New shoes provide health.
Shoes are foundational to good health. In many developing countries we serve, children are forced to walk barefoot for miles to gather clean water, to visit a doctor or to go to school. Diseases like hookworm, jiggers, tetanus and other parasites enter the body through the feet. These diseases can stunt a child’s growth and development, as well as cause life-long cognitive impairment. Walking barefoot in rocky or muddy terrain can also cause injury to a child’s feet, further opening the possibility for infection or disease.
New shoes provide education.
Many schools around the world require children to wear shoes to attend, but for many poverty-stricken families, shoes are a luxury they cannot afford. Studies also show that children who are healthy are more likely to be successful in school and have higher attendance, therefore increasing their chances of obtaining critical education to succeed in life.
New shoes provide hope.
For many of the children we serve in orphanages around the world, new shoes are a constant and urgent need. Typically, children in orphanages share everything. They do not own a single possession to their name. So when you give an orphan a new pair of shoes, it communicates love and helps them know they are special. They are not forgotten. New shoes provide hope for these children that someone out there cares about them and loves them unconditionally.
Why new shoes?
They last longer, and as a gift to a child, they communicate volumes about what someone is worth. Simply put, we think the children we serve are worth it.
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