Our local shoe store, the very cool Sole Obsession, is helping raise awareness about how a simple pair of shoes can change a child's life. One Day Without Shoes is sponsored by TOMS Shoes...all they ask is for you to spend one day without shoes. Can't do a day? A few hours? A few minutes? There are also "virtual" ways you can go shoeless to show your support. I had never heard of this before, so thanks to Kelly at Sole Obsession for raising my awareness.

from the One Day Without Shoes site:

It’s Hard Without Shoes

Through everyday encounters with domestic poverty, we are reminded to appreciate having food and shelter, but most of us all but forget about our feet. Food, shelter, AND shoes facilitate life’s fundamentals. Imagine a life without shoes; constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infection after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold.

The problem is large, but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions. On April 8th, communities, campuses, organizations, and individuals are banding together to walk barefoot for One Day Without Shoes.

Here are a few facts about the need for shoes in developing countries:

In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.

So, here we go. I am going to do my best to go most of the day without shoes. And I will for sure show my support "virtually." How about you?