Students in small villages throughout Africa have been making the long trek to school barefoot for as long as there have been schools to go to. In fact, lack of footwear, warm clothing, and basic school supplies is a common hardship shared by students across the continent. But, to solve a problem, you have to see it first. Several years ago, that’s exactly what Vision Africa did.
“A few years ago, I watched a documentary about children walking long distances to school with no foot covering,” Vision Africa Chief Operating Officer Sarafina Nwokenta said. “During the harsh season of Harmattan, which runs from the end of November through mid-March, the weather is very cold and dry here, but students still walk to school barefoot and with no sweaters and arrive with their skin turned white from the weather.”
“During the harsh season of Harmattan, the weather is very cold and dry here, but students still walk to school barefoot…””
Temperatures can be in the low 40s Fahrenheit on Harmattan mornings, but sweaters, sweatshirts and shoes are in short supply for many students. Vision Africa saw that need and also a way to fill it—with community support. Using Vision Africa Radio to spread the word, parents were asked to donate their children’s outgrown shoes, sweaters, sweatshirts, and used textbooks for redistribution to schools where the students had none.
“At first, we thought people might not respond,” Nwokenta said. “But, we received so many donations that instead of going to one school, we went to three. The parents came in droves with bags of supplies to donate. We just load them into a bus and deliver them to schools.
“This is a project we pride ourselves on because it’s the community helping the community. But, we can always do more, and there are always more schools who want us to come,” she said.
VISION AFRICA COO
SARAFINA NWOKENTA
The Vision Africa School Supply Drive provides a unique giving opportunity to partner with our Nigerian counterparts to make a direct difference in the lives of children. Your gift of any size can help put shoes on cold feet, sweaters on thin shoulders, and books into eager hands. Will you join hands with our friends across the ocean to make those long walks easier for many more students? If so, click the Donate button below.
