On Oct. 20, 2010, TOMS shoes and World Vision, a humanitarian agency, recently launched a new partnership to provide children in more than 12 developing countries with new shoes and to empower them to stay in school. For a lot of these children, this will be their 1st pair of shoes or in others, the new pair of donated shoes will be replacing ones that are worn-out or have been out-grown. 

TOMS shoes is a for-profit organization that will donate a pair of new shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased. 

World Vision is a Christina humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. (www.worldvision.org)

TOMS partnership with World Vision is key to fulfilling its philanthropic mission. To date, TOMS has distributed over 1 million shoes to children in need. Both companies are dedicated to helping children, families, and communities in need by helping to lift themselves out of poverty, through strategic partnerships and the power of public compassion. (www.worldvision.org) 

To date, World Vision has distributed TOMS in Nicaragua, Uganda, Zambia, Burundi, Swaziland, Rwanda, Niger, Mali, Mongolia, China, Armenia, and Honduras- always within communities it serves, so that the impact of new shoes is leveraged by other ongoing development projects. Additional distribution in these and other countries are planned for this fall and into 2011. 

In Nicaragua, where World Vision distributed the first shipment of TOMS Shoes in May, Joel Hernandez, 10, said his new pair of shoes would "protect my feet from the rough roads when I go to school, and also from animals and thorns. Now I can play ball, run, jump and do all my errands; I am protected." (www. worldvision.org)

I am really interested in the TOMS organization. I think that it is so neat how they developed a company thats whole purpose is based on the marketplace. Their mission to provide underprivileged children with  a pair of new shoes is such a great idea. That new pair of shoes seems like nothing to us but to them it is a new way to do everyday tasks comfortably and keep them healthy.