IT was a morning of big hugs, warm smiles and tears of joy as 300 learners from five schools in and around Ximba near Cato Ridge outside Durban each received a pair of brand new school shoes as part of the ongoing Project Soul 2 Sole. For many of the children, this is the first new pair of school shoes they have ever owned.
Spearheaded by KZN-based NPO, Blue Sky Society Trust, in conjunction with The Lion Match Group and Aramex South Africa, Project Soul 2 Sole has for the past four years made a phenomenal impact on the lives of some of KwaZulu-Natal’s most destitute children by distributing new and pre-loved school shoes.
“It truly astounds me that in 2018 there are some seven million children in Africa who have never owned a pair of new or second hand shoes. The look in a child’s eyes, the smile on their face when they receive their first pair of school shoes is something hard to explain. We have a phenomenal group of people involved in this impactful project, to whom I am truly grateful,” explained Carla Geyser, founder of Blue Sky Society Trust.
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While distribution of the pre-loved school shoes wrapped up at the end of last month, the new shoes distribution drive is now well underway across KZN. The handover at Mdepha High School is the project’s largest shoe-drop thus far. Learners from two of the 11 KZN schools that contributed towards Project Soul 2 Sole, Orient Islamic School and Clifton College, helped distribute the footwear to children from Mdepha High, Esiqhingini Full Service School, Othweba Primary School, Nonqanda Primary School and St Julius Secondary School in and around the Mayibuye Game Reserve. In addition to a brand new pair of shoes, the pupils also received a pair of socks, a tin of shoe polish and an Uzwelo book bag.
It was a heart-warming moment for Simon Ntuli, the deputy principal of Mdepha High School, who watched as hundreds of his learners tried on the new shoes to find their perfect fit.
“We are living in a poverty-stricken area and most of our learners do not have full school uniforms. So this is a great day for us, to have new school shoes for our children. We are so grateful for Project Soul 2 Sole,” he said.
The distribution of the pre-loved school shoes wrapped up at the end of last year following generous donations by 11 schools across the province, namely Maritzburg College, Michaelhouse, Durban Girls’ High School, Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School, Clifton School, Virginia Preparatory School, La Lucia Junior Primary, Chelsea Preparatory, Orient Islamic School, Hilton College and Durban Girls’ College.
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