【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, August 8, 2022】Children’s feet quickly outgrowing their shoes, but usually people see it as a problem of comfort, cost and inconvenience. What’s less relevant to most is the health impact of wearing no or too-small shoes.(Image credit: Zayah World.com)

There are around 300 million children around the world who don’t own a pair of shoes, or whose feet physically can’t fit into their shoes.

Apart from discomfort and injuries, there are a series of health risks related to transmission of disease through dirt, or parasites in the dirt. In poorer countries, simple cuts to feet are also more significant, because of the more serious consequences of infection, and the lesser likelihood of early, effective treatment. 

Kenton Lee lived and worked in South America and Africa, and one day in Nairobi when Kenton noticed a girl in a white dress walking next to him. Her shoes were so small that the fronts had been cut open for her toes to stick out.  Looking around, him Kenton realised many others were the same.

One issue was simply too few shoes being provided with other aid like food and clothing to Africa and South Africa. Another was that even when children received or were bought shoes, they outgrew them within a year or less.

Kenton focused on why the shoes don’t fit, rather than why there weren’t enough. So instead of the traditional answer of raising more money for shoes, the moment sparked the powerful thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand”. Finally, he came up with the following three core requirements of “the shoe that grows”:

• They needed to be adjustable, so that over 5 years of growth, they could adapt to new foot size/shape and still fit properly.
• They needed to be durable enough that they wouldn’t wear within 5 years in harsh conditions, or require expensive parts or tools for repair any damage.
• They needed to be light and compact for transportation, because there would almost certainly be long distance shipping involved.

Kenton's first challenge was not about shoe design but find a shoe design expert up to the task. He finally connected with Gary Pitman, a man with a lifetime’s experience of shoe design with names like Adidas, Nike and Columbia.  Gary had deep experience of footwear prototype design, manufacturing processes and footwear technology.

Kenton set up a not-for-profit organisation called Because International to make and distribute The Shoe That Grows. Its motto is “Practical Compassion”, and they aren’t afraid to place as much emphasis on “Practical” as “Compassion”.

By the end of 2015 they had got out over 30,000 pairs of Shoes That Grow to children in 25 countries over 5 continents, including Haiti, Kenya, India, Mexico and Uganda.

For 2016, the biggest priority apart from increasing numbers further still is to set up local manufacturing closer to where the Shoes That Grow are most needed. They have already started first steps towards production in East Africa.

Kenton’s story is also full of lessons and reminders across design, entrepreneurship, social change, innovation and sustainability. Three that particularly resonated with us are:

• The best ideas are often the simplest – but simple doesn’t mean easy
• Great design is about understanding user needs that go beyond the product.
• Doing good isn't inconsistent with professionalism or making money - it's about how you use the money, how you balance doing good with doing good business.

(Source: Zayah World)

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