Barefoot Isn't Beautiful When It's a Burden

In many Western cultures, barefoot living feels like freedom. But in Uganda and across East Africa, going barefoot can be a silent sentence. It leads to painful infections, social exclusion, and stolen childhoods.
Every step without shoes can lead to a deeper wound.

The Hidden Epidemic: What Happens When Children Go Without Shoes

Jiggers and Other Parasites: Tiny sand fleas burrow into feet, causing swelling, infection, and intense pain. Known as jiggers, they thrive in dusty, unsanitary environments—especially where children walk barefoot.
Foot Disease and Infections: Without protection, kids are exposed to open wounds, fungal infections, and long-term complications that keep them from walking or going to school.
The Stigma of Bare Feet: Children with jigger-infested feet are often mocked, shamed, or sent away from school. Many retreat from daily life—isolated by pain and embarrassment.

Shoes as Prevention: A Simple Solution with a Lifelong Impact

In places where healthcare is scarce, prevention matters more than ever.
A strong, closed-toe shoe protects kids from:

Jigger infestation
Cuts and scrapes
Soil-borne disease
Social stigma and isolation

Shoes restore dignity. They allow children to return to school. They help kids run, play, and be kids again.

The Sole Hope Solution: Healing One Foot at a Time

Sole Hope works in Uganda to bring medical care and prevention to children suffering from jigger infestations and other foot-related diseases.
Our team:

Runs mobile medical clinics to remove jiggers and clean wounds
Educates communities to stop the cycle before it starts
Employs Ugandan shoemakers to craft protective shoes
Brings healing, hope, and dignity to every child we meet

Real Lives. Real Change.

We’ve seen children go from crawling in pain to running with joy.
We’ve watched students return to school.
We’ve witnessed the impact of one simple act of love—a pair of shoes.

Join the Movement: $10 for TEN

We believe in the power of small gifts multiplied.

When many people give just $10 a month, together we can protect and care for thousands of children each year.

It’s not about how much one person gives. It’s about what happens when all of us show up with what we can.

$10 a month supports:

Jigger removal and medical care
Custom shoes made in Uganda
Community education and follow-up care
A movement that starts with the feet—and reaches the heart

Ten toes. Ten reasons. One simple act of love.

👉 [Join $10 for TEN]
👉 [Become Part of the Story]

Shoes Matter Because Children Matter

This isn’t about fashion. It’s about freedom.
It’s about a generation of children who deserve to walk, run, and live without pain.

Together, we can help them take their next step in dignity and hope.

Why Shoes Matter: The Untold Story of Foot Disease in African Children