This season why not find a summer shoe that does a little more than just look good? Beautifully crafted from butter soft leathers, the Soul of Africa footwear collection gives hope to thousands of women and children affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa.
The Soul of Africa initiative was founded in 2004 by Lance Clark following a trip to an AIDS stricken community. To date the charity has raised well over $1,000,000 since its early beginnings in 2004.
Working with communities in informal settlements around Durban in Kwazula Natal, where the AIDS infection rate is highest (2 million children already carry the HIV virus in South Africa), Lance, together with his South African counterparts, has used his expertise in footwear to develop beautiful handcrafted shoes that Africans can make themselves.
For every pair of Soul of Africa shoes sold, all profit goes directly to the upkeep and schooling of young orphans, themselves often not infected, but who have tragically lost their parents to AIDS.
His determination to not only teach the villages a new skill but provide a way they could ultimately support themselves and have a self sustained lifestyle has been the ultimate reward.
“When I first visited the orphanage I knew I wanted to go beyond making a standard donation. Small children barely had enough basic food, I had to see if I could find a way to help them to help themselves and not just depend on foreign charity” said Lance Clark.
The shoes are hand stitched by disadvantaged women which enables them to earn an income giving them independence. The money raised from the sale of the Soul of Africa range has allowed the community to fully restore an orphanage where, in each building, 6 children are housed with a foster mother so that families are formed rather than institutions made. The funds are also paying for a number of beds in children’s hospitals, with the children being nourished, properly clothed and then found parents who are able to give them the decent life that they deserve.
So far the money from the charity has helped the orphans and enabled women previously dependent on their families to achieve financial independence.
Make a difference... shop now at http://www.soulofafricacharity.org/shop.php
