Many children in Africa will soon have shoes made out of recycled jeans thanks to the efforts of one MSU club.
The Leadership in Environmental and Agricultural Fields club, better known as LEAF club, collected jeans throughout February to make into shoes for kids in Africa.
The club is collaborating with a program called Sole Hope, whose mission is to create shoes for the people of Uganda. The organization uses the jeans as the canvas of the shoe and use recycled tires for the shoe’s sole.
Kera Howell, the club’s president and agriculture food and natural resources education sophomore, said she found out about the program by participating through her church. She decided it would be a good collaboration for the newly revamped LEAF club.
“I thought it would be interesting to do,” Howell said. “A good way to reduce, reuse, recycle old jeans and it’s going towards a good cause.”
The club was sent stencils to cut out of the jeans and will then be sent back to the organization. Howell said each pair of jeans collected made about two pairs of shoes and the jean donation amount was about 60.
Providing shoes to the communities helps prevent jiggers, a type of flea that burrows into the skin and lay eggs, causing infection and destroying tissue in the feet. The organization also helps to create jobs for tailors in the communities to put together the shoes.
“It’s important for folks who consider themselves environmentally conscious — part of the environment is the people who live in it,” sustainable parks, recreation and tourism senior and club member Matthew Lindauer said. “It’s important to know that there’s people in need and there’s something you can do about, even if it’s something as simple like donating jeans.”
Agriculture food and natural resources education freshman Samantha Ludlam said she joined LEAF to meet more people in her major, but said she also enjoys the volunteer aspects of the club.
“Participating with Sole Hope was a really cool opportunity,” she said. “I really enjoyed the process and learning more about it. It was a really impactful project, we were able to produce over 60 pairs of shoes.”
Howell estimates the club produced 120 pairs of shoes. LEAF club meets at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at the Natural Science Building.
