Just 72 hours into my first trip to Kenya with Because International, I had already visited six schools and saw over 6,000 kids receive a pair of The Shoe That Grows. Some schools were orderly, quiet and restrained. Others were loud, celebratory and entertaining. All were gracious and kind. 

When I walked into the 7th school of this trip—Lukonyi Boys School—I was struck by two things: need and JOY! Three boys in particular radiated an exceptional amount of joy. Their names are Fidel, Adams and John.

Lukonyi Boys School is located in Busia County in Western Kenya, very near the border of Uganda. With over 2,000 students, it is a full and energetic student body. Being both public and all-boys, it is desirable for many families in the area who live in poverty and are practicing Muslims. Many students walk one to two hours (some crossing the border) to get to school, where their motto is “Success Through Hard Work.”

After gathering the thousands of students in the courtyard, a teacher introduced two young boys (one of which was 8-year-old Fidel) to sing for us. Their song grew until the entire school was singing a welcome to us. Fidel danced and sang his heart out while his incredibly proud mother sang on the sidelines, occasionally coming up to fix his shirt. Moms are the same everywhere.

Once the students dispersed, I ran into Fidel again, this time with his two buddies, Adams and John. Part of my job is to document these distributions through photos and videos, so the kids typically either ran away or came straight up to me. This trio was the latter type. They posed, smiled and laughed—I needed no verbal instruction to know they wanted me to take their picture!

I noticed their torn and stained uniforms stitched in places with mismatched thread. I noticed their heel-bent, too-small shoes. I noticed their oversized shorts with safety pins where buttons should be. But mostly, again, I noticed their joy.

After receiving their shoes—durable shoes that would fit now and grow with them—I sat and talked with the boys. While they adjusted and tried on their new shoes, I learned that Fidel has three sisters, walks two hours to school, and wants to be a pilot when he grows up. Adams also has three sisters, walks an hour to school and wants to be a pastor when he grows up. Lastly, John has two sisters, walks an hour to school and wants to be a bishop when he grows up.

I learned that the three of them love to sing, dance and rap together. They’re not in the same classes and don’t live near each other, but when they can, they love to be together. Proper shoes will protect their walk to school, their ability to get an education, opportunities to pursue their dreams and time spent with their best friends singing, dancing and living in joy despite the challenges and barriers they face.