 Please
help us change lives with 'Shoe Aid for Africa' - a school collection of
unwanted shoes this October. We need your help to reach out to as many
parents as possible to get schools involved in this charitable campaign.
The aim of the campaign is to collect predominately children’s unwanted
shoes (but adult shoes are also welcome) smarten them up and distribute
them in Africa in time for their new school year in January. The shoe
collection will run from Monday 13th October through to Child Poverty
Day on Friday 17th October in selected primary schools across the
UK.
Imagine waving goodbye to your beloved little ones as they set off on a
walk that could be up to seven miles across uneven ground barefoot. You
can’t? Well, this is a daily occurrence for African parents who cannot
afford to buy thhttp://www.shoeafa.org/eir
offspring shoes and have to nurse their ageing, wrinkled and calloused
grey feet. Shoes in Africa cost more than a month’s salary
(approximately 12% of the annual wage); a huge sum compared to the cost
of shoes in the UK where a normal purchase represents just 0.83% of our
average yearly salary.[www.newscientist.com]
I don’t know if you know but the shoes collected in the normal recycle
bins end up having to be sold to the recipients in developing countries
to cover the admin and transportation costs. 'Shoe Aid for Africa' is
being supported by shoe care experts Kiwi who are funding this campaign
so that the African school children receive their shoes free of charge.
Schools that agree to join the Campaign will be provided with a
cardboard collection bin in the first two weeks of October along
with a pack including posters to display around the school and leaflets
to be sent home with the children in their book bags. The bins would
then be collected w/c Monday 20th October.
Schools wanting to take part can call Ellie on 01992 579990 or email:
aid@shoeafa.org
Please help us to really help change lives in Africa by featuring the
campaign on your website to encourage parents to get their schools
involved. In order to meet the deadlines above, we really need schools
to get in touch ASAP |
The
campaign kicks off on Monday the 13th of October and finishes on Child
Poverty Day on Friday the 17th October. Children across the UK will be
donating their unwanted shoes in a bid to change a child’s life in
Africa.
Despite being the world’s second largest and second-most populous
continent, Africa remains the world's poorest and most underdeveloped
continent.[1] Africa has a population over sixteen times that of the UK
that is still rising and due to reach one billion by 2010.[2] As
shocking as these statistics are, it is easy to forget about others,
especially in the economic crisis currently facing the UK. The
conditions Africans face are unimaginable to those who have not
experienced them first hand; but you could make a big difference to
people lives without spending a penny. Shoe care experts Kiwi are
launching a campaign that gives families a chance to change lives across
Africa. ‘Shoe Aid for Africa’, supported by Kiwi, enables you to donate
any old pairs of children’s shoes to needy children in Africa. Kiwi will
take your shoes, smarten them up, and redistributes them to African
school children. Your child’s old shoes will be cherished by children
who have never known the luxury of owning a pair of shoes which also
gives these children enormous self-esteem and pride.
Gone are the days when homeowners would simply throw away their waste
without a care in the world. With the environment top of the agenda,
we’re looking for numerous ways to reduce our carbon footprint and
combat global warming. Let’s face it, we’ve rejected our precious
planet for far too long and we’re no longer content to take a back seat.
However, no matter how many different recycling bags we fill per week
for our own peace of mind, there is no impact of our actions on those
who are less fortunate than ourselves.
Did you know that we discard two million pairs of shoes every week in
the UK? [3] This contributes to the nearly two million tonnes of
textiles being dumped in landfill each year. [4] Imagine waving goodbye
to your beloved little ones as they set off on a walk that could be up
to seven miles across uneven ground barefoot. You can’t? Well, this is a
daily occurrence for African parents who cannot afford to buy their
offspring shoes and have to nurse their ageing, wrinkled and calloused
grey feet. Shoes in Africa cost more than a month’s salary
(approximately 12% of the annual wage); a huge sum compared to the cost
of shoes in the UK where a normal purchase represents just 0.83% of our
average yearly salary.[5]
This is not to say that you shouldn’t treat your children to new shoes;
just think about what you do with their old pairs and how you could
impact another child’s life, rather than the environment. It is
important to keep your kids in well-fitting shoes; according to a study
conducted by the Glasgow Caledonian University, an astonishing 4 out 5
school starters are wearing shoes that are damaging their feet, despite
the risk of serious, long-term damage that has been associated with
ill-fitting shoes. Maintaining and caring for a child’s feet will
benefit their health, mobility and well being throughout their entire
life. Children’s feet grow an average of one size every three months and
many of us are unlikely to recycle shoes to other children in the
family.
The Shoe Aid for Africa campaign will run from 13th October leading up
to Child Poverty Day on Friday 17th October. Dump bins will be located
for the week in a selection of junior schools, Sure Start children’s
centre as well as Scout groups across the country to collect your
unwanted shoes. Look out for the posters in your local school; if you
don’t see them and want to join the campaign, just send an email to
aid@shoeafa.org <mailto:aid@shoeafa.org>
and, if we have any collection dump bins left, we will get one to you.
We are specifically collecting children’s shoes, but adult shoes are
also welcome. Shoe care is imperative to shoe-owning Africans as they
know their shoes last a long time if looked after properly. So, by
donating one pair of shoes, you could improve two lives this Autumn;
both that of the receiving African child and of the shoes themselves,
which will each get a new lease of life!
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