World Refugee Day

In the sixty seconds it will take you to read this, 20 more people will leave their homes to escape war, persecution or terror.

Soles4Souls joins in celebrating World Refugee Day for the more than 68 million people displaced by violence. Refugees are among the most vulnerable groups in the world. Access to shoes and clothing is essential to their survival, providing safety and normalcy amidst chaos. We honor those throughout our history you and our partners have allowed us to help.

We honor the hundreds of Iraqi children victimized by war reached through the “Roughnecks” company of the U.S. Marines. We honor the more than 700 Palestinian and Syrian refugee children kept safe in a cold winter by kits distributed through non-profit Anera. We honor young Gaaya, forced into a Nigerian refugee camp by unimaginable terrorist violence, whose deep smile upon receiving new shoes through non-profit Access2Success reminds us of the resiliency of the human spirit. And we honor Faezza.

We met Faezza at our new Regional Donation Center in Virginia. A refugee from Iraq, she came to us a few months ago as part of a local workforce development program. She was eager to work and develop office skills. We, in turn, needed help launching our operations in the area. 

Her support was invaluable and her presence a strong reminder of our mission to help people pull themselves up. Faezza and her family are returning to Iraq, and the details of her story are not ours to tell. But we will miss her and we thank her for her time and work with Soles4Souls.

Families from countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iraq, Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, among others .were all served. We thank our partners, and the people we’ve been privileged to serve, and you for making it all possible. And we remember all the families seeking safety throughout the world.