Outreach Overview

In January 2010, Soles for Children targeted Tamil Nadu, India as our first project. We worked with Bata India LTD and arranged to have 250 pairs of shoes delivered to Chennai. We bought a suitcase of medicines, including hundreds of doses of albendazole, a vermicide, as well as other medications in Mumbai at a pharmacy. Our immediate goal was to provide shoes, medicines and education to the 50 orphans at Little Flock and to the poorest children in the surrounding villages. We also educated and treated many adults on nutrition and hygiene, as they have influence over the children in their lives. We ran a free medical clinic literally under a tree in a forest clearing, with rudimentary but effective tools and the help of the caretakers at Little Flock. The eventual goal is to recruit and train local people to do this work.

We also visited potential partnership sites in Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh. We are laying the groundwork for potential outreach projects in these two areas.