Before the year ends, give a gift that will create impact for years to come.
Double your impact!
Every $10 provides a pair of The Shoe That Grows and supports mission critical operations. This month gifts will be doubled up to $50,000 thanks to a generous matching donation. Give now to protect health, support families and empower students in rural Kenya.
Give to empower
Give the gift that every child deserves: dignity. A pair of shoes gives kids the confidence and self-esteem they need to succeed.
Give to protect
Your gift protects kids from jiggers, hookworm, injury and infection so they can get to school safely and attend regularly.
Give to support
By providing shoes, you remove a financial burden on a family who has to make tough choices about their resources.
Why The Shoe That Grows?
Grows five sizes, lasts for years
The Shoe That Grows is a shoe that adjusts in four places to expand five sizes, protecting a child's feet longer than any other shoe can.
Removes a barrier to education
A pair of shoes meets immediate needs like protecting health and reducing a financial burden, making it easier for kids to pursue education.
Patented, award-winning design
2018 recipient of The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Patents for Humanity Award. Featured in publications including The Today Show, Buzzfeed, Smithsonian, Business Insider and more.
Made in Kenya
Since 2019, all pairs of The Shoe have been manufactured in Mombasa, Kenya—creating jobs in one of the communities where its distributed most.
Meet this month's distribution partner.
Dhamira Moja is a Community Based Organization that works to provide structural and sustainable support and services to alleviate poverty and improve the standard of living, focusing on orphans, youth, women and marginalized individuals in Busia County, Kenya.
Sarah Martha, Executive Director, Dhamira Moja
"Shoes ensures access to education.
Some are sent home if they can’t pay the school fees or don’t have the proper uniform with a pair of shoes. Shoes equalize and bring up the level of inclusivity. [With shoes], kids are not prone to diseases or injury, and it helps raise their self-esteem and provides dignity to everyone. Everyone deserves dignity.”
Meet all our Kenyan partners.
The impact you're making in Kenya wouldn't be possible without our partner organizations who are connected to and working within their local communities. Meet a few of the partners who are helping distribute The Shoe That Grows to the kids and families they serve.
Dhamira Moja
Dhamira Moja works to provide structural and sustainable support and services to alleviate poverty and improve the standard of living, focusing on orphans, youth, women and marginalized individuals.
Kiwimbi Kenya
Kiwimbi Kenya believes that a good education for every child is the backbone of every community’s success. They're committed to removing barriers to and furthering education.
G-BiACK
G-BiACK is dedicated to transforming lives through sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship—helping underserved people build self-reliance and restore their local ecosystems.
Swahiba Networks
Swahiba works within slum and rural communities across the nation of Kenya to empower marginalized and underprivileged kids and families to participate meaningfully in society.
Learn more about The Shoe That Grows.
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While at least a million kids in Kenya lack appropriate footwear, one 2017 study of only public school children estimated 600,000 have no shoes at all. Without protection on their feet, they are left vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases, parasites, and injuries that can lead to infection. Your donation of The Shoe That Grows will help provide kids in rural Kenya with a pair of expanding shoes, protecting their feet for years as they grow.
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The pairs will be distributed through our partner, Swahiba Networks, in Kenya. Specifically, Swahiba will be focusing on schools in Mikindani within the Changamwe District. This distribution location is especially meaningful because The Shoe That Grows is manufactured nearby in Mombasa.
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Because International’s story began in Kenya when our founder met a little girl in a white dress who was wearing shoes much too small for her feet. Inspired to create a shoe that could grow with a child, The Shoe That Grows was born. Since then, we’ve continued to work within the country through manufacturing at the Umoja Shoe Company in Mombasa and shoe distributions.
Through our partnership with local Kenyan organization Swahiba Networks, we learned that while at least a million kids in Kenya lack appropriate footwear, one 2017 study of only public school children estimated 600,000 have no shoes at all. No protection from hookworms, puncture wounds, sores and infection. So, given our passion for the community there and our ability to distribute pairs easily from the factory, we decided to continue working within the country that means so much to our mission and founding story. This campaign supports our commitment to reduce the number of kids in Kenya who need shoes. -
100%. For every $10 you donate, we will distribute one pair of The Shoe That Grows to a child.
Join and give pairs monthly.
The Sole is a community of donors who give monthly to support families impacted by global crises through distributions of The Shoe That Grows. Every $20 will send a pair.
What our members say.
Questions you might have about joining The Sole.
What is The Sole?
The Sole is Because International’s monthly giving community. It’s a group of people passionate about supporting families experiencing crisis by providing The Shoe That Grows. As a member of The Sole, you’ll receive a welcome packet, quarterly reports and an annual update that share the impact your gift is making.
How are the shoes distributed?
We partner with on-the-ground organizations, like Lifting Hands International, that specialize in international humanitarian relief. As shoes are identified as a need in the areas where they work, these organizations reach out to us with requests, which we fulfill using donations from The Sole.
Where will the shoes go?
Pairs of The Shoe That Grows that are funded through The Sole will go to areas that are impacted by crisis situations, like natural disasters, war or displacement. Recent distributions have taken place in Turkey, Pakistan, Ghana, Jordan and Gaza through our partner Lifting Hands International.
Why monthly donations?
Monthly donations are one of the most impactful ways to support the mission of Because International. Because we know that we can expect your support each month, we’re able to plan ahead with our international relief partners so shoes are available when the need arises.
More ways to give.