Shoe Distribution

The other day we had an awesome day!! There were lots of really unique things but I would like to focus on our shoe distribution. Well I guess in the name of honesty we should say flip flop distribution. The vast majority of locals wear flip flops as their everyday footwear. Kind of like back home about this time of year.

A few entries ago we told you about all of the refugees or IDP’s. Well yesterday we had a chance to return to the warehouse that is currently housing 170 or so families and help them in a tangible manner. All of these people fled their homes to avoid the fighting. (Another 12,000 are expected today) As these people fled lots of the very basics were lost so to provide some concrete form of help we were able to purchase almost 2000 sets of flip flops for these families. Basically the equivalent of a 75 cents for a good pair of sandals.

Alanna’s former employer the Company of Adventurers organized a fund raiser to provide sandals for the IDP’s. All of the staff in the company contributed in some manner and so now almost 2000 people have footwear!! So needless to say a HUGE thanks to that company and all of their staff. Thank you for your generosity and thank you for taking a simple step to making a big difference.

It really was a lot of fun to be able to be a part of the distribution. . As soon as the Samaritan's Purse lorry pulled up all the kids and families crushed in around us. The team called out the names, checked out the I.D. cards and handed the gifts out. It was so fun to see these little kids putting their sandals on, comparing sizes and racing about. As the team handed the sandals out the white guy was the spectacle. Basically I chased a pile of kids around, swinging them around by their arms and legs, took their photos and generally tried to let them have some fun. Needless to say I was tired by the end but there certainly were a lot of laughs yesterday afternoon.

It really was a thrill to be able to be involved in something like this. Thanks to all of you who make our involvement here a possibility. If you contribute to SP or Rockpointe you are a part of what is taking place here.

For those who are more skeptical, What about the 12,000 new refugees expected to arrive today? I really don’t know and we are going to see what we can do. Will sandals fix the problems? No. Does it help? Absolutely! Can all of us do more? Sure and we look forward to all the upcoming projects that will attempt to help the downtrodden.

Make it a great day.