Uploaded January 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This brilliant shoe can last five years and will grow with a child, protecting him/her from soil-transmitted parasites and diseases.
The Shoe That Grows is a shoe that can adjust and expand 5 sizes and last up to 5 years. It comes in a SMALL (fitting kids ages 5-10) and LARGE (fitting kids ages 10-15). So far The Shoe has been in 20 countries impacting thousands of children helping them have long-lasting shoes to protect their feet.
American charity worker Kenton Lee and his team invented sandals that match the pace of children's growth via a system of buckles, buttons and pegs, which expand the shoes in length by up to five sizes. Build to last at least five years, they are made out of durable leather, metal snaps and compressed rubber.
Over 1.5 billion people suffer from soil transmitted diseases worldwide
Without shoes, children are especially vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases and parasites that can cause illness and even death.
Children who get sick miss school, can’t help their families, and suffer needlessly. And since children’s feet grow so quickly, they often outgrow donated shoes within a year, leaving them once again exposed to illness and disease.
After college at Northwest Nazarene University in his hometown of Nampa, Idaho – Kenton Lee traveled the world to gain perspective and see firsthand the issues happening in developing countries. One day while working and living at an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya in Eastern Africa, Kenton saw a little girl in a white dress walking next to him. He was shocked at how small her shoes were. And this led to an idea.
What if we could create a shoe that could adjust and expand? A shoe that could grow?
When Kenton got back to Idaho, he grabbed some friends and they started to tackle the idea of a growing shoe. But they also thought it would be great to work on other projects for other issues, too. Maybe innovation could help create other products, too? In April, 2009 Because International officially became a nonprofit organization. The first project: The Shoe That Grows. This project came to fruition in the Fall of 2014.
The Shoe That Grows sells the sandals for $10 per pair, and packs them into duffel bags that hold 50 each; these bags are then shipped to one of seven countries around the world.
This brilliant shoe can last five years and will grow with a child, protecting him/her from soil-transmitted parasites and diseases.
The Shoe That Grows is a shoe that can adjust and expand 5 sizes and last up to 5 years. It comes in a SMALL (fitting kids ages 5-10) and LARGE (fitting kids ages 10-15). So far The Shoe has been in 20 countries impacting thousands of children helping them have long-lasting shoes to protect their feet.
American charity worker Kenton Lee and his team invented sandals that match the pace of children's growth via a system of buckles, buttons and pegs, which expand the shoes in length by up to five sizes. Build to last at least five years, they are made out of durable leather, metal snaps and compressed rubber.
Over 1.5 billion people suffer from soil transmitted diseases worldwide
Without shoes, children are especially vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases and parasites that can cause illness and even death.
Children who get sick miss school, can’t help their families, and suffer needlessly. And since children’s feet grow so quickly, they often outgrow donated shoes within a year, leaving them once again exposed to illness and disease.
After college at Northwest Nazarene University in his hometown of Nampa, Idaho – Kenton Lee traveled the world to gain perspective and see firsthand the issues happening in developing countries. One day while working and living at an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya in Eastern Africa, Kenton saw a little girl in a white dress walking next to him. He was shocked at how small her shoes were. And this led to an idea.
What if we could create a shoe that could adjust and expand? A shoe that could grow?
When Kenton got back to Idaho, he grabbed some friends and they started to tackle the idea of a growing shoe. But they also thought it would be great to work on other projects for other issues, too. Maybe innovation could help create other products, too? In April, 2009 Because International officially became a nonprofit organization. The first project: The Shoe That Grows. This project came to fruition in the Fall of 2014.
The Shoe That Grows sells the sandals for $10 per pair, and packs them into duffel bags that hold 50 each; these bags are then shipped to one of seven countries around the world.
