Today we went barefoot all day. We did it for One Day Without Shoes. Sadly we didn’t have any plans and I didn’t feel like making any so we just went barefoot around the neighborhood. We went for a walk, did our chores, and played outside. I tried my best to avoid walking across the rocks, but had to do it a few times.
Here’s some facts on why we went barefoot to raise awareness:
- In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
- Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
- Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
- In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
- Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.
I decided to count my pairs of shoes in honor of the day and confess how many I had, 26 pairs. Made me sad I had so many shoes and so many in the world have none. So I gave away a few more pairs, 8 and am down to 18. I would still like to give more away, but I am a former shoe addict and I did the best I could today. I am pledging that from now on whenever I buy a pair of shoes, whether new or used, I will donate the exact same amount to a charity that gives shoes to those who need them. It will help me think about how much I really “need” those shoes and it will help a few people who need some shoes.
*Thanks to Melissa for her comment, here is a charity some might be interested in: http://www.soles4souls.org/ If you know of any others please feel free to add them in the comments.