Photo courtesy of subject
Photo courtesy of subject
Because International, an Idaho-based non-profit has come up with a solution to this problem: a shoe that grows. Designed in a fashion that it can be extended with each growth spurt, the same shoe can accommodate five different sizes. It comes in two options: small for ages 5 to 9 and large for ages 10 to 14.
These are children who come from modest means. Shoes are a necessity, not a luxury; but they’re making do with whatever comes their way. And shoes, as we know, outgrow children quickly.
The shoe has three areas where it can expand: the front, which is adjustable; the sides which come with snaps to allow a wider width; and the back is fitted with a strap.
Photo courtesy of subject
Unlike the Toms buy one-give one model, The Shoe that Grows is being donated (in large quantities). Because International, the non-profit set up by Lee, which distributes this shoe, has been working in Mexico, Malawi, India, and Cambodia. Each shoe is priced at $15. They send them over in duffle bags though, given the shoes are easily collapsable.
Founder Kenton Lee said he became aware of the issue while living in Kenya. He saw a girl whose feet had been squished into shoes too small for her because that was all she owned. Children continue to wear shoes that are too small, putting them at health risks. And if they go barefoot, that could be worse — walking in dirty water and harsh terrain.
If you haven’t seen the documentary, it’s worth watching on Netflix (especially with kids to remind them that school is worth the trek). Two kids cross grasslands in Kenya, dodging elephants every morning for two hours, and another two boys push along their brother in a makeshift wheelchair across India’s potholed roads. That too, an hour plus journey each way.
Look at the feet of these tweens in the film and they’re wearing simple rubber sandals as they embark on these epic hikes. The younger of the two boys who pushes his handicapped brother to school is seen flopping about in oversized sandals.
Earlier this year, the documentary, On the Way to School, won accolades on the festival circuit and drew a massive following — a novelty for a documentary about children going to school. While it may seem like a mundane, everyday task, these were kids trekking across Patagonia, mountains in Morocco, and vast grasslands in Kenya.
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