Making shoes for barefoot children in Mozambique

As the mothers in the village of Macuane continue to make shoes for their children, we are going through the necessary steps and required paperwork in order to get permission to scale up the project and expand into other villages in Gaza Provence, Mozambique. Although we are anxious to begin, somehow the process always takes longer than anticipated. Our work in Mozarte continues as Moises develops the production models for the shoes that were designed by the Industrial Design students at NC State University. They are being adapted so that they will be produced at a reasonable price, using locally sourced materials. I’ve attached images of a few of the prototypes. The beautiful, bold fabric is called “capulana” and is native to Mozambique.

Since the plight of the barefoot children is not confined to a single African nation, we are now also working in Uganda and are laying the groundwork for introducing the project to Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone we will be working with women who were survivors of the Ebola crises. Many of these women lost large numbers of their family to the disease, and they themselves have become stigmatized and are treated like outcasts. The project will help them gain economic empowerment and take a step towards reclaiming their lives.

In the U.S. we continue to bring the project into high schools and teach students about their responsibility as global citizens. Recently Board member, Chris Morgan and myself were featured on a TV program and had the opportunity to speak about the project. I have included a link to the show. To find this episode, you must go to the “Archives” tab, and click the Heeling Our World episode.

Thank you for your support,

Mitch

Links:

• TV Program about our project