One day without shoes

Could you bear a life barefoot? How about for a week? Or even one day?

In a world where shoes have become a fashion accessory, we’ve forgotten their basic purpose: to protect our feet. Shoes put a barrier between our sensitive skin and the world’s terrain, which can be sharp, rough and downright dangerous at times. Shoes help protect us from infection, cuts and diseases and allow us to participate in social situations (ever noticed those signs: “No shoes, no service”?).

What we don’t always consider are those that don’t have shoes. It’s estimated that 40% of the world’s population don’t own a single pair, and the majority of that group are children.

In many developing countries, children must walk barefoot on harsh terrain for kilometers just to get to school, find clean water or seek medical help – risking injury, cuts, infection and disease. More than four million people in at least 15 countries around the world also suffer from podoconiosis, a debilitating disease that causes extremely painful swelling of the feet and legs, which can be prevented simply by wearing shoes and practicing good foot hygiene.

The benefits of shoes even go beyond the medical. Providing children with school uniforms, which often includes shoes, can increase school attendance by 62%! Education is the key to mobility and vital to breaking the poverty cycle.

Such a simple item can create a different life for a child.

To raise awareness for those who live their lives without shoes, TOMS is calling New Zealanders to join the rest of the world and go One Day Without Shoes this April 29th.

Be barefoot to start a conversation and bring awareness to children’s global health and education issues – the more bare feet there are, the bigger the footprint we’ll make. Post about it on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram pages and make the issue known!

Go One Day Without Shoes to raise awareness for children’s health and education worldwide. April 29th 2014.

#ONEDAYWITHOUTSHOES
www.toms.com/onedaywithoutshoes