With a storm having torn off the roof over 4 of their classrooms, our 45 students at the Vijana Primary School in Luberizi are more prone than ever to stepping on debris and walking through standing water - both of which can cause harmful diseases. They need protection for their feet, both now and after repairs have been made. This microproject will provide one pair of shoes (covering the feet) and a pair of socks for each student.
Serious ailments are absorbed through the feet. Cracks can allow parasitic infections such as hookworm and threadworm to penetrate the skin. Other diseases come from the foot's exposure to standing water. During this volatile period of no roofing and later with debris from roofing repair, the students' feet are prone to injury and disease.
With no income available to most of the students' single mothers, a necessity as basic as a pair of shoes cannot be afforded--if they are available locally at all. Shoes won't solve all the risks of standing water that the students are facing now, but they will afford protection and provide a source of comfort during this difficult time and beyond.
The education of these boys and girls - for as long as funding continues - allows them a start in breaking the cycle of poverty. Even the small kids realize that the path to a better life comes through education. As important as the rudimentary education that can be achieved by these impoverished schools is, getting communities to treat one another without discrimination regardless of circumstance is paramount in their need to recognize basic human rights.