MANILA, Philippines. The simple things
in life are oftentimes taken
for granted. To some people, tangible objects like
clothes, bags, or shoes
are normal commodities
that they can easily buy
and eventually dispose
of at will. Meanwhile, millions of people around the
world, specifically children,
walk barefoot as they lack
financial resources to avail
themselves of decent footwear.
According to a
2017 article by William
Blischke, an American
Sociology professor at
the California State University Dominguez Hills,
14% of the earth’s inhabitants lack shoes or have
inadequate footwear. He
adds that in some developing countries, shoeless
children cannot attend
school because they may
communicate and contract
diseases from their foot
sores. This is why some
international non-profit
organizations claim that
shoes, or the lack thereof,
are one of the most visible
signs of poverty.
In the Philippines, there is no available academic study that
justifies Filipino children’s
actual lack of shoes.
However, this phenomenon can be substantiated
by the 2023 report of the
Department of Education,
which states that one of
the most pressing issues
in the basic education system is the lack of access
to resources. Since school
shoes are an integral part
of a student’s uniform even
in public schools, it will be
difficult for less-privileged
families to purchase them.
Thus, leaving children with
no choice but to either
use their old and ill-fitting
shoes, or worse, walk
barefoot – just to complete
their education.
This is the challenge that the SM Store
intends to address through
the Share Shoes campaign
– to provide school shoes
to the poverty-stricken students of the Philippines.
In line with the celebration
of SM’s 65th founding anniversary and through the
help of its dedicated customers and partner-organizations, SM Store aims
to donate more than sixteen thousand (16,000+)
pairs of shoes to the lastmile schools and communities in the country. With
a minimum of Three Thousand Pesos (P3,000) single-receipt-spend at any
SM Store, a customer is
entitled to donate a pair
of shoes, which originally
retails for P299, for only
Sixty Five Pesos (P65.00)
and shall be considered as
a Share Shoes Champion.
In a statement,
Mr. Dhinno S Tiu, Executive Vice President of
SM Store, exemplifies the
value and symbolism of
shoes for both SM and its
advocacy to support the
community:
“Shoes have
been the core of our business for over 65 years.
Thus, giving out thousands of shoes to the Filipino children who need
them the most through the
generosity of our customers, is a symbolic gesture
of our commitment to continue to live the legacy of
sharing and giving back to
our partner communities.”
More than a material donation, SM Store
hopes that these pairs
of shoes would help the
children’s journey towards
a better life. Through a
simple act of giving, these
underprivileged children
will be able to learn, play,
and flourish in school. And
by protecting their young
feet, time will come when
they can confidently step,
walk, run, and even leap
towards their individual
goals and dreams.
Shop at your
favorite SM Store from
September 1, 2023 to November 15, 2023 to support a child in need. For
only P65, you can help
transform a life by being
a Share Shoes Champion! Help us put shoes on
a child’s feet and together, let us witness how
they walk through life with
smiles on their faces.
