Earlier this year, SunPower employees in the San Francisco Bay Area came together to decorate more than 100 pairs of TOMS shoes for needy school children in the Philippines. The kid-pleasing footwear was sent to two schools on the island of Mindanao, where some students walk nearly two miles barefoot to get to school, just as classes were getting underway for the new school year.
The project grew out of SunPower Foundation's involvement in the AMORE (Alliance for Mindanao Multi-Regional Renewable/Rural Energy Development) rural electrification program. AMORE is an 11-year project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), implemented in partnership with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the private sector. Winrock International, a US-based non-profit, leads program implementation for AMORE.
By the end of 2013, AMORE aims to establish sustainable clean energy systems in at least 24,700 rural households in remote and conflict-affected communities in Western, Central and Southern Mindanao. The program contributes to peace and development initiatives in Mindanao by improving the quality of life in these communities. SunPower’s support, under the SunPower Foundation’s Make an Impact campaign, is focused on providing resources needed to solarize schools and provide education and training to community members.
TOMS Shoes was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. On a trip to Argentina, Mycoskie was dismayed to witness extreme poverty and health issues, and discover that many of the local children lacked shoes, a basic necessity. He subsequently launched TOMS Shoes with a simple promise: for every pair of shoes his company sold, he would donate a pair to a child in need. With shoes on their feet, children in underserved countries would be less susceptible to injuries and soil-transmitted diseases and infections, and would be more likely to remain healthy and receive the education necessary to lift them out of poverty.
TOMS Shoes was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. On a trip to Argentina, Mycoskie was dismayed to witness extreme poverty and health issues, and discover that many of the local children lacked shoes, a basic necessity. He subsequently launched TOMS Shoes with a simple promise: for every pair of shoes his company sold, he would donate a pair to a child in need. With shoes on their feet, children in underserved countries would be less susceptible to injuries and soil-transmitted diseases and infections, and would be more likely to remain healthy and receive the education necessary to lift them out of poverty.
It’s heart-warming to envision a child's excitement at opening a box and finding a pair of brand-new, custom-decorated shoes inside – quite possibly the only pair of new shoes they have ever owned. In the United States, it is hard to imagine not having something so basic as a pair of shoes, much less walking two miles to school barefoot. Yet, many of the children in Mindanao attend schools and live in homes with no electricity, and rely on meager supplies of kerosene and candles to study at night. SunPower is proud to be making a difference in their lives.
If you have any questions or comments regarding our involvement in the AMORE rural electrification program or our Make an Impact campaign, please share below.
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