Building Homes, communities and hope: A Look at the Benefits of “Shoes that Grow” to Kachitsa Primary School and communities in Mgombe Village, TA Chadza in Lilongwe
This week Habitat for Humanity Malawi is hosting Paterson Habitat Team that are building three houses for orphans and other vulnerable groups in Mng’ombe Village, TA Chadza in Lilongwe. To show their support for our mission, they brought over 500 pairs of shoes and distributed to Kachitsa Primary School during the build week.
While there are many benefits to wearing shoes, many pupils at Kachitsa Primary School in Lilongwe Rural East of Central Western Division are not able to enjoy these benefits because of the lack of adequate footwear accessible to them. This was observed last year when Habitat for Humanity Malawi hosted Paterson Habitat Team in the area where they were constructing three houses for the orphans and other Vulnerable Group (OVG).
The Paterson Habitat Team has made it possible for those pupils most in need of adequate footwear to own a good pair of shoes and the “shoes that grow”. Knowing just how important proper footwear for school going pupils, Paterson Habitat Team mobilized U$D7500 to procure 514 pairs of these growing shoes to distribute to the pupils of Primary School alongside building three more houses in the same area this week beginning 5th to 10th November, 2018.
The shoe distribution not only inspired our community a worthy cause, it also reminded them of why footwear for school going kids is so important. Shoes can improve quality of life, prevent injury & disease, help with healing for those with chronic foot conditions, express one’s self, reducing the risk of certain parasitic diseases and foot infections among others.
While shoes have a basic functional purpose with many benefits, there are also psychological benefits to the personality development of adolescents. Indeed, shoes hold value that is unique to the person and their environment and this was observed when one Stephano Madeya a grade 3 pupil who upon receiving his pair, pronounced in vernacular “ine lero nde ndadala”, in english meaning today I am blessed. I could hear many pupils declaring that they will never again abscond from school upon receiving their pairs. Surely the shoe distribution had a magical transformation and perceived to turn pupils at Kachitsa from ordinary to a superstar or model.
This is all fruits of the Orphans and other Vulnerable Groups Country Program for Habitat Malawi which is aimed at improving the living conditions of orphans and other vulnerable children through construction of decent houses and provision of other complimentary services.
