Unicef Photo of the Year 2008 by Belgian photographer, Alice Smeets
I showed this photo to my eight-year-old son yesterday to help him grasp the level of poverty in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. This photo was taken shortly after a series of hurricanes left most of the city flooded for weeks in 2008. You will see this beautiful young lady is barefoot. You will also see a rusted tin can and other harmful debris in her path as she wades through the polluted waters.
Where is this little girl now? Is she safe? Did her family survive the earthquake? Are they waiting for relief to make its way to their neighborhood, Cite Soleil, Port-Au-Prince's largest slum? First, I want to give this girl some drinkable water. Next, I want to secure shelter and nutritious meals for her and her family. And lastly, I want to put shoes on her precious feet. You too?
If you haven't already made a charitable donation to the relief effort in Haiti, consider assisting Soles4Souls Inc. as they commit to send 30 containers including over 100,000 pairs of shoes, water, blankets, medical supplies and baby products. Soles4Souls Inc. is a non-profit charity based in Nashville, TN. The founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey, shares the vision for his charity and thoughts on Haiti over at his blog, Wayne Elsey: Get Off the Couch. Read more about the history of Soles4Souls here.
There are three ways you can donate to the Soles4Souls relief effort:
- Text the word 'SHOES' to 20222 to give a one-time $5 donation to help Soles4Souls send 30 truckloads of relief to Haiti. (from their verified Twitter account).
- Visit the Soles4Souls website and make a charitable donation via credit or debit card.
- Donate the shoes off your feet! Soles4Souls accepts gently worn shoes at donation boxes around the country. Find one near you.
