If you had shoes on

My mother had a catch-all saying for whatever minor catastrophe beset me as a young man, “If you had shoes on that wouldn’t happen”. Sometimes she was correct, like when I stood on a nail and it did what nails do when you stand on them (I would have preferred some sympathy but the phrase was wheeled out). But sometimes it was just ridiculous, as if shoes prevented any misfortune in your life; wearing shoes, it seems, ensured that the universe would conspire to ensure that no ill would come the way of the shoe-clad individual.

This is a reasonable explanation as to why I am hardly ever barefoot: shoes are put on straight out of the shower, they are worn to the beach, and they are certainly worn around the house. The other thing is my toes resemble Nik Naks, ok not necessarily in color, but definitely in form. Years of attempting to be a fast bowler in my youth have resulted in digits that some would describe as hideous (and rightly so). So why oh why, I ask, would anybody want me to flaunt my hideous bare feet and cause many people discomfort whilst causing my mom great great anxiety?

“A day without shoes” is a Toms Shoes initiative and this year Toms are giving away a pair of shoes for every Instagram pic of bare feet (no purchase necessary).

For those of you who don’t know the Toms shoes ‘one-for-one’ model, go and check them out, because it was one of the inspirational stories that lead to the formation of Different Life and different.org.

So what is the Oviston project all about and how does it relate to “a day without shoes”.

Oviston is a school in the Eastern Cape and the children from Oviston sometimes walk kilometers in winter with no shoes just to get to school. This project will raise money for 130 pairs of shoes for the children at Oviston Primary School in the Eastern Cape.

So we at Different will be going without shoes on the 21st of May and horrifying the world with our mis-formed digits (well at least I will). Now I know what some of you will say, is this not just a bunch of middle class people pretending to care by posting a picture to Instagram or strolling around the office like a hippy i.e classic slacktivism. The answer is probably yes, I suppose it is. But, as is often the case, the real benefactors of an initiative to raise awareness are the participants and the recipients. The participants: because being without shoes even for one day gives just the slightest inkling, the minuscule beginnings of understanding, as to the reality of poverty. The recipients: because having a pair of shoes to wear to school makes a significant difference, particularly if you walk to school.

So this is our call to action, on the 21st of May don’t wear shoes, but do more than just that, don’t wear shoes only if you have donated to this project or another similar project such as Toms Shoes. Make your barefootedness a way of showing that you are actively making a difference, that you are not just sympathetic but actively seeking to understand the reality of poverty and actively seeking to do something about it. Join me on the 21st of May, be barefoot, change the world, because if you have shoes on it wont happen.