A Volunteer Project With A Sole
Volunteers work on trimming out parts for shoes to be shipped to Uganda. The project took place this past week at the Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Laughter, smiles and memories were made this past week at the Central Reformed Church, as volunteers clipped and trimmed old denim clothing from something old into something new.
Those scissors were trimming out what will eventually be new shoes.
Those parts needed to make new shoes are not just a hand-out but a way of also helping to provide work in Uganda. The project is called ‘Sole Hope’, and the shoes help to protect exposed feet from the ravages of jiggers. Female jiggers burrow into an exposed human foot to lay eggs. The sores, about the size of a pea, are very painful and cause those inflicted to have difficulty in daily life activities. In some cases, other infections can set in, causing appendages to be amputated.
Sole Hope events invite volunteers to help cut out and assemble donated denim material into different size shoe parts. Each volunteer donates $10 to attend the event. That donation helps to cover the cost of shipping the cutout shoe parts to Uganda, and helps to provide a wage to a local Uganda resident in an effort to provide work and a more sustainable life.
During the past month, area individuals donated old jeans for the project.
Andy Baker with Central Reformed Church said that the pieces made this week will be packaged up and shipped to Uganda “and they will have local Uganda workers actually make them into the shoes”.
Old tires will become the soles of the new shoes. The only other piece to be added along the way will be a piece of Velcro.
Baker said he thinks one of the best parts of the program is being able to pay a local Uganda worker to assemble the shoe. “We’re actually supporting sustainable jobs there in Uganda.”
“That’s what’s so important. Creating jobs and creating responsibility on the part of the locals there,” said Baker.
Baker explained that the project attempts to get the shoes out to the more rural parts of the country. There, those from Sole Hope will help those inflicted with the jiggers remove the parasites, and get them fitted with a pair of shoes at no cost to the eventual recipient.
Baker said that there will be more opportunities to take part in the volunteer process of making shoes. “This is something we hope to carry on throughout the year”, said Baker.
To learn more visit http://www.centralosky.com/ for more information.
