Meet Kerry Korentang, an eleven-year-old non-profit owner who has donated over 900 pairs of shoes to Ghana natives. Kerry’s mission to provide comfortable shoes to children in need was born after a trip to Ghana when she noticed children in rural areas going barefoot to school. Not letting her age or experience stop her, Kerry worked alongside her family to start the Kerry K Foundation. Since its inception, the Kerry K Foundation has not only focused on Kerry’s first goal of providing shoes for children, it has also branched out to include clothing and advocacy. In her spare time, Kerry is a pageant queen who uses her platform to spread awareness for her cause. We love the work that Kerry and her team are doing and we are excited to share their story with you! Continue reading for our exclusive interview with Kerry K below!

Where are you based?
I’m based in Chicago, Illinois, but my foundation is active both in Chicago and Accra, Ghana.

We love that you had a dream to help others and put it into action with the Kerry K Foundation. What inspired you to start this organization?
I visited my grandauntie in the rural part of Ghana and over there, almost every child I saw was walking with no shoes and in very dirty clothes. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I felt sad because I couldn’t imagine walking barefoot the entire day, every single day. At that point, I knew I had to do something to help and that’s why I started the KerryKFoundation.

What was your first goal in the organization?
My first goal was to raise 100 shoes to be able to make daily movements comfortable for the children in need.

What is your daily routine like as the President of the Foundation?
As the president of the KerryKFoundation, I communicate with the team to make sure we run a campaign to raise the target amount of shoes within the year to be donated. I also create new lip care products to generate more income to help with the shipping cost of the shoes. I share fliers both on social media and in-person to get more people on board with supporting the organization.

What milestones are you most proud of in the Kerry K Foundation?
To be able to donate over thousand pairs of new shoes to children in need.

Do you have any personal mentors, role models, or people who serve as your inspiration?
My mom and Misty Copeland. My mom is a preschool director and has a clothing brand. Having a busy schedule never stops her from being there for the family.

And Misty inspires me because of her accomplishments in the ballet industry as a person of color. She started ballet very late when she was 13 years old. She was bullied about her body type but that didn't stop her, today, she's the best ballerina of all time!

What has been the hardest part about starting an NGO?
I will say I’m blessed with a great support system. mom and dad are very involved and supportive. My uncles Collins and Francis, Nana, Isaiah, Dave, Donald, and my aunties Ruth and Alice have been such awesome cheerleaders. They donate money and help with transporting the shoes.

I’m also thankful for my friend Jahkil, founder of ProjectIAM, and Lady Dawn from milshousecharities. They have been my biggest sponsors so far. And I’ve had great support from the general public as well. So I’ll say in general, I’ve been ok.

How did COVID impact your organization?
Covid really reduced donations from the general public. I’m so thankful Milhouse Charities and Official ProjectIAM stepped in to help by donating a lot of shoes.

Do you have any new goals for your organization that you are excited about?
My main goal is to shine a light on child labor and to help make life better for children in need in general. Moving forward, I plan to add a hygiene kit to the shoes since most of the kids looked dirty.

Do you have any special memories of your time connecting children with opportunities? Are there any stories you would like to share?
I got the opportunity to share my story with CBS. In the process, one of the students I helped got a chance to be interviewed via zoom and was also on CBS National news. I had a family who has just donated a laptop to help her with her education.

How can our readers get involved?
Anyone can get involved by donating some shoes, donating towards my GoFundMe page, or purchasing any of my lip care products @kerrykkosmetics. All links are below!

What advice do you have for young people who want to make an impact, like starting their own NGO?
I will say being brave and focused. I was determined to help the kids so I just went straight at it. The beginning was tough but I kept spreading my message and it was eventually heard. Never give up.

Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share? We’d love to keep up with your work?
I have an upcoming National Pageant in November and I'm working hard to win. Winning will give me access to sharing my platform (kids being kids- stop child labor) to a larger audience.

There are still so many villages in Ghana with children going to school or doing their daily activities without shoes on. Having no shoes on, I feel can expose them to a lot of diseases that could have been prevented. So, I'll love to raise thousands of shoes to help.

Most of the kids I met in the villages look dirty, so I'm planning on adding hygiene kits as well.

How have you been staying positive during shelter in place?
I love spending time with family and working on creating new flavors for my lip care products. I also enjoy reading and dancing.

What is your life motto?
I will say being kind can inspire another person to do the same. Kindness is never wasted, if you’re kind, you’ll receive it back in a different way. And as mom always say, in this world, we’re like the puzzle piece, each of us is needed to complete the puzzle so we have to look out for one another.

To learn more about Kerry K, please follow her via the below platforms:
www.kerrykfoundation.com
Instagram: KerryKFoundation, KerryKoranteng, KerryKKosmetics

Photography by Christiana Arhin.

Kerry K Is Changing Lives One Pair Of Shoes At A Time