Those who have never spent time in sub-Saharan Africa are unlikely to have encountered jiggers. For barefoot children in rural areas there, however, the parasitic sand fleas are all too painfully common. That’s why Christy Shivers and a few of her friends in Columbus were moved to do something about it. All it took was a table full of old jeans, some plastic jugs and sharp scissors. And hands — willing hands and “hearts of service.”
Shivers hosted a Sole Hope Cutting Party in mid-January, inviting others to join her in tracing patterns and cutting out parts that will be sent to Uganda and transformed into shoes — shoes that could save a limb or life.
Sole Hope is a nonprofit organization putting shoes on vulnerable feet to combat jiggers. The small fleas enter bare skin, usually the feet and sometimes hands. They burrow, laying eggs and damaging tissue. Left untreated, they produce painful infections, paralysis and even amputation. For shoeless, tender-skinned children in particular, the problem is a devastating one.
Shivers learned of Sole Hope through material from the Young Living Foundation, the charitable arm of Young Living. Shivers is an independent distributor with the Utah-based company that produces essential oils and related products.
“After I read about it, I went to the Sole Hope website to learn more,” the mother of two said. “An issue like jiggers is completely preventable by having something on your feet, and we take that completely for granted every day. We have multiple shoes, but one pair for these children in Africa could make a life-saving difference.”
Taking action
Shivers’ first step was to order a cutting kit with templates, a DVD to show her cutting party and other materials. The next task was assembling friends to show up at her home with old jeans or other sturdy denim to cut up, along with empty, clean milk, beverage or detergent bottles. Some, like the hostess, made a trip to the Palmer Home Thrift Store for several pairs of jeans for the project.
Ivy Harris attended the party.
“Christy introduced us to the concept and right away I liked the idea; it’s such a tangible way to help children in need,” said Harris. After watching the brief video showing how jiggers affect the feet, and eventually the lives, of those infected, “that motivated us to do all we could in the time that we had,” she added.
Sole Hope does ask for a $10 donation per pair of shoes to help get the components to Uganda, pay assemblers there and purchase supplies to complete the shoes.
“The breakdown is $3 to pay the tailor (a Ugandan who sews the uppers together); $3 to pay the shoemaker (a Ugandan who puts the sole on the upper); $2 for tires for the soles, thread and glue; and $2 to get the shoe parts to Uganda,” explained Shivers.
An anonymous donor covered the donation for 20 pairs of children’s size 4 shoes the Columbus volunteers cut out parts for. They will soon be shipped to North Carolina, and from there, to Uganda.
Cutting party guest Lorena Thomas became so invested in Sole Hope’s mission that she shared it with her family.
“We got real excited,” began Thomas, who is originally from Ecuador. “I asked for the patterns and the next day I showed my girls, who are 6 and 7. They helped me trace patterns, and my husband helped me cut pieces out for six more pairs of shoes!”
Thomas recalled the words of her pastor.
“He said whatever we did for the poor, we did for Jesus, so it was just real nice to be able to participate, and to do it for Jesus.”
Solutions
Sole Hope’s vision does not stop at shoes. The organization is also committed to medical intervention to remove jiggers and treat the damage. Education is important as well — teaching preventive measures to youth and their caretakers to generate long-term solutions. It also supports communities, teaching the shoemaking trade, combining the best of indigenous and contemporary practices to create sustainable skills and employment.
Now that Shivers has the kit with templates, she hopes to host more cutting parties in future. Her guests felt it was a fun way to spend time together, while doing something with concrete purpose. It also brought focus to a stark reality.
“We talked about things we take for granted in our culture,” said Shivers, “and this puts you in the mindset to remember that there are still people in the world that need this type of support.”
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Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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