CEO and founder of Samaritan’s Feet, Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme, shared with the St. George’s student body his “solution to a problem we take for granted”—shoes. 

The Institute for Citizenship has collaborated with Manny and his organization since last year by collecting athletic footwear for underprivileged children. His speech outlined the global issue of poverty, encouraging students to make a difference in and outside their community.

This year, the Institute is planning a Samaritan’s Feet service trip in Charleston, North Carolina from Oct. 5-10 for all upper school students to participate in.

As a young child in Nigeria, Manny himself struggled to survive without shoes. However, his life was forever changed after winning shoes in a basketball competition held by a missionary. Manny later obtained a scholarship to play at Lake Region State College, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Yet his return to Africa was the drive towards his charity’s founding.

“All you see is poverty,” said Manny, who saw shoeless children suffering in his community—much like he did as a child. “We make choices in life yet don’t consider the consequences.”

According to the World Health Organization and the World Bank, 2.2 billion people cannot afford shoes, while 1.5 billion have parasitic diseases due to a lack of shoes.

Determined to make a change, Manny and his wife, Tracie, began Samaritan’s Feet in 2003. Since its start, the nonprofit has served over seven million people in over seventy countries and collected 6.5 million shoes.

Along with St. George’s, other non-profits have worked with them. The Memphis Grizzlies Foundation and Lipscomb Pitts Breakfast Club have provided shoes to over 200 Memphis-Area children to support the charity. In other events, such as those that will happen in Charleston, volunteers sign up to wash feet and place shoes on children.

According to Charleston mayor, John J. Tecklenburg, citizens wish to honor lost lives in their community by “taking action” to encourage others “to love [their] neighbor” through the organization’s work.

Manny’s charity also uses social media to spread its message. Twitter hashtags, like “#Count2zero,” include photos and videos of volunteers fulfilling Manny’s mission to “create a world with zero shoeless children.”

Manny believes that the world can solve a problem bigger than itself.

“A pair of shoes is bigger than just foot protection,” Manny said. “It’s actually a symbol of hope to help those people walk into their destiny.”