THE HISTORY OF SHOE4AFRICA
Shoe4Africa had its humble beginnings in November 1995 when the founder embarked on a seven-month running trip in Kenya. Upon returning to Stockholm, Sweden, the initiative began collecting shoes, laying the groundwork for what would become a significant project. The official naming of Shoe4Africa took place on the last day of the millennium, atop a rooftop in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
In 2006, Shoe4Africa attained official recognition as a Not-for-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) ruling in New York City. This designation elevated its status, leading to recognition by the UN as an international NGO. From its inception, Shoe4Africa has always been more than just about shoes; it embodies a commitment to Healthcare, Education, Environment, and Empowerment.
Over the years, Shoe4Africa has evolved into a symbol of hope and transformation, touching countless lives across Kenya and beyond. Its holistic approach to community development reflects a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of healthcare, education, environmental sustainability, and empowerment.
As Shoe4Africa continues to grow and expand its impact, it remains steadfast in its mission to create positive change and uplift communities in need. Together, we stride forward, inspired by the belief that every step we take brings us closer to a brighter, healthier future for all.
Nov 2024
We were honored to have over 90 runners representing Team Shoe4Africa at the TCS New York City Marathon. At our pre-race jog (see below), Anthony Edwards “Goose” our former Chairman came to join us with the very first marathon winner, Gary Muhrcke from 1970, and elite runner CJ Albertson who would finish 10th the next day at this year’s race; who led our marvelous team. Thanks for Superrunners NYC for hosting the event (a store that Gary founded!)
Oct 2024
We have started the construction of the latest Shoe4Africa, a Porridge Club! Located in Iten, the concept is to feed up to a thousand hungry kids each morning! 80% of local learners in the public schools don’t eat a solid breakfast before coming to school meaning dire hunger for those morning hours. Learn more here
Konstanze “Koko” Klosterhalfen, European champion and world bronze medalist, came to the All4Running Boys & Girls club this month to gift training gear and inspire the kids; thanks Koko!
During the month of October, and into November, we donated free organic vegetables to the Moi Teaching Referral Hospital in Eldoret, and to the Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital in a drive to raise awareness for better nutrition to be given to hospital patients. This is part on an ongoing plan that complements the free avocados we hand out.
SEPT 2024
We were honored to be featured on the Good Today website for Global Childhood Cancer Care next to a giant of the charity world, Make a Wish foundation. Thank you Good Today.
Thank you to John Legere and Lizzie, and the Legere Family Foundation. They are improving our facility as we build a new awning outside the hospital to cater for the overspill of patients and parents in our waiting room. This green space outside the main entrance, with Eldoret’s beautiful climate, will allow to create a better experience for the 200 plus out-patient kids and their elders when they come to our center. Thank you!
It was super September at our All4Running club in Iten when the kids were handed not just new socks, but new running tights, running T-shirts, running tops…and awesome jackets! All thanks to All4Running, our sponsors!
We were delighted to host Faraja Cancer Support Trust as their team hosted a special celebration to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with their sponsors the Safaricom Foundation. The Safaricom team brought toiletries, diapers, and cakes for our kids! Thank you.
AUG 2024
Our book club at the All4Running Club in Iten kicked off this month with over 1,500 books being added to the center.
Thanks to Tamaris, and Nancy Wagner, we were able to give out almost 200 pairs of new socks to the kids at the hospital. Visiting supporters of Shoe4Africa, Godfrey & Gladys from Bothell did the honors of ‘socking’ the kids.
In a program in conjunction with Eldoret Lions, we were able to plant another 1,000 trees in our goal to re-forest areas that used to be forest land. The work was conducted by the ladies of the Domestic Violence Sufferers. The ladies made light work of the task and completed the task in a day! Our tree-planting program has been thriving for over a decade now.
July 2024
Due to rising numbers we built another toilet-block of eight additional toilets for the growing amount of kids visiting the All4Running Kids Club in Iten.
It wouldn’t be a complete July without Melina’s annual pub run for Shoe4Africa. Over the years this run has raised thousands for our cause making Marvelous Melina an angel for the Kenyan kids.
June 2024
An absolute highlight is when we send a girl to school. We first met Melvin (white dress) collecting water in the river with Susan (far left). At the time we managed to secure Susan a scholarship through the kindness of Larry & Ingrid, but dropped the ball on Melvin. Now, thanks to the kindness of Mr. Achilles T., she’s enrolled in school… and reunited with her friend Susan. Look at Melvin in her smart uniform being welcome to the boarding school by Susan in her pajamas.
