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0 viewsAn estimated 7 million South African children have no shoes. Just R150 will change that statistic.
“Cinderella is proof that shoes can change your life”, says the Bobs for Good Foundation, whose vision is to “provide needy South African children with a pair of quality leather, locally made school shoes, bringing hope, pride and dignity to themselves, their schools and their communities”.
Tired of reading negative media sentiment and hearing people constantly complain that the problems in South Africa are too big to be solved, former Springbok captain, Bob Skinstad and former banker, Ron Rutland joined forces to create The Bobs for Good Foundation in 2009. They have taken a simple idea and are working relentlessly to “put little feet into brand new, hardwearing, South African made school shoes”.
The most important aspect of Bobs for Good, as it’s affectionately known, is that they want their shoes “to make a difference to people right from the first step”. That’s why they have partnered with a factory in Pietermaritzburg called Eddels. Eddels has been making quality shoes for some of South Africa’s biggest retailers for over 100 years, but more importantly, it uses leather sourced from Kwa-Zulu Natal. Thus the foundation is helping to create sustainable employment on home soil instead of importing cheaply manufactured shoes.
The most inspiring quality about the Bobs for Good Foundation is that they personally deliver the shoes to each school and individually fit them on every child’s feet. Bobs for Good works with the Department of Education, educators, community leaders, concerned adults, and schoolchildren to help identify children most in need of school shoes. Because many children have never bought new shoes before, a sample sizing pack is sent to each school to identify their correct size.
“The children and the shoes are our two most important puzzle pieces, so it’s our job to make sure that they fit together”, says Lauren Peters, Operations and Customer Liaison Manager. Bob for Good’s most recent shoe-drop took place at on the 15th November at Symphony Primary, where 71 children were fitted with new school shoes. The Foundation have also designed the Bobs for Good Safety Shoe, which aims to make shoes for children walking to school more visible to cars.
Today, Bobs for Good have two permanent staff with a board of trustees and a large supporter and volunteer network that have helped over 25, 000 children. The Bobs for Good Foundation rely on the donations of big corporations, small companies, and passionate individuals to keep buying and donating shoes to the children who need them most. “We are always getting involved in events and activities, pushing our boundaries and pulling our muscles to raise funds and awareness”, says Peters.
If you would like to be involved by fundraising, donating or volunteering at the shoe-drops themselves, please follow the link below:
https://www.bobsforgoodfoundation.org/get-involved/