Giving with TOMS and Dr Shira Shafir

In celebration of TOMS Day Without Shoes, I wanted to share with you my interview with Dr Shira Shafir of TOMS. Recently Dr Shafir was in Toronto for a launch event of the TOMS Bag Collection. Dr Shafir leads innovation and external and cross-functional partnership efforts for TOMS' global social innovation and impact team. Highly accomplished in the areas of Infectious Diseases (MPH UC Berkeley) and Epidemiology (PhD UCLA), Dr Shafir was the assistant director of the Center for Global and Immigrant Health and also collaborates with the Center for Public Health and Disasters.

I believe that it is an extraordinary opportunity to meet and learn form the men and women who work behind the scenes of organizations such as TOMS. Through the work that Dr Shafir does, TOMS is able to ensure that where they give and how is where is both meaningful and needed. There is so many areas in the world that can use the help of others and there are so many of us that through our strengths can make a difference, Dr Shafir is an inspiring leader and initiator of change and I am excited to share this.

While completing your PHD studies, did you ever think that you would be working with an organization such as TOMS?

I thought that I would spend my career as an academic. But when TOMS asked me to be a part of the organization, I realized that I went to grad school to make a difference in the world, and TOMS was trying to do this on a global level by using business to improve lives. This made the decision to join TOMS a pretty easy one.

Where do you see the role of social business in our current global economy? What do you think are its strengths?

I think that social business can play a powerful role in our current global economy. A real strength of the social enterprise model is the opportunity to engage a larger segment of society in the ability to do good. They can also help to address global needs in a more creative and sustainable way.

Your background is in epidemiology, as well as in neglected tropical disease and neglected poverty related diseases. TOMS currently has a Podoconiosis Initiative. Can you elaborate further on what Podoconiosis is?

Podoconiosis is a disease with debilitating physical effects that impacts an estimated 4 million people in highland tropical Africa as well as people in as many as 15 other countries around the world. It results from prolonged exposure to soils of volcanic origin and can be prevented by shoe wearing. For this reason, TOMS works with partners in Ethiopia to help give shoes along with health education information to children in communities at risk for podoconiosis in order to prevent the disease from occurring.

TOMS started with shoes, grew to eyewear, then coffee and now bags. Each individually addressing the needs of footwear, sight, water giving and maternal health. What other needs do you see TOMS addressing in the future with the "one for one" model it does so well?

My team has a list of what we believe are the greatest global needs- based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals- that TOMS could target as a result of customers purchases of TOMS products. Which ones we target next will be largely dependent on a number of factors including what product will be next for TOMS.

Who inspires you?

Our Giving Partners are a constant inspiration to me in my work. They are a powerful reminder on a daily basis of the power and passion of people to make the world better.

If you could give advice to young women who want to address global and social needs through effective change, what would that be?

The piece of advice that I would give is: keep learning. Learning doesn’t stop in school. So you have to be ready to work really hard and diversify your interests (you never know what opportunities may come up down the line and the more you know, the more you will be ready to take on).

Do you have a favourite bag from the TOMS bag collection?

It’s hard to choose a favourite since they all have such amazing power to help save lives, but my two current favourites are the “You’ll be amazed transport tote” because it’s a great reminder of the mission. And the “multi-stripe canvas tech backpack” because it’s the perfect size and shape for travel.

#Fashion