World Shoe Announces Strategic Partnership with Pan African Youth Union
June 20 2024 - 2:00PM
Business Wire
The social impact organization will donate
500,000 shoes to support a health and humanitarian initiative in 15
African countries
World Shoe, the first footwear brand to manufacture
antimicrobial shoes in Africa intended for global consumers, today
announced the signing of a new partnership with the Pan African
Youth Union (PAYU) Health and Hygiene Impact Project, and their
donation of 500,000 shoes to launch the effort.
PAYU’s cross-sector effort employs World Shoe’s innovative
WASH&WEAR “bundled” model for accelerating health service
interventions, and includes CouldYou?, a global leader in menstrual
health and hygiene services and distribution of reusable menstrual
cups to adolescent girls.
In addition to World Shoe’s donation of shoes for both genders,
CouldYou? will provide 50,000 menstrual cups for girls, and
distribution across 15 African countries, including Ghana, Liberia,
Uganda, Malawi, Kenya and Nigeria. The countries included in this
effort represent 661.2 million people in need of treatment and
intervention for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Additionally,
there are more than 76 million children infected by
soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and 400 million women of
menstruating age in these countries.
Through the partnership, World Shoe’s donation of 500,000 shoes
is the first step in the Project’s goal of providing 1.5 million
shoes and 700,000 menstrual cups to in-need individuals.
“It’s a very significant opportunity for World Shoe to partner
with the Pan African Youth Union, the CouldYou? organization, and
African governments, to protect the lives of children and give
adolescent girls the supplies they need to pursue education with
confidence and dignity,” said Manny Ohonme, Founder and President,
World Shoe. “By manufacturing both the World Shoe and menstrual
cups on the African continent, we are helping those most affected
by poverty related diseases to heal and empower themselves."
“The Pan African Youth Union is the continental coordinating
body for youth and National Youth Coordinating Mechanisms across
Africa and serves as a platform for uniting youth across the
continent, amplifying their voices on crucial issues of inclusion,
participation and systemic change,” said Bening Ahmed Wiisichong,
Secretary-General, Pan African Youth Union. “We are proud to
partner with World Shoe and CouldYou? on the WASH&WEAR Impact
Project. We know this collaboration will lead to significant
outcomes in community health and hygiene specifically for
underserved populations such as refugees and adolescent girls.”
Individuals and organizations interested in partnering with
World Shoe to help reach the 1.5M goal are encouraged to contact
World Shoe directly here.
About World Shoe, Inc.
World Shoe’s mission is to redefine the purpose of style and the
power of footwear to achieve sustainable social good. Our shoes are
built to survive extraordinary conditions and foster healthier
lives, exported for a world of conscious consumers who won’t accept
compromise in fashion, function, or impact.
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