Hi guys, our new website - Soule.com.sg has been launched!
That will be our official site, while selfless-shoe will remain as our blog: where pictures of behind-the-scenes, informal updates, random musings will be :)
26th Sept - 30th Sept 2010 This is a short video that documents Soule's 1st shoe drop in China.
Watch and enjoy!!
Justine's Post Shoe Drop Reflection: Tired people change the world.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The past five weeks have been a roller coaster for me and Soule. Doing this reflection now is good as it allows me to take some time to slow down and analyze everything that have been happening.
3 years ago Soule was only an idea, today everything is moving so fast, and so many things are happening at the same time. I've come to realize that thinking of the idea only took a few seconds through inspiration, but making it happen takes years of hard work and perspiration. It is a whole different story. I did not expect it to be this hard and tiring.
In January this year we launched our Soule flip flops after spending a week in Malaysia trying to look for a suitable supplier. It was a milestone for us, finally we had a product. However, it took us 9 months, to sell 250 pairs of them. Standing for hours on the booth, carrying the stocks from places to places, explaining our cause over and over again, giving talks from schools to schools, I find myself running everywhere, and hardly had time to catch a breath.
Not until September 26, our first ever shoe drop in Lincang, China. The day we've been waiting for after 3 grueling years. Giving that 309 pairs of shoes is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It's not just about the shoes or me, it's about the children and them having access to education.
The pure joy on their faces just by receiving such a simple pair of school shoes was moving. And the words of gratitude that came out of their mouths nearly brought me to tears so many times. It was such a great experience, but at the same time heart wrenching.Heart wrenching because there are so many more children who we have yet to help, and so many more needs that have yet to be met there. This experience made me leave China, understanding that there is more work to be done. But I'm thankful I went to China because meeting the children also fuelled me with passion and drive to move this forward.
Yes, it is going to be even more tiring, but tired people change the world.
Day One: Soule-dier Hui Peng Reporting!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Today has been a long but great day for the 3 of us! I met Jying and Justine in the morning and we went for a great breakfast before we settled off for Kunming early in the morning. It has been a long awaited day for the Soule team as they had been planning 3 years for this very day to give shoes to the little kids over at a school in Lincang, so that they won’t have to walk barefooted to school anymore. I feel really priviledged to be able to join their team in this trip as I get to touch the lives of these little kids as well! Believe this will definitely be a life-changing experience for
me. (:
Upon arriving at Kunming, we spent long hours waiting and travelling and we finally reached Lincang in the late afternoon! I felt really excited as I know that this is the very place that we are going to change the lives of the little kids who are studying at the elementary school and they won’t have to travel barefooted anymore. Lincang was a really beautiful place as it is surrounded by trees and mountains. We were hosted by the general secretary of the education system in Lincang and he actually brought us to a little house for dinner.
Along the way, I noticed many people walking by the road and Justine actually shared to me that many of the kids actually need to walk one hour everyday to get to school. Which means if they have school early in the morning, they’ll need to wake up reallyy early just to travel to school. Travelling time is one thing. But imagine walking barefooted? Imagine the amount of blisters and cuts that the little kids have. Thankful that many people have actually made the decision to support this business so that another pair of shoes can be donated to help these little kids!(:
So carrying on, over at the little house, a few villagers actually whipped up a really sumptuos meal for us! The meal consisted of many different kinds of vegetables that they have planted themselves and most of the dishes were really spicy. Manyof the dishes were also part of their local delicacy and we got a chance to try fried bees, cow’s knuckles and many more..overall, the meal was not bad! And then after which, we moved on to our place of accomodation to put our bags and along the way, we got a chance to talk to one of the villagers as he was the one driving us to our place of accomodation. He shared to us about how much he wanted to make a trip to Singapore since young but wasn’t able to do so cos of his circumstances and financial ability. He also expressed that many of the villagers felt really grateful upon hearing that Soule will be donating shoes to the kids over at the elementary school as many of them can’t afford to even get a pair of shoes. That was how much the kids there really needed the shoes. Really glad of the work that Soule is doing! (:
N all in all, this has definitely been an adventurous day for me and I believe for the rest of the members too. Looking forward to tomorrow cos we’ll be visiting many different schools to help the little kids! Time for me to rest! N hope u guys enjoyed reading this post! Till then, cya soooon when I get to experience more and share more! Nights peeps! (:
Finally...Soule's dream has come to pass!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Hi all! Soule is so proud to announce that we will be going on our very first Shoe Drop!
