Shoes for Nicaragua

A Pittsburgh Rotary Childrens Education Project

Purpose of the Shoes for Nicaragua Project Childrens education is how a society can grow out of poverty. An educated population is a powerful force for peace, a prime goal of Rotary International. In Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (behind Haiti) public education is available under certain conditions. One of those conditions is that the children attending school must wear proper shoes. The problem is that many children do not have the proper shoes needed to attend school. Some parents can send only one of their children with the proper shoes to school. After school that student teaches his or her siblings what was learned in school that day. This is hardly an efficient educational system. American families usually have shoes that are in good condition but the children have outgrown them. Many of these shoes are in the back of closets or in basement storage. It is the intention of the Shoes for Nicaragua Project sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh to gather these shoes, pack them up and ship them to fellow Rotarians in Nicaragua for distribution to appropriate needy families. What organizations can Rotary partner with? A good number of groups and organizations have already expressed interest in the Shoes for Nicaragua Project or who we feel may have an interest. A few of these are: The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh Rotary District 7300 Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania Point Park University Duquesne University Rotaract Club South Hills Middle School What is the plan of action? The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh will be the central organization coordinating collection and shipping efforts. A committee has been formed under the leadership of three cochairs: Mike Madden- President of USA Insulation mmadden@usainsulation.net 412 492-7283 Karl Ohrman-President of Coordinated Financial karlohrman@aol.com 412 391-7425 Alexis England, Supervisor alexis.a.england@gmail.com 609 760-5516