Black Shoes

Schools here in Sierra Leone all require the kids to wear a uniform and black shoes with most also requiring white socks. As you can imagine with all the kids in the home, our big kids and the ministry houses, our reunified kids and foster kids.... we go through a LOT of black shoes. The cost of these shoes is any where from $8 for the little ones to $10-$15 or more for the big ones. Each September a large portion of our school budget goes towards buying these black shoes.

After we purchase them the kids who are in junior and senior secondary school walk everyday to and from school in these shoes- five days a week. With the quality of these shoes and many of them being used they often are visiting a shoe cobbler (yes we still call him that) or just plain in need of a new pair.

On the container we just received there were boxes and boxes of black shoes. We couldn't be more thrilled. We did not just turn around and hand out new shoes to all the kids as we will wait for September for that but there were a few kids in desperate need of a new pair of black shoes. Sweet Sata was one of them. I was not in charge of this area- Pastor Kandeh was and he did a great job. The next morning I hear this click clacking outside my hut. Later in the day I hear it again over in the dining hall. Finally one more time as school has ended and Sata and some of the other kids have come to the veranda to hang out before changing out of their uniforms. It is then I see that Sata's wonderful new black shoes are in fact TAP SHOES complete with the metal taps. How wonderful for her. She loves them. I am sure Mrs. Popelka (my tap instructor) would not be pleased with having the taps scuffed on the concrete, however Sata will wear these tap shoes anywhere and everywhere.

Now only if she had a big poofy tap costume to wear with these fine Tap Shoes. Thanks to all of you who donated black shoes for our kids to wear to school. They are all great- each unique pair of them.