Shoes!

The truck with shipping container arrives in Soddo

Recently we received good news from Mossy Foot Project headquarters in Soddo. A long awaited shipment of donated shoes finally arrived.

The journey of these shoes began many months ago when Mossy Foot President Sharon Daly connected with Samaritan’s Feet, an organization that focuses on providing shoes for the poorest of the poor.

Providing shoes for those who cannot afford them is a key component of the Mossy Foot Project’s strategy to prevent the disease in Ethiopia and eventually eliminate it.  So the connection between the two organizations was a natural one to make.

Boxes of shoes wait to be unloaded

Samaritan’s Feet received the donated shoes from a Sketchers manufacturing plant in China. Now what was needed was someone to connect the supply with the need. Doug Martin, President of CM Global FWD LLC agreed to cover the shipping expense. Once the shoes arrived in Addis Ababa, half were shared with another non-profit organization, allowing the shoes to enter the country duty free.

A few weeks later, the other half of the shoes arrived in Soddo. Mossy Foot Project also gets to keep the shipping container itself, which provides valuable and much needed storage space.

A total of 366 cartons of shoes with 36 pairs of shoes in each carton were unloaded from the container. That means 13,736 children will have a sturdy new pair of shoes. Evidence shows that wearing shoes can completely prevent contracting mossy foot disease. Many children will now have a better opportunity for a healthy, productive future.

We are very thankful for each organization and person that had a part working together to create this network of good to answer a need in Ethiopia.

The shoes will be distributed soon, and we will be sure to post pictures of that exciting event.