There was great excitement in Tsholotsho last week as the Children in the Wilderness (CITW) team arrived and announced that there had been a donation. Located south of Hwange National Park, schools in this region are very isolated with high levels of poverty affecting the area. In communities such as this one, many children would never dream of owning a new pair of shoes, often living with worn-out hand-me-downs or simply going barefoot. The concern with this situation is the long distances many of these children cover daily to get to school over rough and wild terrain.
The teachers assisted in calling the younger grades together in the cool of the school’s shady trees to meet the team and hopefully find the ‘right fit.’
The ‘Shoes-That-Grow’ are a unique brand that offer footwear with the ability to adapt in size from size 1 to 4, making them the gift that keeps giving as they grow with the child and provide stability and protection for years to come. With over 45 pairs of these special shoes offered, you could see the delight and anticipation in the students’ faces as they realised that they had been chosen to receive such a thoughtful gift.
The joy in their eyes on receiving their own new pair was very moving, and for this we cannot express our gratitude enough to the kind-hearted donor, Melissa Cabrera Wilson, for her generous donation that will provide these children with a pair of tough and durable shoes for the next couple of years.
