'Shoes Can Change A Life'

How one inspirational mum has found a pair of shoes for more than one million children in poverty with her incredible charity

- Lorna White

When CJ Bowry’s little boy, Sal, outgrew his first pair of shoes, she was determined to send them to a child who desperately needed them.

But while lots of charities could send the shoes off for CJ, they weren’t able to tell her exactly where the shoes would end up and when they’d arrived there safe.

Still unsure what to do, it was shortly after scrolling through Facebook one day that CJ was inspired.

“I saw some photos a friend had shared from where she was volunteering at a children’s hospital ward in Zambia and from the photos, it was clear to see the children were all barefoot,” says CJ.

With Sal’s outgrown shoes piling up, CJ contacted her friend to see if they would be any use. The answer was a resounding yes, so she packed up Sal’s old shoes to send to her friend to distribute among the children in Zambia.

Then, a few weeks later, a surprise photo arrived in the post. “The photo was of a little boy wearing his first ever pair of tiny brown Velcro shoes and they were Sal’s ones! It was such a lovely picture to be given and seeing the photo inspired me to do more,” says CJ, who lives in Surrey.