We are the World Blogfest (#WATWB) focuses on positive stories no matter where they’re found. It is all about spreading peace and humanity on social media.
In the spirit of WATWB, In darkness be the light, today I share the story “of two young athletes in Mumbai who have come together to convert old shoes into new footwear for unshod schoolchildren in small villages.”
“Green Sole has teamed up with schools and colleges to distribute remade footwear across states such as Odisha, Assam, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. So far they have provided more than 150,000 pairs of flip-flops and slippers.
“We have also started retailing our recycled footwear through stores and online portals,” said one of the founders, Shriyans Bhandari. “Besides making footwear and distributing it, we are very proud of having set up a skill centre in Jharkhand, to train tribal women in recycling footwear.”
The duo is working with large companies such as Adidas, Sketchers and H&M to collect old shoes, and absorb the cost of converting them into new slippers for children. A donation of 200 rupees (£2.30) is enough to recycle one shoe. Shriyans says that his “ambitious mission is now to make sure that every person in the country has a pair of shoes by 2023.”
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This post was the latest installment of the monthly We Are the World Blogfest: I’d like to invite you to join, if you haven’t as yet, to post the last Friday o
f each month a snippet of positive news that shows our essential, beautiful humanity.
This month’s co-hosts, Sylvia Stein, Shilpa Garg, Mary Giese, Lizbeth Hartz and yours truly welcome participants and encourage all to join in.
Here’s a sampler of this blogfest. Click here to know more. Sign up here and add your bit of cheer to the world on the next installment.
My debut literary crime novel,”You Beneath Your Skin,” published by the fab team at Simon and Schuster IN is making its way into the world.
It is available in India here.
Worldwide, here.
Reviews are appreciated–please get in touch if you’d like a review copy.
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It’s really a positive movement, driven by a passion for humanity.
This is a fabulous initiative – a seemingly small way to bring in such a happy change for the kids.
I just love the practical everyday goodness of this initiative, Damyanti. It literally helps these young people step out in life. Thank you for who you are and all you do.
What a beautiful initiative. This serves multiple purposes. Thanks for letting us all know about it.
Excellent initiative and yes, it is an ambitious but with support and dedication, this is possible. Also the best part is the shoes are recycled. We need more initiatives like these which help the environment too.
Yes, I have heard of them, a video on whatsapp was doing the rounds. I think it’s a wonderful initiative. More power to them.
Thank you for supporting #WATWB
I love it when compassion and recycling come together. With all the shoes that are thrown away, they will have plenty of material. But it takes creative determination to bring all this together. Impressive!
I like that they’re using goods that are already created, thus giving new life to the materials. They’re new again, without utilizing new materials. Green IS awesome, as is this organization.
Such a wonderful initiative and I’m so glad to see big names coming out to help them. This puts the cause on the global map! I hope they meet their goals soon.
This is a wonderful initiative and am happy to see global companies pitching in to help as well. May the goal be achieved by 2023!!
What a wonderful initiative! It’s always so inspiring to hear of people who are passionately working on ideas and ways to improve the lives of others.
A beautiful initiative! <3
What a worthwhile project. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Lovely!
What a wonderful idea! Kudos to the young athletes who came up with the idea and set it into motion.
This is a wonderful initiative. Kudos to the two athletes who started it to ensure kids have shoes on their feet and thanks for sharing this story, Damyanti. Perhaps if the Green Soles become available for purchase in the US one day, I could make a contribution.
Great idea – I hope it spreads worldwide.
What an inspiring idea!
What a great idea. And they can be made so cheap!
Hi Damyanti – we collect shoes here … but this is a great initiative in Mumbai – lots and lots of children there … and being able to wear shoes will help their feet, keep some disease out … enable the kids to do more – excellent idea – thanks for sharing … cheers Hilary
Stories like these are always uplifting.
How wonderful. And from ordinary people. Thank you, Damyanti.
Wonderful idea! Not only do they provide much-needed footwear, but also an opportunity to learn skills. Kudos to these two athletes and everyone like them for making the world a better place.