The Sole Warrior Initiative
This initiative is designed keeping in mind the importance of footwear for the healthy feet of underprivileged people. We are an aspiring group of people who are dismayed by the number of people without any footwear.
Millions of people who don’t have shoes suffer from foot diseases and allergies.
>> But there are millions more who throw away shoes which are in a usable condition or much worse store it in the back of their garage and never wear it.
>> Sole Warriors is our small step to take forward shoe recycling to reach the millions who can benefit from the shoes we may have outgrown but can be worn by another pair of feet.
Keeping in line with the UN sustainable development Goal of good health, Sole Warriors aims to reduce the contraction of foot diseases by providing quality and recycled footwear.
Become A Sole Warrior
Each one who joins the cause of protecting the feet of under-privileged is a Sole Warrior.
Sole Warrior Champions
Take up the ownership to run the Sole Warrior Drives in their resident communities and are true champions leading the collection drives
Sole Warrior Ambassadors
Ones who spread the message, motivate others to join the cause
Sole Warrior Connectors
Ones who help us connect with the ones who can donate and with the needy to make our drives a reality
We are honored to provide certificates of recognizion to all our young sole warriors in all the capacities mentioned above.
Simple Shoe Steps
Step 1
Pick out pair of neglected shoes which are in a good condition and bag/box them.
Step 2
Do a basic cleaning to remove dirt.
Step 3
Be a Sole Warrior in your residential area to run a Shoe drive. We will provide the SOPs or simply drop your shoe box/bag in an ongoing shoe drive.
Step 4
The shoes will be picked up by our volunteers.
What we have achieved so far
25000
Shoes Collected
80
Sole Warriors (Volunteers)
4
No. of Countries
85
No. of Communities
Sole Partners
Our Team
Sia - Founder
Sia is a high school student from Bangalore, and is aware and concerned about the world around her. She believes age should not be an obstacle in building initiatives that can positively impact our society.
Sia is championing the Sole Warrior initiative with great zeal and enthusiasm, encouraging many to become a part of her mission of providing footcover to a million feet.
She had also championed a Lake Conservation awareness campaign, another area that interests her.
She also loves to swim, bake and read.
Rachana - Mentor
Rachna has been engaged with social and leadership projects since her own school days, something that she continued to nurture alongside her 25+ years of professional journey in the field of management of technology n research, inventions and innovations.
Sole Warriors (SW) brought the delight of working alongside a passionate youngster in Sia, and bringing smiles and comfort to many young, adult and elderly. Rachna has been part of SW since its inception and guides and mentors the project for its growth and reach.
Rachna has a range of interests including innovations, environment, green energy and mind management.
Raj - Mentor
Raj is an human catalyst connecting the Green dots. Raj is a vegan plogger who often loves to be on the ground executing the green initiatives. He is called Plogman in the eco circles.
He works as a regional manager at an MNC on weekdays and spends quality time with the needy on the weekends.
Sole Entrepreneurs
Sole Warriors are enabling or supporting a few individuals with special needs in the under-privileged section by starting them on their entrepreneur journeys.
Some select footwear is being given to them which they are now selling and earning a livlihood.
They were filled with joy with their first earnings and we were filled with immense gratitude to be a part of their journey towards self-reliance.
Meet these solopreneurs
Ebenezer
Ebenezer is a physically challenged man of about 40, who used to beg. Now he is trying to sell Sole Warrior footwear. This has given him a new lease of life, and dignified livelihood.
Mahalaxmi
Mahalaxmi, a poor lady of about 30, has a mentally challenged 7 year old son. She is unable to take up a regular job as she has to take care of her child. She is now making a living for her family by selling Sole Warrior footwear in her free time.
Martha
Martha is a divorcee with two kids, she has had some emotional challenges and is rebuilding her life.
Lalita
Lalita is a young widow and wants to support herself.
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In 2021, one of the people we were working closely with nominated Sole Warriors for the Diana Award. There, through a series of questions, she told my story. She told every Sole Warrior volunteer’s story. And this is how we won the Diana Award. Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex. It is the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts. We were also awarded the Legacy award which is given out to 20 people once in two years. Sole Warriors has since expanded exponentially! We are grateful to the support which each award platform gives us.
Frequently Asked Questions
We hope this section answers any questions you might have about Sole Warriors. If you have any further queries, please contact us (Contact information provided in the contact us section).
- What do we do after collecting the shoes?
After collecting the shoes from apartments/schools, we bring them to cobblers who mend the shoes. Once the shoes are in a good condition, we transport them to NGOs who in turn distribute the shoes amongst people who need them.
- What types of footwear do we accept?
We accept all types of footwear (school shoes, house slippers, sports shoes, crocs) in any type of material. You must remember that this campaign is for people without any kind of footwear whatsoever and wearing house slippers on the road would be a great alternative to being barefoot. Though, we would be glad to take in any footwear, we are hoping to have school shoes/out door shoes.
- In what condition should the shoes donated be in?
We accept shoes in a reasonably good condition, though we will take some to the cobblers for mending. We also request you to please dust the footwear, put them in a bag with the shoe size written and then give them to us.
Contact
Phone Number: +91 9742835911 || Email: siagodika@gmail.com