In many parts of the UK, unused ostomy supplies are thrown away every day. Supplies are left over following reversal surgery, stoma size/shape changes, hospital admissions, product intolerance, expiry dates or bereavement. Despite remaining sealed and perfectly usable, huge quantities of medical supplies still end up in landfill each year. Across parts of Africa, many ostomates are desperately trying to survive without them.
I began learning about the realities faced by vulnerable ostomates while recovering from bowel cancer surgery and living temporarily with a high output ileostomy myself. I learnt that people were reusing stoma bags for prolonged periods or improvising with dangerous makeshift alternatives like bread bags, plastic shopping bags, disposable nappies, tins, super glue and heavy-duty tape used for sealing moving boxes because they have no alternatives. This caused severe skin damage, infections, leaks and overwhelming isolation caused by smell, stigma and rejection.
I met people hiding themselves because of shame, leaks and fear. Some had stopped working because they felt too ashamed to leave their homes. Others avoided eating because they feared humiliation without reliable supplies available. Some openly spoke about depression, hopelessness and feeling rejected by society and wanting to end their life. One woman explained how she repeatedly reused the same bag until it fell apart and her skin was full of sores because she had no replacement. Another shared that she isolated at home because she was terrified people would smell her stoma leaking. Another lady said she had not hugged her children in years because she had no supplies and was scared to transfer her waste onto her kids.
I also met carers and families with little understanding of what a stoma was because support and education did not exist around them. We came across a child who had been abandoned because his parents did not know how to care for him and thought their family had been cursed. These are not isolated stories. This is the daily reality for many vulnerable ostomates trying to survive without dignity, support or basic medical care. That became the driving force behind Footprints 2 Africa.
The charity is born
Our charity began in the simplest way possible, with two 23kg suitcases filled with donated ostomy supplies travelling to South Africa with my daughters in February 2025. At the time, we were still trying to understand the scale of need. These first suitcases were handed over to the co-founder of an ostomy organisation in South Africa and the response was deeply emotional. There was an expressed overwhelming amount of gratitude because they were receiving ostomy supplies. That was one moment that made it clear that far bigger than a one-off act of kindness was required.
Footprints 2 Africa was registered as a UK charity in July 2025 with one clear mission: to collect surplus ostomy supplies across the UK and redistribute them to under-resourced hospitals, organisations and vulnerable ostomates across Africa. What started with four people and a deeply personal mission has since grown into a grassroots humanitarian organisation working alongside hospitals, healthcare professionals, cancer organisations, stoma support groups and humanitarian partners across South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
At the centre of the charity is a structured volunteer-led model focused on dignity, sustainability and accessibility. Donated supplies are received from ostomates, families, hospitals, stoma nurses, support groups and healthcare organisations across the UK. Supplies are posted or collected before being sorted, checked, counted and prepared for shipment by volunteers. Products are separated into categories including stoma bags, rings, wipes, sprays and continence supplies to help healthcare teams distribute them safely and appropriately on the ground. The charity addresses two major issues simultaneously: restoring dignity to vulnerable ostomates while also reducing medical waste.
Rebuilding health and quality of life
To date, Footprints 2 Africa has redistributed more than 42,000 ostomy supplies through partnerships with CANSA Cancer Association of South Africa, hospitals, healthcare teams and community organisations working directly within local communities. The impact extends far beyond physical products. Children have returned to school after receiving reliable supplies. Adults who had isolated themselves for years because of leaks, smell and stigma have begun rebuilding confidence and reconnecting with society.
Some people have returned to work after regaining dignity and stability. Others have spoken emotionally about being able to sit comfortably with family members again without fear or embarrassment or shame. For many ostomates, receiving these supplies also means being able to eat normally again. Some had reduced or avoided eating entirely because they feared output, leaks or humiliation due to having no safe products available.
Access to appropriate stoma care allows people to begin rebuilding not only their health but also their quality of life. Alongside humanitarian aid, education and awareness have become central to our charity’s work. Recently, Footprints 2 Africa supported an orphanage caring for a four-year-old child living with a stoma by providing basic education and guidance, carers supporting her daily needs and a year’s worth of supplies. Experiences like this reinforce how vital education is alongside practical aid.
Within the UK, our charity has also developed meaningful partnerships with educational providers such as SGS College’s CHASE provision, where young people with additional needs help count, sort and prepare supplies for shipment as part of structured humanitarian and life skills sessions. These sessions build confidence, communication, teamwork and employability skills while also teaching compassion, sustainability, hidden disability awareness and dignity in care. What began as a humanitarian project overseas is now also creating meaningful social impact locally within the UK.
Despite our growth, Footprints 2 Africa remains entirely volunteer led. Every collection, fundraising event, sorting session and shipment is balanced around full-time jobs, family responsibilities, health needs and caregiving commitments. As awareness has grown, so too have the operational pressures facing our charity. Increasing donation volumes have created an urgent need for larger warehouse and storage facilities, while international shipping costs, customs delays and logistics continue to create ongoing challenges for our small grassroots charity. There have also been occasions where humanitarian aid has been delayed because custom officials were unfamiliar with ostomy supplies or unsure what the products were used for. Yet, despite these obstacles, our charity continues moving forward because the need is too great to ignore.
Expansion plans
Looking ahead, Footprints 2 Africa hopes to continue building a sustainable and trusted humanitarian network that improves access to ostomy care across Africa while reducing medical waste in the UK. Our charity aims to expand its storage and logistics capacity, strengthen healthcare partnerships and continue developing inclusive educational programmes that allow more young people, including those with additional needs, to take part in meaningful humanitarian work. Footprints 2 Africa has never been about numbers. It has always been about people: restoring dignity to individuals who are forgotten, isolated and invisible, and giving them hope. Our mission is to ensure no human being is forced to survive without dignity because they cannot access something as basic as a stoma bag.
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Sam Yiollaris is the Founder of Footprints 2 Africa.
Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @Footprints2Africa