Footprints in Africa
Allow us to introduce you to Tammy Darmel Moore, Founder and President of Footprints in Africa. She is a Visionary, Social Entrepreneur, Social Innovation Changemaker, and Impact Investor.
S+S Magazine: Tammy, tell us a little bit about you and your business.
Tammy: I’m Tammy Darmel Moore, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, with a rich history of more than twenty years in Corporate America that encompasses business development and project management, to name a few. Armed with a Business Degree from Furman University, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, and a half dozen Executive Certifications (most recent from Cornell University), I’m credited with helping enterprises flourish exponentially through my acute business acumen and strategy. However, following my retirement from the corporate sector, I wanted to do more to give back, and after a life-changing trip to Ethiopia, Footprints in Africa was born.
With more than two decades worth of community service experience, I’m no stranger to the different layers that come with creating, developing, and facilitating business needs, although; building an international nonprofit organization during a pandemic (from the ground up) is a new venture. Yet, not once have I been discouraged! I’m driven by mission, vision, purpose, compassion for humanity and fueled by my love for the people and continent of Africa, therefore committed to Going the Distance.
In addition to my work as a nonprofit leader, I’m also the CEO and President of Chayil Enterprises LLC, a highly diversified company with entities in real estate and consumer goods and services. Chayil Enterprises LLC. is the parent company of Therapeutic Touch and Southern Sass, with Footprints in Africa as its subsidiary and the newest venture.
Footprints in Africa is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to aiding the people of Africa, in poverty-stricken communities, with necessities needed to maintain a standard quality of life.
We believe that a single action can make all the difference in the lives of others and that collective actions can greatly impact the world. So, through advocacy and community outreach programs, projects, campaigns, and initiatives, we are committed to fostering support that brings about real change for the greater good of those in Africa.
S+S Magazine: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?
Tammy: There are a number of factors that drive me to be an entrepreneur. However, the key driving force has always been to be true to thy own self. Doing so requires that I honor who I am at the core, who’s I am, and from which I come.
Respectfully, I come from a lineage of entrepreneurs. My great-great-grandparents; from the early 1800s were sharecroppers, affectionately known as Mah (whom I was fortunate enough to have known) & Pah. They owned acres and acres of land and a general store way back then. Pah would tend to the crops while Mah would run the store. And somehow, she came up with this grand idea to prepare lunches for the locals (all while running the store). She would make sandwiches and wrap them in wax paper and give them out in droves, running a tab for those who couldn’t afford to pay on the spot, but she was sure to collect by the end of the week.
Again, during the early 1800s, a lineage of having your own and helping others along the way. Such tenacity runs through my veins; that’s the cloth from which I’m cut. I have to honor that; anything less would be blatant disrespect to my ancestors.
S+S Magazine: Let’s talk about your work. Where did the concept of your business come from? What does your work aim to say or present to your audience?
Tammy: The concept of my business comes from knowing that a little goes a long way in Africa. Some of the lack that our brothers and sisters are experiencing in Africa doesn’t have to be. We as a people can collectively come together and make things happen on their behalf. Now, I’m not oblivious to the political issues and such that are beyond my reach. However, my focus is to do what I can; in the areas, I can. And this very concept has proven to be impactful in the lives of those we serve.
My work aims to remind others that a single action can make all the difference in the lives of others and that collective actions can greatly impact the world. And in this case, in Africa!
S+S Magazine: Sometimes success is slow or doesn’t come so easily. Did you experience or have to overcome any challenges or barriers?
Tammy: Remember, I’m building an international nonprofit organization from the ground up and during a pandemic. So, yes, we’ve had some challenges, such as travel restraints due to COVID, causing us to cancel and reschedule trips, but I couldn’t sit and hit my thumbs together. I had to come up with other ways to aid those in Africa while stateside, and that’s what I did. Another barrier is funding, seeing how most fund allocations are for domestic usage and not for international projects, even more so now than ever. But when I consider all the factors, honestly, our challenges have been pretty minimal, and we’ve made tremendous strides in the lives of our people despite said issues.
Thankfully, I don’t get bent out of shape easily, especially over things I have no control over, and secondly, I thrive off a good challenge. And this happens to be a worthy one.
S+S Magazine: At Soigne’+Swank Magazine, we make it our business to highlight and promote positive, uplifting, and meaningful examples of black excellence. What does black excellence mean to you?
Tammy: Contrary to most, I don’t view black excellence as an obsession for perfection, nor an incubator for achievements. If anything, Black Excellence is a catalyst to fully owning who you are and being proud of who that is, imperfections and all. The mere words should evoke one to build on their ancestral culture and traditions and tap into actions that progress our communities.
S+S Magazine: What advice would you give your younger self or an aspiring business owner with hopes of pursuing their passions?
Tammy: My advice to an aspiring business owner is to go for it! Stop waiting for conditions to be “just right” before you make a move. You can’t excel in those things that you never gave a try.
S+S Magazine: What’s next for you and how/where can others connect with you?
Tammy: I’m excited for what’s to come for Footprints in Africa!
In addition to fine-tuning what we’re already doing, we have a number of things in the hopper, such as new affiliate partnership(s), a new program in Kenya, and an initiative that’s guaranteed to send some shockwaves throughout the States, and possibly beyond.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT, subscribe to our website at https://www.footprintsinafrica.org/ to stay up-to-date with Footprints in Africa. You can also connect with us on all social media platforms, as well as; give us a call at 864-881-9000, or shoot us an email at Contact@footprintsinafrica.org.
Lynnecia S. Eley is Founder & Managing Editor of Soigne’ + Swank Magazine. She is a career-driven entrepreneur, wife, and mother. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she is an award-winning University Assistant Dean and Adjunct Professor committed to excellence, dedication, and caring for others. Known as the Confidence Doula, Lynnecia is a best-selling author and coach, a founder of Two Queens Media and Black & Ivy League, Inc. You can learn more about Lynnecia and her platforms at www.shecaninspire.com.
