TOMS | 2010-PRESENT
Shoes are one of the first levels of defense when it comes to good health—and they are a great complement to the ENVISION program IMA implements in Haiti. In 2010, IMA and TOMS partnered to add shoe distribution to its work to prevent and treat hookworm and other neglected tropical diseases. Using the same network of volunteers who distribute drugs at MDAs, IMA has efficiently worked with TOMS to provide new shoes to school children to help keep them healthy and able to attend school. In addition to preventing cuts and injuries that can become infected, shoes help prevent the spread of hookworm and other soil-transmitted diseases that can enter through the feet. Shoes are also required for school enrollment.
TOMS is a for-profit company with a trademark One for One® giving model. For every product sold, TOMS helps a person in need. At the start of our partnership, TOMS sold only shoes. Today, it also sells sunglasses, bags and apparel. TOMS currently helps give shoes, restore sight, provide safe water and support safe birth for people in need and helps stop bullying through prevention and response services.To date, IMA and TOMS have distributed hundreds of thousands of pairs of new shoes to children in Haiti. Going forward, IMA hopes to continue this productive partnership and is seeking ways to reach more vulnerable and out-of-school children.
Key Achievements
- Distributed hundreds of thousands of pairs of new shoes to children in Haiti since 2011
- Utilized existing network of trained volunteers to enhance efficiency of distribution