The twelfth edition of Solidarity Sneakers has concluded with the collection of 2,015 pairs of sneakers in condition to be donated, which will be sent to Equatorial Guinea for distribution among children and young people and for use in the Basketball Campus that takes place in the cities of Malabo and Bata.
The initiative, promoted by the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, through the environmental education program Lanzarote Recicla, and the Martínez Abolafio Foundation, has counted in this edition with the participation of 54 educational centers and collaborating entities. Between January 14 and May 15, students, families, teachers, neighbors, athletes, and workers from the Island deposited sports footwear at the designated points for subsequent selection and shipment.
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, highlighted that the results of this edition “demonstrate, once again, the enormous capacity of our society to get involved in initiatives that combine environmental care with solidarity”. “Each pair of sneakers collected has behind it a gesture of generosity and commitment, and when these small gestures multiply, we achieve that an initiative born in our educational centers has a real impact thousands of kilometers from Lanzarote,” he pointed out.
In the words of the Councilor for Waste Management, Domingo Cejas, “this campaign is a clear example of how recycling can go far beyond waste management”. “We are managing to give a second chance to sneakers that are no longer used and, at the same time, turn them into a tool of support for children and young people in Equatorial Guinea,” he explained.
Cejas especially thanked the involvement of the volunteers and staff who have collaborated in the collection and selection of footwear. In this edition, among other entities, the Zonzamas Day Center, the MAIN Canary Foundation, Ferretería Tías, Aylanz, Promociones Marabo, and Grupo Martínez Abolafio have participated.
More than 15,700 pairs collected since 2014
With the results of this twelfth edition, Solidarity Sneakers reaches a cumulative total of 15,737 pairs of sneakers collected since its launch in 2014. The campaign has thus consolidated itself as an initiative that unites environmental education, circular economy, sport, and solidarity, involving educational centers, families, and entities from all over the Island each year.
The collected footwear is subjected to a selection process to ensure it is in adequate condition for donation. Subsequently, it is prepared for shipment to Equatorial Guinea, where, in addition to its use at the Basketball Campus, it is distributed in rural schools, orphanages, and community centers in Malabo and Bata.
The Basketball Campus has been held since 2013 in these two cities and is organized by the Conejero Basketball Club and the Equatorial Guinea Basketball Federation, with the support of the Martínez Abolafio Foundation. The project uses sport as a tool for social integration, coexistence, and personal development, bringing the practice of basketball closer to children and young people and promoting healthy habits in a safe environment.
The campaign once again demonstrates, in this way, that recycling can also be a form of solidarity and that the participation of the educational community can transform a daily action into an initiative with social and environmental impact.
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