ABOUT US: OUR HISTORY
InYourShoes is a project born in 2017 from the idea of Francisco Grimaldi and the contribution of Giordano Bravetti. We aim to sustain sports communities in developing countries and to encourage and support school education for future athletes.
To do this, every year we collect running shoes from all over the world, we label them with their owners' names, and we drive them to Kenya, where we donate them to those dreaming of becoming champions. InYourShoes is a bond that transcends geographical boundaries and unites athletes of all nationalities.
Francisco Grimaldi

Francisco Grimaldi

Founder & President

Francisco Grimaldi is a Rome-born filmmaker who's been working on documentaries since 2012. Upon landing in Africa for the first time at the age of 13, he soon felt a strong attraction to this ancient and beautiful land and then chose Kenya as his second home.
He's been taking forward the InYourShoes project since 2017 along with the dream of creating a worldwide community of runners inspired by the values ofIten.
Giordano Bravetti

Giordano Bravetti

co-founder

Giordano Bravetti is a runner, doctor, and wine producer.
He is the founder of the Rome-based Eternal  Eagles running crew, a project combining sport and creativity.
Owing to his experimental vocation, he decided to join InYourShoes from the start.
Giulia Marino

Giulia Marino

Project Manager

Giulia Marino is an International Cooperation and Development student at the Sapienza University of Rome, born in 1999. She has worked extensively on the situation of women in Sub-Saharan Africa, the subject of her dissertation. After years of theoretical studies on intercultural dynamics and the components of development, she actualizes and enriches her career path with the role of Project Manager for InYourShoes.
Simone Palazzo

Simone Palazzo

Project Manager

Simone, born in Rome in 1998 but based in Madrid since 2021. Entirely trained internationally, with InYourShoes he has approached the world of cooperation and has not yet been able to quit! He now works full-time mainly in the projects area. From one NGO to another, he makes time to travel, read about politics, and study foreign languages (he already speaks 4). He’s definitely the funny one on the team.
Carolina Isella

Carolina Isella

Social Media Manager

This is Carolina, but everyone calls her ccisella.
From Milan with passion, born in 1996. She traveled with her family from an early age, especially around Southeast Asia, which stole her heart and unconsciously opened her mind. Growing up she realized how traveling and exploring differences are essential to her. She works as a freelancer in the digital communication world and travels discovering the world between one shot and one editorial plan.
Stories

Carolina

IYS Expedition 2021

“Since 2016, I wanted to join an expedition of the caliber of IYS but had not yet found the right team. When I encountered this project in 2021 I was so excited that I offered to work as a photographer. From then on, it was an emotional tornado that had me following the expedition of 2021, which I remember as one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever made. Not only is it a good deed for others, but also a shared good that makes you grow and see things from a different perspective.”

Simone

IYS Expedition 2021

“To me, IYS is more than a project, more than a non-profit organization, IYS is an experience to tell when you are older. With them I learned that a small gesture can be equally important, but not only that, I was able to discover Africa for the first time, and it left its mark on me!”

Giulia

IYS Expedition

2018

“When I first heard Francisco talking about the expedition in Africa, I suddenly thought it was a beautiful thing I wanted to be a part of. It was before a run, and I kept thinking about it the whole workout. Little did I know that my perspective on life would change so much after going to Kenya to bring the same shoes I used to run that day, with other hundreds, to the athletes of Iten. It made me touch by hand how people truly connect, they become something that is greater than the sum of individuals.”

Federica

IYS Expedition 2017

“On November 2017 I went to Kenya because I thought it would have been an amazing experience, but I was wrong, it has been a trip beyond imagination. I discovered not only the beauty of African landscapes but also the real joy in the eyes of the guys when I gave them my running shoes. For them, they were not just shoes, they were the key to achieve all their goals and dreams. All the stories and emotions I felt, are something I will never forget. I will always be saying that going to Kenya and be part of the InYourShoes project was the best gift I could ever give to myself”

Giulia

IYS Expedition 2021

“Ever since I heard about InYourShoes I thought about how much I would have loved to go to Kenya with them. When Francisco and Giordano came up with a concrete offer, I knew I was going to have one of the most beautiful and formative experiences of my life. Having the opportunity to personally see the importance of this project for the local community was priceless: through InYourShoes I was able to dip into this reality firsthand and breathe it with no filters, living a unique and unrepeatable experience.”

Yeonjae

IYS Expedition 2019

“I took off to Kenya with five almost-strangers, having only one common thing. We had the same goal to bridge the dreams between continents, through used running shoes. Within two weeks, strangers became friends; The kind of friends who drive me crazy, then make me so inspired. In Iten, we witnessed so many amazing things spending time with the young athletes, such as their busy hands making Chapati for us, and their busy legs at 6am fartlek training. We were guests to them one day, and soon we were all friends. To this day, I feel incredibly lucky getting to meet the inyourshoes crew and all the beautiful souls and their dreams in Iten. To me inyourshoes was a blast, and it was a blessing.”

Nat

IYS Expedition 2018

“My experience with InYourShoes has been, quite simply, one of the best experiences of my life. In Kenya I left a piece of my heart and I can’t wait to have a chance to go back. Meeting the people and seeing that land will change your perspective on life.”