Special-edition, Congolese-inspired TOMS Shoes
We're teaming up with Giving Partner Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), an advocacy and grant-making organization founded by Ben Affleck, on two Congolese-inspired designs with an additional give. Read More >>
TOMS x charity: water - An Eyewer collaboration
TOMS and charity: water, an organization founded in 2006 (like TOMS!) that’s dedicated to to helping bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations, join forces for the first-ever TOMS Eyewear collab! Read More >>
Giving TOMS Shoes in the DRC
Founded by Ben Affleck in 2010, ECI is an advocacy and grant-making organization that works with and for the people of DRC, the third most populous country in Africa, and one that struggled under a cycle of violence for nearly 20 years – particularly in the east. Read More >>
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Profiles in One for One: Razoni in Bangladesh
Name: Razoni
Age: 13
Location: Chuadanga, Bangladesh
Giving Partner: A Leg to Stand On
Razoni is a bright 13-year-old girl with a knack for drawing and big dreams of becoming an engineer and traveling. She loved going to school and studying Bangladeshi literature, despite the dangerous long distances she had to travel to get to school.
When Razoni was 6-years-old, she stepped off a rickshaw on her way to school and a vehicle struck her from behind causing severe damage to her leg. Razoni suffered a below-the-knee amputation as a result of the accident. Due to the social stigma surrounding prosthetic limbs in Bangladesh and her family’s inability to afford treatment, she did not receive a prosthetic leg until recently — almost nine years later — through the help of A Leg to Stand On (ALTSO). ALTSO helps to provide free corrective surgery, prosthetic and orthotic devices, mobility aids and rehabilitation to children with limb disabilities in the developing world. ALTSO is also a TOMS Shoe Giving Partner.
A few weeks after Razoni received her prosthetic limb, ALTSO began a TOMS shoe distribution in her community. For many children, it was their first pair of shoes. When Razoni arrived at the distribution, she was only wearing only one worn out sandal. The local plastic sandals were not equipped to fit prosthetic limbs, so she had never owned a proper pair of shoes. Razoni was both humbled and so thankful after receiving her new TOMS Shoes. They fit her prosthetic perfectly. Her resilient spirit was even more lifted and determined to work toward learning to walk with her new limb.
“Having a pair of shoes that fits the prosthetic makes it more durable and gives it a longer shelf life,” said AJ, from Giving Partner ALTSO.
With the help of ALTSO, Razoni is learning how to effectively navigate with her new limb. Now that she is able to walk again, she is back in school studying Bangladeshi literature and enjoys spending time visiting her family and friends. Razoni is smiling and happy and working toward a normal life, becoming independent with the help of her prosthetic limb and TOMS Shoes.
