metadata: {"type": "project", "title": "Ocean Sole Beach Clean Ups, Turtle Protection, Tree Planting & Youth Education", "logoImg": "bafkreie7h5w5mbdx47izijdu5n56xot7nkxmvegzfrkqnqu7g2xj7mmx6e", "website": "https://www.oceansole.com", "bannerImg": "bafkreiexirjqr4bw5tubr5adcwh6ltlz5jukwqvxtdidqkn3g6nlj4rxh4", "createdAt": 1713188464045, "credentials": {}, "description": "Our Story\nWe are a social enterprise, that upcycles washed up flip-flops found along the beaches and waterways in Kenya. Inspired by the toys children were making out of the flip-flop debris, the Ocean Sole Founder, encouraged their mothers to collect, wash, and cut the discarded flip-flops into colourful products to sell at local Kenyan Markets as another means of income for their families.\n\n[![3-beading-work-email.jpg](https://i.postimg.cc/Nj8PpD45/3-beading-work-email.jpg)](https://postimg.cc/zyBjfn4r)\n\nOur social enterprise positively impacts over a 1,000 Kenyans through the collection of flip-flops and direct employment. We provide steady income to nearly 100 low-income Kenyans in our company. We aim to recycle a million flip flops year, recycle over one tonne of styrofoam a month, and save over five hundred trees a year - by using flip flops instead of wood. We contribute over 10-15% of our revenue to beach cleanups, vocational and educational programmes as well as conservation efforts.\n\n[![Honda-S2000-Team.jpg](https://i.postimg.cc/Bb0GjbZz/Honda-S2000-Team.jpg)](https://postimg.cc/YGbPVpWN)\n\nWe use our social enterprise to pay bonuses to employees, invest in a welfare programme that allows a zero return in funds to all employees to help facilitate payments for educating their children, buying land and other means.\n\nPeople are the heart of our organization. We support equality & are passionate about community impact. We provide meals, healthcare, fair wages, and career advancement & educational opportunities, for not only our employees, but their families as well.\n\n[![53-IMG-KIlifi-Beach-Clean-April-2018.jpg](https://i.postimg.cc/q7DfxQJ2/53-IMG-KIlifi-Beach-Clean-April-2018.jpg)](https://postimg.cc/jWfksHJj)\n\nOUR MISSION\nWe turn flip-flops into art and functional products and in turn raise visual awareness of the problem at hand. By creating these sculptures, we are creating employment for a country that has over 40% unemployment rate but we are also sending a message about how we can help our planet, our oceans and people, through creating beautiful art that portray an important message about the state of our oceans.\n\n[![3-12-x-8-jpg.jpg](https://i.postimg.cc/jqzgsvpv/3-12-x-8-jpg.jpg)](https://postimg.cc/xq1y5GTb)\n\nOur business is all about the community. We support men, women, youth (18 to 35), fisherman and other entrepreneurs that are all part of our eco-system. Whether picking up flip-flops that we pay for or using our waste for up-cycled products such as mattresses, our community engagement has been strong and is at the core of our business and hearts.\n\n[![73-F4-A5354-jpg.jpg](https://i.postimg.cc/Yq7p9nhS/73-F4-A5354-jpg.jpg)](https://postimg.cc/HjSGvt0G)", "logoImgData": {}, "bannerImgData": {}, "projectTwitter": "oceansole1"}
name: Ocean Sole Beach Clean Ups, Turtle Protection, Tree Planting & Youth Education