Ocean Sole teammates collect 180 pounds of trash

The event was final beach clean of 2023 at Vidazini Beach in Kilifi, Kenya.

A team of 18 teammates from Ocean Sole pitched in to collect more than 180 pounds of trash during the final beach cleaning event of 2023 held at Vidazini Beach in Kilifi, Kenya, according to COO Melissa Anderson.

“The day was great! Everyone was in high spirits and the weather was beautiful,” she said. “We always feed our team a daily meal, but since Rock the Ocean foundation sponsored this cleaning event, they also donated to sponsor the meal. We had our amazing chef prepare a meal on-site for the beach cleaning participants.”

Anderson explained the majority of the volunteers came from the “Mamas Group,” a name given to a team of local women Ocean Sole employs at the coast.

The nonprofit is known for cleaning polluted beaches and providing careers to artisans in communities affected by such conditions, Anderson explained.

“We use the polluted flip flops we clean up from beaches and waterways to create colorful, hand-carved artwork,” she notes. “This art tells an important story while also helping to clean our planet and support community enrichment.”

The weekly beach cleaning events along the coast of Kenya clear over 1 million pounds of ocean trash each year, saving marine life and supplying jobs in the process, Anderson adds. Efforts typically target areas of high turtle hatchling populations and some of the dirtiest beaches to have the biggest impact.

The group is also working on a turtle rehab program in Kenya which will be launched later this year, according to Anderson.

For more information or to become a virtual volunteer, visit https://oceansole.com/.