Cape Town – Western Cape Speaker Masizole Mnqasela, together with Youth4LifeSA and Samaritan’s Feet SA, have lent a helping hand by distributing school shoes to needy learners in two primary schools.
Through this project, Mnqasela says needy learners are assisted with shoes.
Loss of income being experienced at home by many has resulted in such things as school shoes not being affordable.
Pupils from St Paul’s Primary School, near Stanford, and Protem Primary School, near Bredasdorp, showed appreciation upon receiving new shoes.
Mnqasela said that the Shoes of Hope initiative was more than just providing shoes to those who needed them most and the aim was to connect with the children and give them hope.
This was why those distributing the shoes washed the feet of each child before putting their new shoes on.
“I believe that for any country to succeed, it needs to prioritise education of its population through empowering programmes, thereby making education fashionable,” he said.
Samaritan Feet International’s Manny Ohonme also shared his vision for the organisation.
He intends growing it and he founded the Samaritan's Feet organisation in 2003 in an effort to help millions of people who go without shoes every day.
The charity also aims to assist the more than one million who die each year as a result of disease, injury and illness due to having no footwear.
“The Samaritan's Feet organisation has grown to a network of 70 000 volunteers. Those global ambassadors have helped over 5 million impoverished children and adults by having their feet washed, (handing over) a new pair of shoes and spreading a message of hope and compassion.
“While they’re often overlooked, shoes can be the difference between injury and health. Shoes can prevent fungal infections or injuries. Children need shoes to attend school and play outside without fear of injury,” he said.
Tracie Ohonme, who is also a co-founder of Samaritan Feet International, said it was a small operation at first. Under Ohonme’s guidance, it grew expansively.
Tracie also reveals that by 2008, Manny had inspired college basketball coaches to go barefoot on gameday, an initiative which resulted in the donation of 100 000 shoes to children in need.
IOL