The 309 pairs of Soule Flip Flops = which brought about the 309 pairs of school shoes for the children.
To all our customers who bought a pair of school shoes each: THANK YOU!
Because of your decision,they are one step closer to having comfort for their soles.
Your purchase has made a significant difference to the lives of the children in Quannei Village Sunshine Elementary School, Lincang, China. :)
This shoe drop is the first of many more future shoe drops to other villages and schools in China! :D
Soule Football Tournament 2010!!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Soule Football Tournament 2010 - 1st May 2010
Soule Football Tournament 2010 was a great success! Helpers from BZSE and SEC (Student Entrepreneurs' Club), as well as reporters from npTribune (Ngee Ann Polytechnic's official newspaper) came to help out as well :)
48 boys were fighting it all out and giving their all for the glory of being crowned as the Champion of the tournament :)
Malaysian Causeway
Helpers for event journeying on Malaysian roads to the Orphanage! It was a tiring walk there, carrying all the things there but it was all worth it...for the meeting with the children!
Everyone crowding around as they are being given instructions..
Checking out the free Adidas Jersey sets fully sponsored by Mr Tan! Big thanks!
Left & Right: Everyone is getting ready for the big event :D
Plaque presented to Guest of Honour
Soule Founder Justine with Ms Anna Yeow (Director of School of Business and Accountancy, Ngee Ann Poly) and Mister, a representative from the orphanage :) Presenting gifts of appreciation to the both of them!
And....The tournament commences!!
The competition was blessed with a sunny hot day and no signs of rain at all. The exciting moments were captured and 'live' commentary by the students themselves.
Teams playing against each other shaking hands after their match..despite the strong competition and desire to win, they must still uphold the spirit of good sportsmanship!
Kids smiling and feeling happy @ the thought of winning and having tons of fun!
Our dearest volunteers in action!
The girls who enjoyed themselves while playing games and rooting for their favourite team ;)
The trophies --- bronze, silver, gold and the SOULE CHAMPION TEAM CUP! As well as a special trophy for Most Valuable Player a.k.a MVP (in terms of number of goals scored) and Player showed the best spirit :D
Prize Presentation...players of the winning teams who received their trophies!
Bottom Right: Captain of the winning team, who also won the MVP award, Adi! :)
Left: Justine signing the soccer ball, a consolation prize for the 4th team ;)
Right: Soule Team with one of the brave soccer players!
Soule wants to thank all the Sponsors (Soccer ball, Jerseys, Trophies), Student helpers, Guest-of-honour, Personnel from the Orphanage, and most importantly, the KIDS who made it happen! Soule Football Tournament was a rocking success because of every individual who made a difference! Thank you so much!
Soule is out on the Straits Times, Home Causes section! Hooray! With the success of our first batch of flip flops, selling over 200 pairs in less than a month, Soule is going to launch a series of new products in the month of June!
Soule is going to launch our very own line of T-Shirts, along with our new label for the young ones, Baby Soule!
Designs will be posted up real soon! Do check back for more updates!
P.S If you have yet to get a pair of flip flops, what are you waiting for? Order it today! While Stocks LAST!
Visit to JB Orphanage
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Soule went to an Orphange, Association of Children Welfare Orphanage Johor (PKAYJ) in Johor Bahru on April 11th 2010.
Aim: to bless the children there with brand-new Toys :)
The children running over to see what's the excitement about!
The children crowding around the box of toys..
Smile!
The Panda Soft Toy (as seen in the above picture) were the "bestsellers" among the children. Even a 13 year old boy requested for a panda soft toy!
Group picture with the children!
And while we were there...we also started playing soccer with the children!
Soccer is a universal language indeed. ;)
Hope the children had a kicking good time! The Soule team really enjoyed themselves on that day, being a blessing to the children ;)
Hi guys, our new website - Soule.com.sg has been launched!
That will be our official site, while selfless-shoe will remain as our blog: where pictures of behind-the-scenes, informal updates, random musings will be :)
26th Sept - 30th Sept 2010 This is a short video that documents Soule's 1st shoe drop in China.
Watch and enjoy!!
