The Shoe That Grows distribution in Kenya
In February 2022, Because International partnered with Cecilie and David Wachira to distribute The Shoe That Grows to Dandora Minorate School in Kenya. Thanks to their team and Because’s East Africa distribution partner, Japheth Opondo, the day was a success!
Cecilie and David Wachira prepare to distribute The Shoe That Grows to students. Photo credit: Cecilie Olaussen Photography
Cecilie, who is Norwegian, and David, who is Kenyan, came across Dandora Minorate School through their nonprofit, The Youth Engagement Society (YES.) YES often partners up with other Kenya-based organizations like Crime Si Poa, which had previously worked with Dandora Minorate School by providing mentorship sessions to its students.
Thanks to support from members of The Sole–Because International’s online subscription where supporters can donate funds for The Shoe on a monthly basis–Because was able to provide Cecilie and David with 100 pairs of The Shoe That Grows to distribute.
Dandora Minorate School
Students try on The Shoe That Grows. Photo credit: Cecilie Olaussen Photography
Dandora Minorate School is located in Dandora Area, Embakasi East Constituency in Kenya and has approximately 380 students. Positioned in a low-income, informal settlement, many of the families cannot afford basic supplies or school uniforms for their children, leaving students wearing shoes that are worn down or too small for their feet.
According to Caroline Kamau, who works with YES and attended the distribution, Dandora Minorite School is unique to most other Kenyan schools in that the students are not all in formal school attire–which, she found out, isn’t because the school doesn’t have a dress code in place.
“While the school uniform is blue and black shoes, others had red, gray and other shades of blue, and the shoes varied from red sneakers to brown sandals,” said Caroline. “When I asked why, it was made known to us that the parents could not afford to buy uniforms for the students, as such, they wore or borrowed what they could find.”
The distribution
The team and teachers carefully fitted shoes on 100 students over the course of the afternoon. Here are a few of the moments that stood out to the distribution team.
Photo credit: Cecilie Olaussen Photography
“My most memorable moment was when a young preschool girl pulled me to the side as I was distributing shoes so that I could help her put on her pair of shoes. She was visibly excited after we were done and ran to her friends to show them.” –Dorcas Njuguna (YES)
“The director of the school tapped me on the shoulder and, as I turned, a group of students all in sync said, ‘thank you, Mrs. Wachira, for our new shoes.’ It was so sincere and sweet.” –Cecilie Wachira (Cecilie Olaussen Photography/YES)
“It was memorable to see how, despite the challenges they face, the children seemed happy and excited about life.” –Caroline Kamau (Youth Engagement Society)
“The students lined up and snuck up behind us as we were distributing the shoes to say the most heartfelt thank you through a poem/song. The amount of time they spent saying thank you, over and over again—it was deeply moving!” –David Wachira (World Bank/YES)
Working to get more kids more shoes
Overall, Cecilie and David’s distribution was a huge success–and it was largely made possible due to the generous donations from members of The Sole. Learn more about The Sole and how you can join to support more distributions like this one.
