The Shoe That Grows

There are over 300 million children who do not have shoes. And countless more with shoes that do not fit. Sometimes they receive donations of shoes, but these are kids. Their feet grow. And they outgrow donated shoes within a year. Right back where they started.

A clever new shoe invention is hoping to solve this for the billions of children who have to go to school barefoot and are infected with soil-transmitted diseases. One charity has come up with an innovative new type of shoe that grows with a child's feet. Yes, that’s true! “The Shoe That Grows” can grow up to five sizes. It uses adjustable buckles and a strap on the toe to expand by five sizes. The clever and patented design comes in size Small (to be worn from Kindergarten to 4th Grade) and Large (to be worn from 5th Grade to 9th Grade). The idea is that the whole time kids are in school, they will have a pair of shoes for their fast-growing feet.

Charity worker Kenton Lee came up with the idea while working in Nairobi in Kenya after seeing children running around barefoot and in shoes several sizes too small. He said: “It got me asking questions and finally all these questions led to an idea - what if there were a shoe that could adjust and expand?” And he designed the shoes that grow. “We believe in creating innovative products that can help people living in extreme poverty around the world, helping them in really simple, practical ways,” Lee further adds. 

But more than its practicality, these shoes protect the feet of children. Children can cut their feet and get infections while they can also pick up parasites like worms through their skin. And this simple but life-changing design prevents this. The shoes are currently being distributed in the most needed towns of Ecuador, Haiti, Ghana and Kenya. With this shoe, a kid can always have a pair of shoes that fit. They can stay healthy and happy – ready to take the next steps to their future!