Meet Thomas, a teacher at Mulungu wa Mawe Primary School in Kilifi, Kenya. Growing up, Thomas lived in poverty with his grandma. They were often unable to afford basic necessities, and he frequently found himself walking to school barefoot.

Kilifi is an area known for jiggers and covered in thorns, making it both challenging and dangerous to walk without shoes—and some students walk as far as three miles to get to class. Bites from jiggers—a sand flea that burrows into the skin—and injuries from thorns are painful and can lead to infection if left untreated; especially in areas without easy access to clean water.

We met Thomas while distributing shoes at the school where he teaches and his children attend. For Thomas, the distribution was extra special, as his 5-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter each received a pair of shoes that he could have used at their age.

“When I was [in school], sometimes I would go without shoes or food. Walking even without clothes,” shared Thomas. “I am very happy because my children are now enjoying walking as they go long distances—even in the hot weather.”

The Shoe That Grows protects children’s feet while they walk to class, perform household chores, and play outside. It also supports parents like Thomas, allowing them to put income towards other family needs.

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 expand with the 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 through shoe distributions.

Through our partnership with local Kenya nonprofit Swahiba Networks, we learned that 600,000 kids in rural Kenya still need a pair of shoes. So, given our passion for the community there and our ability to distribute pairs easily from the factory, we’ve committed to working with partners to bring that number down to zero.

Help us reach that goal by donating to our Shoes for School campaign today.