AGYA & TOMS Shoes Announce Long-Term Partnership

AGYA is pleased to inform all our supporters about a new long-term partnership with TOMS Shoes, a company based in Santa Monica, CA. TOMS Shoes has contributed a container of new shoes to AAH to support our youth education and outreach programs.  The AGYA youth leader team, led by Country Director Abraham Matovu, are in the process of distributing the shoes  to AGYA members as well as local partner schools and NGOs in Kampala and Masaka districts. Among the beneficiaries of the shoes will be children at Nabulagala Good Hope Primary School in Kampala and participants active with Uganda Rural Fund programs in Masaka as well as AGYA members. For many beneficiaries, their new pair of TOMS will be the first or only pair of closed-toe shoes they own.  In the communities where AGYA works, many youth walk outside barefoot or in rubber flip-flops on unpaved roads or muddy pathways, making themselves susceptible to cuts, abrasions, bruises and puncture wounds in their feet. If left untreated - especially during the rainy season - these injuries can become infected and lead to serious ailments that would be easily prevented with a pair of durable shoes.   AGYA is grateful to TOMS Shoes for their generous contribution which will significantly impact  the overall health and well-being of the beneficiaries. The shoes will also increase school attendance as the style of the shoes are considered acceptable footwear for school uniforms.  AGYA is also thankful to the Ugandan Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development which provided much-needed support and resources to clear the shoes through customs.  One of the most exciting aspects of this collaboration between AGYA and TOMS Shoes is TOMS' commitment to repeat giving which ensures that the children and youth who receive shoes now will continue to receive new shoes as they grow up. This will have a significant impact on these children, their health, and their education. Over the next several years, AGYA will continue to work with TOMS Shoes to develop and sustain this wonderful partnership.  Check our blog in the next few weeks to see more photos and videos of the shoe distribution in action!