Justine's Post Shoe Drop Reflection: Tired people change the world.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The past five weeks have been a roller coaster for me and Soule. Doing this reflection now is good as it allows me to take some time to slow down and analyze everything that have been happening.
3 years ago Soule was only an idea, today everything is moving so fast, and so many things are happening at the same time. I've come to realize that thinking of the idea only took a few seconds through inspiration, but making it happen takes years of hard work and perspiration. It is a whole different story. I did not expect it to be this hard and tiring.
In January this year we launched our Soule flip flops after spending a week in Malaysia trying to look for a suitable supplier. It was a milestone for us, finally we had a product. However, it took us 9 months, to sell 250 pairs of them. Standing for hours on the booth, carrying the stocks from places to places, explaining our cause over and over again, giving talks from schools to schools, I find myself running everywhere, and hardly had time to catch a breath.
Not until September 26, our first ever shoe drop in Lincang, China. The day we've been waiting for after 3 grueling years. Giving that 309 pairs of shoes is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It's not just about the shoes or me, it's about the children and them having access to education.
The pure joy on their faces just by receiving such a simple pair of school shoes was moving. And the words of gratitude that came out of their mouths nearly brought me to tears so many times. It was such a great experience, but at the same time heart wrenching.Heart wrenching because there are so many more children who we have yet to help, and so many more needs that have yet to be met there. This experience made me leave China, understanding that there is more work to be done. But I'm thankful I went to China because meeting the children also fuelled me with passion and drive to move this forward.
Yes, it is going to be even more tiring, but tired people change the world.
Day One: Soule-dier Hui Peng Reporting!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Today has been a long but great day for the 3 of us! I met Jying and Justine in the morning and we went for a great breakfast before we settled off for Kunming early in the morning. It has been a long awaited day for the Soule team as they had been planning 3 years for this very day to give shoes to the little kids over at a school in Lincang, so that they won’t have to walk barefooted to school anymore. I feel really priviledged to be able to join their team in this trip as I get to touch the lives of these little kids as well! Believe this will definitely be a life-changing experience for
me. (:
Upon arriving at Kunming, we spent long hours waiting and travelling and we finally reached Lincang in the late afternoon! I felt really excited as I know that this is the very place that we are going to change the lives of the little kids who are studying at the elementary school and they won’t have to travel barefooted anymore. Lincang was a really beautiful place as it is surrounded by trees and mountains. We were hosted by the general secretary of the education system in Lincang and he actually brought us to a little house for dinner.
Along the way, I noticed many people walking by the road and Justine actually shared to me that many of the kids actually need to walk one hour everyday to get to school. Which means if they have school early in the morning, they’ll need to wake up reallyy early just to travel to school. Travelling time is one thing. But imagine walking barefooted? Imagine the amount of blisters and cuts that the little kids have. Thankful that many people have actually made the decision to support this business so that another pair of shoes can be donated to help these little kids!(:
So carrying on, over at the little house, a few villagers actually whipped up a really sumptuos meal for us! The meal consisted of many different kinds of vegetables that they have planted themselves and most of the dishes were really spicy. Manyof the dishes were also part of their local delicacy and we got a chance to try fried bees, cow’s knuckles and many more..overall, the meal was not bad! And then after which, we moved on to our place of accomodation to put our bags and along the way, we got a chance to talk to one of the villagers as he was the one driving us to our place of accomodation. He shared to us about how much he wanted to make a trip to Singapore since young but wasn’t able to do so cos of his circumstances and financial ability. He also expressed that many of the villagers felt really grateful upon hearing that Soule will be donating shoes to the kids over at the elementary school as many of them can’t afford to even get a pair of shoes. That was how much the kids there really needed the shoes. Really glad of the work that Soule is doing! (:
N all in all, this has definitely been an adventurous day for me and I believe for the rest of the members too. Looking forward to tomorrow cos we’ll be visiting many different schools to help the little kids! Time for me to rest! N hope u guys enjoyed reading this post! Till then, cya soooon when I get to experience more and share more! Nights peeps! (:
Finally...Soule's dream has come to pass!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Hi all! Soule is so proud to announce that we will be going on our very first Shoe Drop!
The 309 pairs of Soule Flip Flops = which brought about the 309 pairs of school shoes for the children.
To all our customers who bought a pair of school shoes each: THANK YOU!
Because of your decision,they are one step closer to having comfort for their soles.
