Thirteen years old and just receiving your first pair of shoes, EVER. This is the story of our friend. And he isn’t alone, for many this is their norm. Can you wrap your brain around that? Walking the streets barefoot for your first 13-14 years of life? And what would it feel like to finally put shoes on your feet for the first time after so many years without?

This is the reality for many. When we visited Western Kenya this last September we were reminded once again about the desperate need for shoes as we attended several jigger clinics. Children lined up by the hundreds to get their jigger-infested feet treated.

You see, jiggers live in the dirt, they burrow under the skin and lay eggs, the larvae spreads, they multiply, they itch, and eat away at the skin leaving big open, puss filled, sores. If left untreated toes can be damaged beyond repair. Once these jiggers take up residence within the body it becomes painful and itchy. The person affected loses sleep and any sort of comfort, it can literally drive you mad.

Shoes can really help to resolve this problem. By covering the feet the jiggers are unable to get to the vulnerable skin. One pair of shoes dramatically reduces the risk of jiggers. ONE pair of shoes. It is that simple. $10 can help keep a child’s feet protected for up to a year easily. Jigger free feet mean children can get a good nights rest. Jigger free feet mean children can walk themselves to school. Children attending school means they can achieve their dreams of a career.

This project brings the BIGGEST smiles. These kids are so delighted to have proper shoes. Just look at those smiles!

Our Giving Catalog project is listed at $50 - that amount covers 5 pairs of shoes for 5 kiddos. Here is the link to the Giving Catalog: Shoe Drive Project

If you can’t swing that you can easily click on the donate link and give a smaller amount to it - just make sure you leave a comment of what project you want it to go to: general donation page

We understand that this time of year can be stressful for many - giving financially may not be an option. There are still plenty of options for you to get involved in helping to make a difference.

1. prayer is powerful

2. sharing the different needs and giving options with friends in person, on FB, through email or messenger.

3. making your Amazon purchases on Amazon Smile and selecting Pamoja Love as your charity of choice.

We have had several Pamoja Love support team members come up with creative ways to raise funds for projects. Several chose it as birthday gift options. A member of our dream team is getting married and suggested people give to Pamoja Love in lieu of gifts. Others are donating their skills and talents to save us money from hiring the work to be done. We can’t wait to see what creative ideas other people come up with. We would love to hear your ideas!

We still have a few more project areas to cover before Giving Tuesday. So keep checking back! Share, share, share.

Here are a couple of the other project areas to check out: (just click the title and it will redirect you)

Food Bundles for Widows and the vulnerable

Medical Clinic in Kibera Slum

Technology Classroom in Kibera Slum - Kenya

In our culture well-checks have become a building block for our kids basic developmental needs. We check to make sure they are on track physically and mentally a minimum of four times within a child’s first year. Let alone seeing to any and all medical concerns as they arise.

In Kibera Slum the expense of getting to a medical professional for treatment is beyond what most can imagine. For crying out loud, just having dinner to serve is a frequent challenge for many.

Hospital scene from Queen of Katwe film

Last night my son and I watched Queen of Katwe again (thank you Disney Plus) and I was washed with in-my-face awareness once again. In this true story of a family living in a slum of Uganda we watch a little brother get hit by a Boda Boda (a motorcycle taxi), the older sister has to give another Boda Boda driver the rent money in order to get her brother to the hospital for urgent care. After they receive the care you see a conversation transpire where the Mom is approached with having to pay the bill immediately. The boy can’t have any further treatment, or leave, until the bill has been paid. But it took all the money they had to even get them there. (This is real life for most of the world.)

So, what does the family do? This ethical, caring and responsible mother is basically given no other choice than to have her daughter hobble her son out of the building and take off unnoticed. She had no way to pay the bill. In fact, moments later it is suggested by another Mama in the neighborhood that she find herself a Sugar Daddy - and sell her body to help pay her rent and feed her children. I am telling you, THIS too often is the only option they believe they have left. We can do better. We can all work together to help people find other avenues to improve their lives. I just know we can.

Every.single.time I think of each family’s story that I have been exposed to I am overwhelmed with a drive to DO SOMETHING. Of course it is too big for most people to tackle on their own. BUT together… TOGETHER we can help to build something that beautifully serves a very tangible need that is indeed LIFE-CHANGING to many. This isn’t the idea of some outsider hopping in and saying “Let’s do this”, this is people grabbing hands around the world to help provide materials of a dream the local leaders are already in the works of building.

The school has come up with an incredible dream to construct a two-story modified shipping container unit that will house a medical clinic, as well as a technology and trade classroom. The medical clinic would help ensure students would have good healthcare while also caring for the health of their entire family. Considering the many ways illness can create roadblocks for children attending school you can see the desperate need for this. An on-site medical clinic could make all of the difference In the world to this community.

The building cost for modified containers into classrooms is $7000.00 per classroom. Then we need to furnish and stock the space to care well for those entering the doors.Medical CLINIC cost is $30 per sq. foot - how many square feet would you like to sponsor?

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” —African Proverb.

If you feel compelled to join in this project and change a lot of lives, here is the link to the giving page:

https://www.pamoja.love/givingcatalog

If you would like more information about Kibera Slum: https://www.pamoja.love/blog/teachers-helping-teachers-around-the-world