Soles4Souls by Autumn
When learning about the circumstances in many third-world countries, I'm always surprised to see how many of the devastating illnesses and parasites are completely preventable. Many of the issues stem from people not having access to hygiene products, clean water, and even shoes. In this particular blogpost I'm going to talk about the lack of shoes and some of the problems that stem from it.
Lots of people all around the world enjoy going barefoot, including myself and my siblings. The problem that the impoverished countries face is not that they have to go barefoot, but the surroundings that they live in which make it dangerous. If I were to step outside barefoot, I would be stepping out into my comfortable backyard consisting of a concrete pad and plenty of soft grass. I've seen the conflicting circumstances of the poor in other countries before and that is not what it looks like!
Many of the poor live in shacks made of recycled sheet metal that is dirty and rusted. The shacks are packed together into very small areas wherever they're able to find space. On the ground of the paths in these little communities there are lots of broken bottles, rusty nails, and other bits of scrap metal along with who knows what else. It is important to keep in mind that these are places where common shots are not easily available to the poor. If I stepped on a rusty nail here in the states it would hurt, to be sure. But I have access to shots that would prevent tetanus or other diseases that could stem from the injury. That's not the case in these other countries. Something as simple as a cut on the foot could mean infection, disease, and death.
And besides those more obvious dangers to those going barefoot in such conditions, there are other hazards that are just as harmful if not more so.
Parasites.
In places where disease and filth aren't properly cared for and animals roam freely, there is a very hospitable environment for parasites. Again, proper healthcare is not in place and many children and adults suffer and even die from what could be preventable by a pair of shoes.
You may be asking yourself where am I going with all of this?
Well, if we see that all of these horrible diseases and parasites are preventable by a pair of shoes, then why aren't people doing anything about it? Actually, there are people that are helping.
Soles4Souls is a nonprofit organization that helps provide shoes to people in poor countries. They ask for donations here in the states and organize shoe drives. Once they have shoes they help provide shoes to individuals in need of an income in other countries. Those people are able to sell the used shoes for a very affordable price, providing shoes to their neighbors in need and also rising out of poverty themselves. When I found out about this organization I was very excited. I still am, in fact. Right now, as I start school and cross country, I am thinking about and trying to get some projects in place to collect shoes for Soles4Souls. My future blog posts will hopefully share about those projects and how they went.
The great thing is, you can help too. Here’s a link to Soles4Souls so that you can explore the site for yourself and see if there's any way that you can help, either by giving shoes or funds.
