It shows the ETI team distributing the children’s flip-flops which (fellow volunteer) Natasha and I bought a few days before I left Goa. We went to the local (non-touristy) market and, with the help of our lovely taxi driver Satish, negotiated a good price for 20 pairs of sturdy, rigid soled flip-flops in assorted sizes, from ages 3 to 12.
They worked out at around £1 per pair; we could have paid less, but we wanted to get the better quality flip-flops so that they stood up to the wear and tear of life in the rural slum and on the beach.
So here are the children trying on the flip-flops for size – don’t their parents look proud and happy? The mums are looking on and smiling, the dads are helping to fit the shoes to the feet.
And here’s a group shot of all the kids with, for some of them, their first ever pair of shoes.
I just love seeing how much difference a tiny amount of money can make to these children’s lives. While I was away, my very wonderful friend Liz saw my Facebook updates about ETI and e-banked me £20, simply saying: “spend it how you see fit.”That £20 bought milk for the children and mums in the field for a month.
£10 will buy 10 pairs of children’s flip-flops and help to protect the feet of girls like Jyoti.
£10 also enables the teachers and children at one of the charity’s schools to have rice for their lunch for a month.
£5 will buy apples and bananas for 30 children.
Small potatoes for us – big impact for these kids.
I’m gradually building a fabulous collection of photos featuring Educators’ Trust India and their work and I’ll post a link to my online album once I get it set up.
"Authored by Cleo Thompson and originally published on www.thegenderblog.com - (c) Cleo Thompson" 
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