Shoes for the parade!

Some of the children who were lucky enough to receive shoes yesterday for the upcoming parades to celebrate Guatemalan Independence Day on Sept. 15th.

Shoes mean a great deal to the children here. Many times we have seen children choose to have shoes rather than toys.

There is a lot of pressure on the children to be able to participate in the parades but to have also shoes that are in good condition. Many of the children that we work with will not have the possibility to be able to have shoes that are acceptable to go in the parades and they will choose not to participate even though it is a big event and the school wants them to be there. They are too embarrassed by the condition of their shoes and sometimes lack of shoes. Some of the schools reduce points from childrens report cards if they do not participate.

I want to thank everyone who has sent in donations to help children have a pair of shoes.
Not only will these shoes get them through the parades but also they will have a pair of shoes to wear until January when they will receive another pair from Mayan Families for the start of the school year.For many children this is the only pair of shoes that will have.