This Giving Tuesday, Donate to Help Kids Like Rhoda

For Rhoda, getting an education in Zambia was just out of reach.

The 11-year-old was out of school for almost two years. Why? Well, walking more than three miles barefoot every day was just too much.

When Rhoda first started school, her parents bought her a uniform and books and encouraged her to wear an old pair of slippers to class. That worked for a few years. But by the time Rhoda entered the second grade, the slippers were so run down that she couldn’t wear them anymore. She started walking to and from school barefoot.

With six other children to care for and very little income to speak of, Rhoda’s parents simply couldn’t afford to buy her new shoes.

The effects of poverty on education – and the risks of walking without shoes

Poverty can be detrimental to children’s ability to get a quality education. When children don’t have what they need to get to and from school safely and perform regular classroom tasks – like taking notes – it’s difficult for them to succeed. “I stopped going to school because my feet sometimes got hurt when I stepped on small stones or thorns,” Rhoda says.

At ChildFund, we’re all too aware of the risks of walking without shoes. Children’s feet are much more tender than those of an adult, increasing the risk of injury. We often see children hospitalized from insect and snake bites they get while walking or running barefoot.

Not having shoes to go to school or collect water also made Rhoda feel isolated. She didn’t want to spend time with the kids her age who had shoes, afraid they would make fun of her. “Most of my friends in class had shoes or slippers, so I told Mom I would not go again,” she says. “That’s how I stopped school.”

Small gift, big difference: A pair of shoes saves Rhoda’s education in Zambia.

But then, ChildFund visited Rhoda’s school to distribute TOMS shoes as part of a back-to-school campaign. Before the event, we asked teachers to identify children who had dropped out of school and make sure they were invited to the distribution. Rhoda’s teachers immediately thought of her.

As children and families gathered to receive their new shoes, ChildFund representatives talked about the effects of poverty on education, the risks of walking without shoes – and why it’s so important for children to go to school, no matter what.

“My mom and I attended the meeting with ChildFund and afterwards, my little sister and I got shoes,” says Rhoda. “I was very happy – and I started going to school the next day.”

December 3 is Giving Tuesday. Donate to help us help kids.

If you, your child or grandchild walked a mile (or three) in Rhoda’s, well … lack of shoes, how long do you think you would have stayed in school? What would you do if you got hurt?

These are the real effects of poverty on education for children all over the world.

But you can do something about it. Giving Tuesday is just around the corner on December 3, and there are almost infinite ways you can give back on this special day. We know it’s hard to choose, but if you ask us, the best Giving Tuesday campaigns put kids at the center – and multiply the impact of the giver.

Every $1 you donate to ChildFund for Giving Tuesday will be multiplied 33 times to help children like Rhoda get the things they need to succeed at school and beyond. Whether it’s a pair of shoes to help get them to and from school more safely, a net to help protect them from mosquitoes that cause diseases or medicines that can save their lives, you can make a real, tangible difference for children and their families.

As for Rhoda, she is now in fifth grade and doing well, especially in math and science, her favorite subjects. One day, she wants to be a nurse. And none of it would be possible without generous people like you.