A few years ago, we volunteered to go to Uganda to help a village medical clinic get solar power, purified water, and sanitary septic system. During this time, we noticed many of the amazing people the clinic served didn’t even have shoes on their feet, but worst of all they lacked the hope and opportunity that we took for granted.
We wanted to do more…and considered sending them shoes but realized in a few months they would be shoeless again. A vision of hope and opportunity was conceived. Instead of giving them shoes why not teach them how to make them?
There were a couple of big obstacles:
First: Shoes aren’t easy to make. You need specialized equipment and materials not available in these villages.
Second: Shoe factories are big and expensive.
So, we spent 3 years figuring out how to shrink it down to this. A standard shipping container that can be deployed almost anywhere in the world. And Step Tire was born
Step Tire repurposes tires readily found in any part of the world, processing and shaping them into soles and connecting them to uppers. The result is a comfortable, durable and stylish shoe.
How can you give hope traction? Every time you buy and register a pair Step Tire shoes made here in the USA, you help send the specialized materials to make another pair to a microfactory in a small village like the one in Uganda. We send you a picture of those materials and matching dog tag, which you can now share with friends and family on social media to get even more traction.
The positive economic and environmental impact of each microfactory is remarkable. Besides directly employing 2-6 people, it can remove 15 to 20 tires per day from hillsides and trash piles. A mother in an almost hopeless situation can now feed her family working in the microfactory.
The shops in nearby villages benefit from selling step tire shoes. People from all around know that the microfactory will pay for tires and help clean up the region. This is why we say every Step Tire shoe gives hope traction.
