Project Never Walk Alone donates 10 260 pairs of shoes

Project Never Walk Alone (PNWA) events and logistics manager Beverly Naris says the PNWA has donated over 10 260 pairs of shoes to vulnerable communities around Namibia since its inception in 2019.

Naris says at the end of 2023, the project celebrated the notable milestone of delivering 10 000 pairs of shoes in eight regions.

They have donated to eight regions so far, namely the Hardap (970), Omaheke (1291), Khomas (2000), Erongo (1058), Kavango East (1155), Kavango West (1000), Kunene (1823) and Ohangwena (703) regions.

“The plan is to finish all 14 regions for round one and then we will target the more vulnerable regions based on the statistics we have per region. While we do so, we will also simultaneously assist homeless Namibians, whether they are children or grown-ups,” she says.

PNWA was launched in August 2019, with the sole purpose of giving children hope and renewed confidence by providing them with a brand-new pair of shoes to walk them into a new future.

Naris says they started off giving every child a pair of shoes and socks, but soon realised that more needed to be done, so on the day of the donation, they take along enough sanitary pads to assist girls.

“Every child also receives a meal on the day and we are always encouraged by the participation of the teachers, parents and regional leadership on the days when we deliver,” she says, adding that the biggest challenge is getting the necessary funding to assist as many children as possible.

PNWA recently made a donation to Mariental Primary School, where they delivered 91 pairs of shoes.

The handover took place at the school, where the kids were entertained with performances and inspirational talks from Adora and Tswazis.

This was after the project visited Monica Geingos Secondary School at Otjiwarongo, where they invited various people for collaborations to carry out their mandate.

“PNWA is a national project. The motivation for making a shoe available to a barefoot child is very clear. It is to motivate them, restore their confidence and to ensure they get to and from school safely,” says Naris.