DurhamKinshasa2026–27
We collect gently used athletic shoes in Durham, basketball first, and hand them to kids at a sports camp in Kinshasa in summer 2027. In memory of Fifi, Tichyque’s late mother.
Tichyque & Nick
The brothers behind Fifi’s Soles.
In memory of
Fifi was Tichyque’s mother. She raised him on the streets of Kinshasa, and he lost her when he was young. This drive carries her name, and every pair handed out in Kinshasa is given in her memory.
Their soles. Her soul. The shoes are for the kids. The reason is her.
The people
One was born in Kinshasa. One is finishing high school in Durham. Between them, a year of shoe drives and a camp at the end of it.
Kinshasa, every summer
Born in Kinshasa. He came to the United States at thirteen to play basketball, went on to play in college, and still goes back to Kinshasa every summer. In summer 2027 he hands out the shoes himself at a sports camp there.
Durham, all year
Tichyque’s younger brother and a senior at Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill. He runs the US shoe drives as his senior capstone, May 2026 to May 2027.
How it works
Gently used athletic shoes go in a Fifi’s Soles drop bin. Got a whole team closet? We’ll arrange a pickup.
Shoes are gathered from each drop location, paired, sorted by size, and packed for Kinshasa.
Tichyque carries the shoes to Kinshasa and, at a sports camp in summer 2027, puts them in the hands of the kids who come to play.
What we take
Basketball is the heart of the drive. Soccer cleats and other athletic shoes with life left in them are welcome too.
The focus of the drive, and Tichyque’s game.
Indoor or outdoor, studs in good shape.
Running, training, and court shoes with life left.
Before you drop
The road to Kinshasa
May 2026
Nick’s senior capstone starts. Trinity is the first drop location.
2026–27Now
Shoes are collected, paired, and sorted. New drop locations are added as they’re confirmed.
May 2027
The capstone year ends and the year’s shoes are packed for the trip.
Summer 2027
Tichyque hands the year’s shoes to kids at a sports camp in Kinshasa.
Ready to give a pair?
Find a drop location, host a drive at your school, or arrange a pickup for a big batch. We collect shoes, not money.