June 20 is World Refugee Day and together, we honor the dignity and resilience of children and families around the world who are refugees. According to the UN Refugee Agency, “World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.”
Currently, there are 79.5 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, 26 million of whom are refugees (UNHCR.) And, according to the UN Refugee Agency, 40 percent of the world’s displaced people are children.
From supporting education and healthcare to meeting everyday needs, there are various ways you can support refugee kids and families. For Because International, that means supporting kids with The Shoe That Grows. After shoes are donated, we partner with Lifting Hands International, a relief organization that ships humanitarian aid to refugees around the world, to distribute The Shoe That Grows to refugee kids and families.
A refugee family stands with their new goat in Jordan. Photo by Mike W Walton, courtesy of Lifting Hands International.
According to Hayley Smith, founder and director of Lifting Hands International, “People who have fled everything they know deserve our utmost respect and awe. They certainly deserve the basic dignity of nice things, including new shoes.”
Due to harsh conditions in many refugee camps, it is especially important for children to have a durable, long-lasting pair of shoes that they can wear for school, to do chores or to play.
Carlissa Larsen, director of Utah operations at Lifting Hands International, shares, “When refugees are faced with purchasing shoes, or purchasing food, they just go without shoes. To make matters worse, many of the refugees are not living in conditions that would be kind to bare feet.”
Oftentimes, kids can outgrow a pair of shoes in just a few months. So even when a new pair of shoes can help for a time, the shoes quickly become inadequate. With adjustable straps and a hook-in-loop system, The Shoe That Grows provides a more sustainable solution because each pair grows with the child. The Shoe also works well for many refugee families because they prefer shoes that are easy to slip on and off.
To date, more than 6,000 pairs of The Shoe That Grows have been sent to refugee kids and families living in countries, including Jordan and Turkey. These shoe distributions to refugee camps are made possible by Because International’s monthly donation subscription service called The Sole.
But refugee camps are continually requesting shoes.
“Supporting kids who are in need of humanitarian aid is us taking the very important step of evening the playing field. They are us, and we are them. If we were in the same position, they would do what they could to help us. It is our duty, not just tapping into our goodwill, to help our brothers and sisters,” shared Hayley.
Fund shoes for refugees in need of humanitarian aid by joining The Sole.
