Every day, Grace and Alice make the 3 mile walk to school barefooted. Their small feet navigate the dirt road scattered with sharp stones and broken glass. On more than one occasion, poisonous snakes have even shared the path with them. They keep their shoes in their backpacks and only put them on once they reach school to make them last longer, preserving this precious possession.

Without shoes, children are especially vulnerable to dangers such as soil-transmitted diseases and parasites that can cause illness and even death. Most children walk over an hour to school, and without shoes, illness becomes almost unavoidable.

Children who get sick miss school, can’t help their families, and suffer needlessly. Another reason shoes are so precious is because they are a necessary part of their school uniform, and without shoes, they are not allowed to attend class. And since children’s feet grow so quickly, they often outgrow donated shoes within a year, leaving them once again exposed to illness, disease, and sitting out of school.

You can change that with The Shoe that Grows! This shoe expands 5 sizes and is able to grow as the child wearing them grows.

Our goal is to purchase enough shoes for one classroom (50 students) to have a pair of shoes, and we are 70% of the way to our goal! Each donation of $20.00 covers 1 pair of shoes plus shipping costs. Will you put a pair of shoes on a barefoot child?

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