WASHINGTON — Any parent who has tried to keep a quickly-growing child in properly-fitting shoes understands how challenging that can be — the challenge is far greater for a parent who can’t afford to buy a single pair.
A sandal that is intended to expand five sizes, and last a child five years, The Shoe That Grows is the invention of a charity organization, Because International, which is hoping to improve the lives of people in impoverished countries.
Kenton Lee first thought of the idea while living and working in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007.
While walking to church one day, he noticed a girl in a white dress whose shoes were way too small for her feet. He noticed other children had ill-fitting footwear, too.
Lee wondered, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand — so that kids always had a pair of shoes that fit?”
The shoe comes in two sizes: Small and Large. Each size grows five sizes and typically lasts at least five years, according to the group’s website. Small would fit most children from kindergarten through 4th grade, while Large would fit grades 5-9.
Made of leather, compressed rubber, and snaps, the shoe consists of four sets of snaps, two on each side. As a child’s foot grows, changing snaps can adjust width and length.
A buckle around the ankle can loosen or tighten the sandal.
According to the group’s website, over 2 billion people in the world suffer from soil-transmitted parasites and diseases.
An individual pair of sandals costs $30, but the group is appealing to churches, mission organizations, and businesses to send or carry shipments of sandals to needy people. For 10 pairs, the shoes cost $20 per pair, and for 100 pair they cost $12 per pair.
Watch the group’s promotional video:
