TOMS Shoes

It was December 19, 2011 when Guyana Medical Relief and TOMS signed a Shoe Distribution Agreement which allowed(GMR) to distribute thousands of pairs of shoes to Guyana’s children throughout the many regions. Our first shipment was done in February 2012.

To date, GMR has distributed over 225,000 pairs of shoes, especially covering the interior locations of Guyana where access to basic medicines and everyday household items is extremely difficult. This distribution is novel because it combines GMR’s distribution of medicines with shoe giving. In many areas school kids become exposed to medical checkups and receive a pair of shoes at the same time. This has allowed GMR to penetrate many areas of Guyana that otherwise would have been more difficult to do.

One specific area is the kids in Upper Mazaruni, Region 7, where there is arguably, the largest dormitory in the Caribbean, housing approximately 400 kids who live in the remotest parts of the forests and who take days to walk to school. These kids do not see their parents but for two times per year...Summer and Christmas. Access to this area is only by small plane, which lands on a makeshift airstrip to deliver supplies.