LET THEM WALK AGAIN FOR A GOOD CAUSE THE STORY BEHIND

It should probably be redundant to start explaining about the refugees-migrants crisis in Greece or elsewhere.

The fact is that at this very moment according to the official sources, more than 50,000 persons are residing "temporarily" in organized or less organized shelters all over Greece.

These people have left home in their quest for a better future or just for the right to live.
Food is their first need to be covered and presumably in most of the cases this issue is resolved in a "responsible" way.

But guess what their second challenge is ! It is Shoes. Yes, for someone who left home carrying one bag, bringing more than one pair of shoes could be considered stupidity when “the space to carry a whole life” is so limited.

Our organization during the last 8 months has undertaken orchestrated efforts in order to put a small piece of comfort into this second biggest challenge.

Our vision started a few years ago in the frame of our institutional partner, the Athens Marathon , the Authentic , featuring an environmental connotation since any pair of sport shoes sooner than later will hit its way to the landfill. So, making sure that a significant number of sport shoes find a second life before becoming waste seemed to be a justifiable goal and the “LET THEM RUN AGAIN” project begun its journey.

In the meanwhile, living in the country the mostly “visited” by refugees and migrants made us add another component to our goal. A very human and practical one: to gather as many sport shoes as possible and forward them to the shelters where refugees and migrants reside before taking their next step.
 
Our field experience has shown that many refugees suffer from ill-fitting shoes. Sport shoes -in a decent and wearable condition-are comfortable and when in need, you do not look at the color or commercial brand they have on.

This is how the “LET THEM WALK AGAIN FOR A GOOD CAUSE” was born.
It is along this path that we ask you to walk with us and bring your used- in good- condition sport/running shoes and contribute to the social and environmental aspect of the AIMS Congress in Athens.

ABOUT INSTITUTE TEAM FOR THE WORLD – ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE 2004+

Team for the World is a non-governmental organization, non-for-profit, established in 2005, in Athens with its initial scope to maintain the environmental legacy of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

It operates locally in Greece and internationally, focusing in strengthening the link between sport and the environment, while undertaking several activities in the field of sustainable development, climate change awareness-raising and the improvement of the quality of life with the adoption of environment friendly practices.

Since 2007, is the official partner of SEGAS, the organizer of the Athens Marathon, the Authentic, in the field of environmental protection and environmental awareness raising.

In 2014, introduced the GREEN SPORTS LEAGUE, a green practices acknowledgment scheme for sports around the world.

The organization maintains strong relations with international agencies, universities, NGOs and private sector entities.

The president of Team for the World, George Kazantzopoulos, has been the Environment Director of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games while until lately he was a member of the IOC Sport and Environment Commission since 2002 and serves as the Environment and Sustainability Officer for the International Rowing Federation (FISA).

INSTITUTE TEAM FOR THE WORLD (NGO-NPO) – AIMS