Thanks Again Kim and Emily!

Thanks again Kim and Emily for your first pair of crocs you donated. They are still serving the same child more than a year latter. The next few pairs that you donated this year have finally arrived and are keeping another child or two safe from diseases and foot injuries as well. Due to the delay in the luggage arrival I do not have any pictures of them being given out but we are hoping to get some pictures sometime soon but rest assured they did arrive.



Thought you would enjoy seeing an updated picture of the child who received the original red pair of crocs. He has grown in the past year but his crocs are his prized possession and my Dad said he never lets them out of his sight. They have nick named him "Kermit" and you can see his most recent pictures (see above).

Rural School on Idjwi Shows Need for Crocs!

Although the luggage was delayed in arriving until we were leaving it became very apparent to me as a first time visitor to the island of Idjwi, how important Croc-like sandals were to the children. I spent my week on the island visiting projects and institutions in the local villages around the Patmos Children's Village but it was when I toured the local primary schools that I really became aware of the need for Crocs for the tots.

Rural School on the Island of Idjwi

How is this for a crowded school?

The school was crowded--the only spare space was by the door.

The children in the picture above were from a local village school. The classrooms had no windows, no lights, no lamps. There were no chairs or desks so stones had been carried in by the children to sit upon. They propped the few scarce note books and pencil nubins on their knees and there were so many children in the classroom that it was shoulder to shoulder and knee to back. The only free space was right by the door as can be seen in the picture. The teacher was even packed in with no moving space.

What really caught my attention though was the muddy floor. It was dry outside, but the floor inside was covered in mud puddles. And all that kept the children from sitting in it were the stones that they were sitting upon.

Water puddles on the school floor

Desire, the project developer, quickly explained that they carried water from the lake to pour on the floor because there is a bug he called "chique" which would in-bed itself in the bare feet from the dry ground inside buildings.

And so they studied balancing on small stones, in a building with no windows, at maximum capacity and sitting in the mud - because the children are barefoot.

Here are the children sitting on their stones and bricks on a mud floor!

Below is a picture of the foot of a local villager who walked to our village in order to get medical advice on the "chique" that had buried into his feet from living bare foot, on a dry floor, without washing.


Thank you to all who have donated and gathered crocs! I hope this makes you realize that the crocs are not just a fashion statement- they are a health necessity. You are changing lives. We will be posting pictures of the orphans with the crocs you sent as soon as possible.

The children all say Thanks!!!!

Luggage Arrives!

Well I do not have any details but I have gotten word that the luggage arrived but just as the team was leaving to come home. I am sure we will get a full update soon.

No Luggage!

Well the flight from Johannesburg to Kigali was canceled so they had to wait an fly out the next day on another flight to Kigali. When they arrived none of their luggage had made it with them. That includes the Crocs. It is very hard to get communication back and forth from Dad right now as there are few phone lines or communication period. The last we heard was this update about the lost luggage. Please send positive thoughts and prayers that the crocs and the rest of the luggage and supplies will arrive sooner rather than latter. I will let you all know any updates as they trickle in.

We're in Johannesburg

When we got to Logan International Airport in Boston we hoped and prayed that we would be able to check our baggage all the way to Kigali so as to avoid the problems that would occur if we had to pick the bags up in Johannesburg and then re-check them to Kigali tomorrow. The agent at the Delta counter was SO VERY helpful and interested in the Crocs For Orphan Tots project. She not only checked our bags all the way to Kigali but she also took down the blogsite address and said that she would look it up. If you are reading this, we just want you to know how much we appreciate your friendly interest and your help. What a difference that has made to our project! Thanks for your help.

Every bit of assistance, every pair of crocs helps make this project a success!

The flight to Johannesburg went well--just l o n g! But we are in J'Burg and waiting for our flight to Kigali tomorrow.

Off to Africa

It is Wednesday morning and we are leaving for the airport to Boston where we will catch our flights to Atlanta and Johannesburg with connections to Kigali. We have 135 pair of Crocs with us. Thanks so much to everyone who has helped and contributed. We will try to keep you posted on how things go. No internet access from Idjwi though! :)