New Shoes

During the last decade Regina never had the opportunity to walk into a shop and buy her own pair of shoes, she just does not have money to do so. The little money she gets from selling charcoal is used to buy food for her twins.

If you look closer at her feet you can spot hardened skin, cracked heels and also a blackened toenail. She feels ashamed, and tries to hide her feet in a pair of too small shoes, that she has borrowed from a friend. She also borrowed some makeup. She might be poor but she is still a lady and knows that other ladies wear shoes and mascara. Therefore she has squeezed into her friends shoes, hoping to look decent now that she is going to the hospital and will be seen in public.  One could tell that they were not her own as they were a bit small and she had forced them on her feet, trying to make them fit.

For her it was like a dream come true when she was given a pair of shoes. She was so full of joy and excitement and through the tears she whispered “zikomo kwa mbili” which means “thank you so much”. 

Many people in Zambia are barefoot and a pair of shoes can indeed be a blessing, just like they were for 24 year old Regina Keta.

Regina had no parents to raise her when she reached the age of five. Before that she was being raised by her mother and when her mother passed she was sent to live with her aunt. As Regina turned 19 her aunt also died, and so Regina had to get by on her own. Being 19 years old, she had twins, Ronald Chisebwe and Rodrick Chisebwe.  The father of the twins sends her roughly about US$ 35 a month to support the twins. Apart from that she had to care for them herself being a single mother. Ronald, one of the twins was born with spinal Bifida and life became even tougher for her as she now had two children to care for where one of them also needed hospital care.  Seeing no other solution she started selling charcoal to provide for her and the twins. With the money she makes she buys food and also pays for a rooms in a subdivided house. Thankfully the hospital care her child receives does not add weight to her already stretched economic situation.

For her it was unthinkable to meet someone that wanted to give her a pair of shoes. Shoes for her to use are far down on her list of things to buy. Not that she does not need them, but because she has a lot of other responsibilities that needs to be prioritized. It was therefore a relief to her, because from now on she does not have to worry about where she can borrow a pair of shoes in order to come to the hospital when her child needs a revisit. 

So to all of you, who have made donations, thank you for putting a smile on Regina’s face!!!!

Regina with her new shoes.

HOPE587 buys shoes and sandals that are distributed to children and mothers at the hospital.

Anneli tillsammans med en liten flicka i Zambia.