What you are looking at are the effects of a disease called Podoconiosis. “Podoconiosis (”dust in the feet’) presents as bilateral asymmetrical swelling of the feet and lower legs. It is seen in susceptible families of bare-footed farmers in well-defined fertile volcanic highland zones of Africa, Central and South America, and Indonesia, and also in the lowlands irrigated by rivers from these highlands. It is due to the absorption of silica particles from the soil, through the feet of someone from a susceptible family. This causes the patient’s lymphatics to fibrose, and obstruct, and femoral nodes to enlarge. This in turn makes the legs and feet swell, and progress through stages which are described as ”water bag’, ”rubbery’, and ”wooden’. Finally, the leg becomes hyperkeratotic, ”mossy’, and nodular. Lymph may ooze through his skin, which may be secondarily infected by fungi or bacteria. The disease may also progress steadily.”
Podoconiosis affects over 1 million children and people in Ethiopia alone and millions around the world. Sadly, this is a preventable disease that can be stopped by simply WEARING SHOES. Seriously, it really is that easy. However, many people in the regions mentioned above do not have access or the funds to own even a single pair of shoes.
One man though is attempting to stop this. One man is providing a solution to end the spread of this epidemic.
This week I got to spend time with a man named Manny Ohonme. Manny has become a good friend and is the Founder, CEO, and Board President for Samaritan’s Feet. Samaritan’s Feet (www.samaritansfeet.com) is a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives through shoe distributions around the world. 300 million people wake up each morning without a pair of shoes to protect their feet from injury and disease. The goal of Samaritan’s Feet is to provide shoes to 10 million of these individuals in the next 10 years by teaching them a story of faith, hope, and love, demonstrating those truths by washing their feet, and treating them to a new pair of shoes and socks. They are on their way having already distributed 4 million pairs of shoes.
If you are part of a church, non-profit, athletic organization, or business that has a heart for children and humanitarian aid, please visit their website. As you will also see in the videos below, Samaritan’s Feet is very active here in the United States. They are partnering with high-profile key leaders from the business and athletic communities to bring hope, healing, and reconciliation to many inner-city and impoverished areas.
I am personally working to connect Manny with key religious leaders in the North Atlanta area to be part of a major emphasis he is doing centered around the Final Four this spring.
If the picture above disturbs you, if your community needs something different and unique to bring hope and reconciliation, or if there are impoverished children within minutes of your business or church, please let me know and I will have Manny and the team at Samaritan’s Feet contact you. We can make a HUGE difference with just a pair of shoes.
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