One Day Without Shoes...

Once upon a time... I lived in North America. And I had very nice feet



then I moved to Africa. And had allergic reactions to Mosquito bites.



you can see that my feet were not so nice anymore. Sometimes they were so bad, I would limp.



then I got to move for 6 weeks to places that had less mosquitos, so my feet began to heal. see how beautiful they are?


if you want to read the whole story about my beautiful feet, you can read it here. (don't worry, there are no pictures for that one)



Today, I am going barefoot.
Why?
Because in developing nations many people, children especially, have no shoes.

I take shoes for granted very easily.
Without shoes you are "constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infection after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold."

Even without shoes for me, life won't be so bad. I drive lots of places. I don't do a lot of walking. however: In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, to get clean water and to seek medical help.

Think about this:
Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.

if you want to learn more. go here.