Alumna works to leave lasting legacy in Africa

Furman celebrates Black History Month
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When her youngest child graduated college, Tammy Darmel Moore ’16 decided to travel, eventually crossing four continents and more than 36 countries off her list. Her first time in Africa was in the fall of 2019 when she visited Ethiopia.

“That was the first place I’d gone to where I took off my shoes when I stepped off the plane, because I wanted the soles of my feet to touch the ground,” she said. “I fell in love with the people, fell in love with the continent as a whole. This is the only place where I felt like I knew these people and they knew me.”

Tammy Darmel Moore ’16, founder and president of Footprints in Africa

Despite language barriers, she also saw how many went without the things Americans take for granted. One day, a teenager pointed at the black Nike Air Max sneakers Moore was wearing.

“She asked me for the shoes on my feet,” she said. “I couldn’t go barefoot out there in the bush, because I wasn’t as used to it as they were. But when I got back to the States, I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to go back to Ethiopia, and I’m going to take these shoes back to that girl.’”

The pandemic thwarted Moore’s plans for a return trip the following year. “We couldn’t do anything but stay at home, and like everyone else I was cleaning out closets,” she said. It occurred to her that many of her friends and family were doing the same, so she started asking them for their gently used shoes.

“Within two weeks, just by talking to friends and family, I had over 100 pairs of shoes,” she said. “That’s how we started Footprints in Africa.”

The nonprofit Moore founded still collects shoes through its annual Soles for Africa campaigns in April through June, but Footprints in Africa has several other core initiatives, programs and projects to aid people in all of the continent’s 54 countries.

One priority is the well-being of children in some villages in southern Ethiopia who have been labeled “Mingi,” or cursed. Certain tribes can label a child Mingi for being born out of wedlock, or being twins, or even if their top teeth come in before their bottom teeth, Moore said. To ward off evil spirits, the tribe may sacrifice a Mingi child.

Through social media, Moore tracked down activist Lale Labuko, founder of the Omo Child Shelter, and offered to help. Footprints in Africa now facilitates sponsorships for more than 50 children.

Through its Life Gardens program, Footprints in Africa is also collaborating with an organization in Kenya to bring seeds, equipment and bio-agricultural training into several of the country’s schools.

Preserving the skilled craftsmanship of Africa is the main goal of Alkebulan, an online marketplace that Moore describes as “Footprints in Africa’s cultural emporium.” Offerings include clothing, jewelry, herbal teas, household items, beauty aids and other products made in countries throughout the continent. Supporting the local businesses helps traditional artisans provide food, housing, education and other essentials for their families, said Moore.

“I decided to actually buy from the locals,” she said. “It’s skilled craftsmanship that has been passed down for countless generations. I know the people on a personal level, so I’m also investing in them as people.”

Moore, who earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Business Administration from Furman through the Undergraduate Evening Studies program as a working single parent, has a background in business development which has boosted her nonprofit work.

“I know how to take a little bit of nothing and make something happen,” she said.

Footprints in Africa prioritizes projects that are “real and sustainable – otherwise, we don’t do it,” Moore said.

“I named the organization Footprints in Africa because I saw more footprints than shoe prints while I was in the bush,” Moore said. “But my desire is to leave a legacy – my footprints – in Africa long after I’m gone.”

Similarly, her alma mater’s annual celebration of Black History Month and its tributes to Black alumni such as Joseph Vaughn ’68, Sarah Reese ’71 H’14 and Lillian Brock Flemming ’71 M’75 H’14 show the profound contributions made by African Americans, Moore said.

“Long after we’re gone,” she said, “the story will still be there.”