Shoe That Grows: Man Invents Shoe To Help Millions Of Poor Children

Impoverished children often have difficulty getting new shoes once they outgrow their old ones - or any shoes at all. But Kenton Lee of Because International aims to provide a solution: a shoe designed to last impoverished children five years! The Shoe That Grows is designed to be expanded as the child‘s feet grow. Using a system of sturdy snaps, the size can be increased with ease. The shoes themselves are quite resilient, too. The sole is made from compressed rubber and the straps are quality leather – easy to clean, and no mechanical parts to break. I imagine that any repairs would be quite easy, too.

Kenton Lee had been looking for a shoe idea like that ever since he saw a shoeless girl attending mass in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2007. His first idea for a growing shoe was a lot more complicated than the present one. The new design has two principal sizes, small (lasts roughly from kindergarten to 4th grade) and large (4th grade to 9th grade). Individual pair would cost $30 to make, but economy of scale means that a 100 pairs would come in at $12 each. 50 pairs can be compressed to fit in suitcase on a plane, easy to transport to where they're the most needed. More than that, the shoes are delivered in complimentary draw-string bags, which the children can use as school bags (among other things).

The Shoe That Grows does look like a pair of shoes a kid could fall in love with!

More info: theshoethatgrows.org | Facebook | Twitter | vimeo (h/t: instructables)