It is said that Imelda Marcos owned 3000 pairs of shoes! Wearing one pair a day, she was all set for over 8 years. This is, of course, overload, even for a dictator’s wife. But even we, living in a country where we can enjoy most of life’s pleasures and possessions, have an overabundance of shoes.
We have two international projects now that our Club supports: Go Care in Nicaragua and Mossy Foot in Ethiopia. Having a pair of shoes, even old ones, is a luxury in any third world country. In some, it makes the difference between a good life and a disabling disease called Mossy Foot.
Mossy foot has been found to come from walking and working while barefoot in volcanic soils that have microscopic sized particles that get absorbed through the skin into your body…through your feet. If you are susceptible, your feet and ankles swell to huge sizes, becoming deformed and ugly to view, often also crippling. You, as a person, then become outcast by your family and village, unable to go to school or get a job. You have no future. The solution to the problem? Shoes.
The Mossy Foot Project was begun by Dr. Nathan Barlow, the father of one of our members, Sharon Daly. He found that the disease could be prevented if people wore shoes. He also found that those with the disease could be helped by cleaning their feet, applying an emollient to the skin and wearing special shoes that could accommodate their enlarged feet. Amazingly, the feet begin to heal and return to more normal size. People only needed to learn how to care for themselves. What a victory!
So, Mossy Foot Project raises money for supporting their effort by collecting ”gently used” shoes that are sold for forty cents a pound to Funds2Org. Those funds are used to purchase supplies to make the large, specialty shoes for those people with the disease. Many of the workers are former patients who have recovered from the disease. Our donated shoes are then provided to be sold, developing small businesses by local people in Ethiopia.
If you, like most of us, have shoes we no longer like or wear, please donate them to help the Mossy Foot Project. A box for shoes will be in the entry to our meetings. Share the wealth. Improve someone’s health. Do good in our world. For more information: www.mossyfoot.com.
