Investing in global health from the ground up
We’re disrupting the chronic cycle of poverty and preventable disease by investing in global health from the ground up.
The unjust reality of Neglected Tropical Diseases
Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are among the most common NTD’s worldwide. More than 1.5 billion people are infected with these parasitic diseases because of exposure to contaminated soil. Although preventable, these parasites perpetuate poverty by dramatically limiting both educational and economic opportunities.
We invest in scalable and sustainable solutions that provide equitable access to life-saving footwear for all people
Innovative
footwear
Properly designed and distributed footwear provides a much needed prophylactic against deadly disease.
Impact
partnerships
Movement from treatment to transformation of health strategies require effective multi-sector collaborations.
Indigenous manufacturing
Lasting change requires impact investments in local economic empowerment and workforce innovation.
Improved health and hygiene
Cross-cutting distribution models enable more efficient delivery of a much-needed bundle of health services.
Better shoes are the foundation for better health
Global health from the ground up
Global health from the ground up
Ending the plague of preventable disease
Disease control
Multiple peer-reviewed studies reveal a clear correlation between wearing of proper footwear and better health outcomes for individuals and communities. Some go so far as to suggest diseases such as Podoconiosis and Hookworm could be eliminated within a generation through a combination of consistent shoe wearing and foot washing.
%2012.02%204-2.webp)
Vaccine uptake
No child should die from a vaccine preventable disease. In 2023, the World Health Organization launched “The Big Catch Up,” to restore essential immunizations lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccinate millions of children where vaccine rates declined dramatically. The World Shoe is designed to promote vaccine uptake and incentivize for vaccine participation.
Community hygiene
Poor hygiene is linked to many diseases and risks including Neglected Tropical Diseases. Beyond prevention, WASH services are also critical to care for the people who have many of these diseases. The World Shoe WASH&WEAR methodology provides a cross-cutting approach to fighting disease including promotion and practice of better hygiene for affected populations and communities.
Educational performance
Almost 70 million primary school children are not in school simply because they do not have shoes. Beyond lack of access, children without shoes are also more susceptible to injuries and diseases that can significantly decrease academic performance and increase absenteeism. Shoes are a key to better learning outcomes.
Earning potential
In areas of systemic poverty, workers without proper footwear are up to 24% less productive than their counterparts. Wage earners without shoes are more susceptible to injury and more likely to miss work. Shoes improve the sustainable earning potential families and communities are dependent upon for survival.
The new look of disease fighting technology
Comfort and style just received a major upgrade
The World Shoe is a disease fighting prophylactic of the same significance as mosquito nets and their control of Malaria. Proper footwear has the ability to protect against up to 80% of the most prevalent Neglected Tropical Diseases currently affecting more than a billion people world-wide.
EVA foam shoes are lightweight, and provide shock absorbing technology that can prevent soft tissue injuries. However, in areas of poverty and poor hygiene, these shoes also protect the foot from puncture wounds, bites, and injuries that can lead to significant disability.
Every pair of the World Shoe is infused with a quaternary ammonium salt antimicrobial compound that helps promote foot hygiene and healing. This design ingredient is reinforced by the WASH&WEAR messaging prominent in World Shoe promotions and distributions.
A cross-cutting, locally-owned, distribution model supporting a breakthrough bundle of health promoting interventions
%2012.02%205.png)
%2012.02%204.png)
“Charity is not sustainable for lasting change. We must invest in scalable market-based solutions to see true transformative social impact.”
Empowering global health independence through economic development
Indigenous manufacturing
The cornerstone of the World Shoe social enterprise is local manufacturing in areas most impacted by poverty and disease. Increased wealth creation contributes directly to economic empowerment and community health.
Aid to trade
The harsh reality of humanitarian aid is the unintended consequence of undermining industry and job creation. The World Shoe model is designed to promote innovation, capacity-building and sustainable market-based solutions.
Multi-Sector collaboration
The world’s biggest problems require collaborative solutions. The World Shoe hybrid model is designed to promote multi-sector collaboration with local level implementation that is replicable at scale throughout the world.
