We are delighted to have TOMS shoes on board with the WildChina Explorer Grant 2016 to offer some great prizes for our People’s Choice winners.
Here’s why we think they are great:
Young explorers in rural China hold up their new TOMS shoes.
TOMS shoes are famous throughout the world for their comfortable, stylish footwear, and their one-for-one campaign – for every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS give a pair to a child in need. But for us, it was their attention to young explorers in rural China that really caught our eye.
Though China’s major cities have seen an enormous increase in the average standard of living over the last two decades, many rural communities still lag far behind. TOMS has partnered with charities including Heifer, You Cheng, World Vision and Save the Children, supporting their efforts to provide these families with a better standard of living.
Through their one-for-one giving philosophy TOMS have given away over 615,000 pairs of shoes so children in rural parts of China can explore further.
In May 2015, WildChina joined TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie as he slipped off his TOMS shoes and hiked the Great Wall of China to promote the need for shoes of children in rural parts of China.
TOMS isn’t just working to provide shoes for China’s young explorers, they’re also looking for ways to improve children’s vision care. In 2015 TOMS joined forces with Rural Education Action Program (REAP), an evaluation organization at Stanford University that aims to inform education, health and nutrition policy in China. REAP are currently conducting research to learn if TOMS shoes can be used as an incentive for eye care, in some of China’s most rural areas. While treatment for lazy eye in young children is both simple and cheap (wearing an eye patch) it is uncomfortable and many parents are unaware of the resources available. Through this partnership, TOMS and REAP hope to help provide vision care for rural children in Qin’an County in Gansu Province.
A local primary school gets ready to welcome their TOMS guests.
Thanks to TOMS more and more rural Chinese children are equipped to explore further and this is why we are glad to have them as a partner for the 2016 WildChina Explorer Grant.
TOMS one-for-one giving policy applies at their Tmall online store as well as offline stores across China. For those interested in TOMS other efforts both within China and around the world, you can follow the company on Weibo @TOMS中国 or WeChat @TOMS.
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If you have the passion to explore further, apply for the WildChina Explorer 2016. We are looking for adventurers who dare to be different and want to make an impact on the world.
Apply for the WildChina Explorer Grant or vote for your favorite applicant at wildchina.com/explorer-grant
