Ensuring that children are well-equipped to have equitable quality education, as well as lifelong learning
opportunities, is our top priority at Shoe A Child Foundation. Hence, our constant drive to ensure
that every year, at least one thousand children in low-income communities across Nigeria get a pair of
multifunctional shoes. This way, each child looks confident, feels valued, supported, and ready to take on
their academic pursuits.
One of the numerous ways we reach out to children is to visit low-income rural communities to
distribute and fit the children with suitable and trendy shoes. This year was not an exception, as our
team of extraordinary volunteers visited the Mushin community to “Lace up the young champions
“towards a brighter future.
On Saturday, the 5th of July, 2025, our team in Junction with the management and staff of Real Link
International Model College, Mushin, Lagos State, hosted and catered to a hundred children. The event
commenced at exactly 8:00 am with registration of the children and a quick introduction and ice
breaker session afterwards. During which the team led by the project manager got acquainted with the
children and conducted a short quiz session, which was rounded up with knapsacks and exercise books
as gifts. The shoe distribution and fitting aspect of the event commenced an hour later.
The entire two-hour exercise was infused with a mixture of energy and eagerness from both volunteers
and recipients present at the event. Shoes were distributed according to registration data, and new
friendships and partnerships were established as well. One of the recipients excitedly expressed, “I feel
so happy and grateful for the pairs of shoes I received today; it means a lot to me.”
One of the many instances that stood out to us as a team was that while there was visible gratitude from a
good number of the children, there was an unusual but slight resistance from a few about the difference
between their fashion choices and the shoes they were given. This unique response was taken into
account by our team to influence our planning, execution, and expectations for future outreach
programs. That said, it is pertinent to mention that our aim is not to stifle children; rather, it is to make
them aware that their choices and opinions count regardless of the situation. It was a much-needed and
welcome eye-opener for us as a team.
In all, the “Lace Up Towards a Brighter Future” community outreach is an opportunity for us as
individuals to reflect on how giving weaves into the fabric of communities and serves as a reminder that
Kindness is the cornerstone of humanity