Your purchase has made a significant difference to the lives of the children in Quannei Village Sunshine Elementary School, Lincang, China. :)
This shoe drop is the first of many more future shoe drops to other villages and schools in China! :D
Soule Football Tournament 2010!!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Soule Football Tournament 2010 - 1st May 2010
Soule Football Tournament 2010 was a great success! Helpers from BZSE and SEC (Student Entrepreneurs' Club), as well as reporters from npTribune (Ngee Ann Polytechnic's official newspaper) came to help out as well :)
48 boys were fighting it all out and giving their all for the glory of being crowned as the Champion of the tournament :)
Malaysian Causeway
Helpers for event journeying on Malaysian roads to the Orphanage! It was a tiring walk there, carrying all the things there but it was all worth it...for the meeting with the children!
Everyone crowding around as they are being given instructions..
Checking out the free Adidas Jersey sets fully sponsored by Mr Tan! Big thanks!
Left & Right: Everyone is getting ready for the big event :D
Plaque presented to Guest of Honour
Soule Founder Justine with Ms Anna Yeow (Director of School of Business and Accountancy, Ngee Ann Poly) and Mister, a representative from the orphanage :) Presenting gifts of appreciation to the both of them!
And....The tournament commences!!
The competition was blessed with a sunny hot day and no signs of rain at all. The exciting moments were captured and 'live' commentary by the students themselves.
Teams playing against each other shaking hands after their match..despite the strong competition and desire to win, they must still uphold the spirit of good sportsmanship!
Kids smiling and feeling happy @ the thought of winning and having tons of fun!
Our dearest volunteers in action!
The girls who enjoyed themselves while playing games and rooting for their favourite team ;)
The trophies --- bronze, silver, gold and the SOULE CHAMPION TEAM CUP! As well as a special trophy for Most Valuable Player a.k.a MVP (in terms of number of goals scored) and Player showed the best spirit :D
Prize Presentation...players of the winning teams who received their trophies!
Bottom Right: Captain of the winning team, who also won the MVP award, Adi! :)
Left: Justine signing the soccer ball, a consolation prize for the 4th team ;)
Right: Soule Team with one of the brave soccer players!
Soule wants to thank all the Sponsors (Soccer ball, Jerseys, Trophies), Student helpers, Guest-of-honour, Personnel from the Orphanage, and most importantly, the KIDS who made it happen! Soule Football Tournament was a rocking success because of every individual who made a difference! Thank you so much!
Soule is out on the Straits Times, Home Causes section! Hooray! With the success of our first batch of flip flops, selling over 200 pairs in less than a month, Soule is going to launch a series of new products in the month of June!
Soule is going to launch our very own line of T-Shirts, along with our new label for the young ones, Baby Soule!
Designs will be posted up real soon! Do check back for more updates!
P.S If you have yet to get a pair of flip flops, what are you waiting for? Order it today! While Stocks LAST!
Visit to JB Orphanage
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Soule went to an Orphange, Association of Children Welfare Orphanage Johor (PKAYJ) in Johor Bahru on April 11th 2010.
Aim: to bless the children there with brand-new Toys :)
The children running over to see what's the excitement about!
The children crowding around the box of toys..
Smile!
The Panda Soft Toy (as seen in the above picture) were the "bestsellers" among the children. Even a 13 year old boy requested for a panda soft toy!
Group picture with the children!
And while we were there...we also started playing soccer with the children!
Soccer is a universal language indeed. ;)
Hope the children had a kicking good time! The Soule team really enjoyed themselves on that day, being a blessing to the children ;)
SALES ARE NOW ON! (22 Jan 2010):
Soule Flip Flops are ready for ordering!
Price: SGD$15.90
How to purchase my very own pair of Soule FF?
Soule flip flops are available in Red and Blue
Soule Flip Flops Product Description:
This is our very own exclusive preview product
before our shoes are launched.
We plan to use the proceeds of the flip flops to clothe the feet of the children of a school in China, we will be going there by June this year to do our 1st shoe-drop.
For every pair of flip flops sold, a pair of school-shoes will be given to a child there.
Media Coverage
To read the articles, simply click on the thumbnails to see the full article :)
For PDFs, please click on "Download" button to download it.
Publication: Straits Times, Print Issue: 8 May 2010
Publication: Business Times, Print Issue: 29 March 2010
