Orlando-based nonprofit, REBUILD globally, announces a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the root causes of poverty in Haiti with a revolutionary new product: a school shoe made from re-purposed and recycled materials that enables children to pursue their education.

An estimated 50% of children in Haiti do not attend school due to financial limitations, such as purchasing required school shoes. To solve this and other problems, REBUILD globally, a nonprofit organization fighting poverty by creating local business, trains Haitian men and women to become the skilled craftspeople of its for-profit partner, deux mains designs. The craftspeople of deux mains designs produce the soles of the shoes from upcycled tires while Thread, a Certified B Corporation, transforms Haitian plastic waste into quality textiles that create the upper of the school shoe. By integrating up-cycled and locally sourced materials into its fashion line, the partnership supports education and economic growth in Haiti.

Erony Alexandre, a Haitian cobbler designed the Impact Shoe and is now a fulltime employee at deux mains designs, Haiti’s first social impact factory where the shoes are made.

“It is truly extraordinary that we have created a pair of shoes that has the power to transform Haiti’s environmental, educational and economical climates, all at once,” Julie Colombino, CEO and Founder of REBUILD globally said. “By supporting living wage employment in Haiti, and giving donors the power to buy locally made shoes for Haitian children, we are changing the conversation surrounding the fight against poverty.”

Customers can purchase school shoes for a Haitian child in need at www.REBUILDglobally.org. Proceeds from the shoe sales guarantee the sustainability of this initiative, and stimulates Haiti’s shoe-making industry, which has been severely undermined by an influx in low-cost, second-hand goods flooding the local market. The first round of production for 200 shoes has begun this month, and is estimated to provide income opportunities for over 1,800 individuals, while repurposing 40 tires and 350 plastic bottles. REBUILD globally has also recruited Orlando City soccer player Aurelien Collin to become the spokesperson for the initiative.

Since its inception after the devastating 2010 earthquake, REBUILD globally has proven that income generation as an alternative to traditional forms of aid has allowed for a sustainable way for people to transition from desperation and dependency, to self-sustainability. Similarly, Thread was launched after CEO and Founder, Ian Rosenberger, visited Haiti following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Reflecting on a journal entry that simply said, “If Haiti could turn trash in $ = good”, Thread has since been dedicated to cleaning neighborhoods and ending poverty through dignified jobs and solvent business. The aligning missions of these two organizations create the perfect partnership with potential impact unmatched by any other shoe in the world.

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