In the UK, 4 million children are living in shoe poverty. This means that they are wearing wrong-size shoes and/or shoes that are inadequate for their needs. This, as well as being obviously highly impractical, can negatively affect their academic and sporting performance and lead to serious problems with self-esteem, bullying and feelings of isolation.
And yet, despite the overwhelming need for footwear, 2 million shoes are sent to landfill every single week in the UK, with each pair taking 100 years to biodegrade.
This is not only an environmental disaster, but down the line it will cause a PR disaster for shoe manufacturers and distributors everywhere, in the same way supermarkets are currently being blamed for food waste. They really should act now before it’s too late.
At Shoe Aid, we’re trying to help them along the way. We’re a UK-based charity, and have two very simple aims: to reduce shoe waste and to end shoe poverty. We do this by intercepting footwear that would otherwise be sent to landfill and then distributing this to people in the UK that we identify as having a need.
Our mission is to ensure that no child or adult goes without suitable footwear in the year 2019 and beyond.
The impact of shoe poverty
To achieve this, we work with footwear companies and ask them to take responsibility for the millions of shoes that they produce and buy. We are trying to persuade them to improve their corporate social responsibility by taking a step forward and donating, sponsoring and supporting our work.
The support we receive from them helps us to give the four million children in the UK the shoes that they need to be educated, to be involved in sports or to simply boost their confidence. We can also help provide 200,000 homeless people in the UK – who also suffer immensely from shoe poverty – with an adequate pair of shoes on their feet. But we do need more help to achieve our aims.
Teachers and leaders, please contact us to alert us to the children who need footwear. We don’t simply want to give away the shoes; it is important to us that they go to the right people. Working closely with schools to identify pupils in need is imperative to what we want to achieve.
Pupils are always so grateful: you can see it in their eyes, the delight and excitement to have the same sort of footwear that their friends have. In a recent partnership with a local football club, boots that were donated to some children meant that they were able to attend trials and be scouted by football clubs. This work means everything to Shoe Aid and its trustees – we can see that we’re really are making a difference.
We have already donated more than 10,000 shoes to adults and children across the UK, and educated over 25,000 pupils in schools across the UK on the importance of recycling and repurposing footwear. Schools can contact us for a school pack so that they can hold their own school assemblies and take part in fundraising.
Our work has been recognised by Theresa May – she sent a letter to our founder Lee Todd to thank us for what we’re doing. It’s only a matter of time before the current issues with shoe waste reach Parliament – and with your school's help, it could be sooner rather than later.
Jeanette Stevenson is a UK practising barrister and trustee of Shoe Aid
On the 10 September 2019, Shoe Aid will ask the UK to support its cause by wearing an odd pair of shoes to school/work for the day and donate £1 towards the work of Shoe Aid. You can find out more here.
