Sole2Sole collects new and second hand shoes – still in good condition – for the less fortunate Photo Supplied
Defining a need within the community, but to actively go out and bring about change is uncommon. Dario Liana, a fifteen-year-old boy, has started his own non-profit organisation called Sole2Sole foundation, after seeing someone in need in his community.
Liana actively brought change to his community from the tender age of nine-years-old. His mom stopped at a robot when he noticed a child with no shoes and feet sores. Liana proceeded to gift that child with a new pair of shoes, that he had just got. Since then, the foundation has evolved further. Liana shared the successes of the NGO thus far.
“I wrote a letter to all of my friends pleading them and asking them if they could help me collect a thousand pairs of shoes. Within two weeks I remember collecting a thousand pairs of shoes. That’s when we realized that we can’t stop, and I couldn’t stop now. We just carried on and today Sole2Sole is on 185 000 pairs of shoes.
Finding problems or issues in our community is very simple, but rarely do we see people actively try and help. People tend to neglect the problems or issues and worry about their own struggles. Many people in communities fail to understand the amount of privilege they have. In fact privilege gets overlooked because it is accepted as the norm. This is false, there are so many things we take for granted, like owning a pair of shoes or having more than one warm jacket.
“We live in a society where many people are blessed and I’m pretty sure people do recognize that. We do have people in our community that don’t recognize that we are very privileged. I think that personally we should share those blessings and this privilege that we have to everybody. That’s also one of the reasons why I started Sole2Sole also.”
How to actively share our privilege
Giving back to your communities is a vital act to ensure we not only build our community but help create a united environment. To actively give back you could create an NPO similar to Sole2Sole. Liana shared his motto to encourage others, “you’re never too young to start something,”.
If you aren’t cut out for that lifestyle you could actively get involved in existing NPO’s and organisations. You could identify families, children, or people in need of financial or emotional need and offer them assistance. Participate in charity drives and fundraisers, random acts of kindness and creating awareness on issues.
Giving back comes voluntarily when it comes from a genuine place. Once people recognize the greater need for things that many people take for granted, is when you will see communities actively giving back.