A new asset to the Shoe4Africa Hospital. Lydia Kisaka Nafula, (pictured below, right side) is teaching our kids sign language to our patients who are hard of hearing or are speech impaired.
We’re very proud of our All4Running Club kids who, surprisingly, volunteered to come and clean and scrub the club on their school holiday.
The long awaited start for the construction of the Shoe4Africa Idella Rome Consultant’s house to be built by the Shoe4Africa Public Children’s Hospital honoring Ms. Idella Rome. Work commenced this month and the CEO of MTRH, Dr. Philip Kirwa, dropped by with staff to inspect the new welcomed asset which will alleviate the overcrowding and allow more patients to be treated.
Celebrations will be coming to the Mary Keitany Shoe4Africa Secondary School with the completion of the new boys dormitories. We build the girls dorms, and this building will now nicely cater for the boys.
May 2024
Congratulations to form two student of our fifth school, The Mary Keitany Shoe4Africa Secondary School, who placed fourth at the prestigious North Rift Valley Athletics Championships in the 400m hurdles. Covering several counties spanning an area world famous for running, Sharon Ngetich truly shone. Below, she gets to meet her idol and the school’s namesake, Mary Keitany – 4x NYC marathon winner and former world champion and record holder.
We have a visitor, Ida, from the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Malawi, who is here to learn about the ChildLife program, then she will launch a program in Malawi. Welcome Miss ‘Malawi!’ She’s here for the month. The (14) ChildLife workers at our hospital are invaluable to making sure our patients get the best experience whilst staying with us.
A big shout out to the honorary chair of the Manchester Road Race, Sally Kipyego, who has been an ambassador for us since 2011, or 10.
Sally just directed a $600 grant from the kind folks at the event to Shoe4Africa to help support our All4Running kids sports program in Iten, Kenya. Sally won this prestigious Connecticut race not once but twice…around the time she was winning World Championship and Olympic medals. Congrats Sally on having your third child this week and for always, as you say, ‘Having Shoe4Africa in your corner.’
Our 4th Shoe4Africa school, in Kaptiony, Kenya, is named after Sally and was opened in 2014 meaning hundreds of local kids have benefitted from this educational facility. If you ever want a story of inspiration and hope look up Sally’s heartbreaking childhood story concerning her late brother, Elias as reported on @espn
Sally has a nursing degree from Texas Tech, and as they put it, ‘she’s running for a cause.’ Thanks Sally!
One of our first cancer patients, baby Lavinah in 2016 turned eight on May 1st and celebrates being cancer free!
Congrats to one of our sponsor student’s, Brian Kibet whom started with us many years ago. In his midterms Brian who missed a lot of school last year through illness received an A for Maths, an A for Agriculture, an A for Business commerce, a B+ for Physics, a B for Kiswahili, a B for Chemistry, a B for BST, a B- for Biology, a B- for History and C’s for Geography and History. This is outstanding and Brian came from very humble beginnings when starting private schooling, but he’s aced these exams!
More good news for Perina, see below. Perina Lokure Nakang of the All4Running School was announced today as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. The 800m runner training under Former World Champion Janeth Jepkosgei couldn’t hold back her emotions as she set eyes on Paris Olympics. Head of the National Olympic Committee for Kenya, Paul Tergat, was there to deliver the good news.
April 2024
At the World Cross Country Championships, one of our students at the Shoe4Africa All4Running, who has an incredible life story was competing. What a highlight! Read more about the story on the World Athletics website:
March 2024
It was fun and fireworks at the United NYC half in New York as 27 fundraisers ran in Brooklyn & Manhattan to raise much needed funds for Shoe4Africa’s latest medical project. Over $31,000 was raised and all the money went to the construction costs of the Shoe4Africa Juli Anne Perry Public Children’s Cancer Hospital. Below, Eric & Erica were two of our heroes!
February 2024
Emmaculate Anyongo is a bright star in Kenya’s future. The young lady recently blasted he second fastest time in history for a women’s 10k. She recorded a stunning 28:57. Emmaculate has now accepted the role of becoming an ambassador for our Boys & Girls Club. She came to speak to the kids with wonderfully encouraging and motivating words leaving everyone spellbound. See below, being hoisted up by Coach Timo Limo.
For the first time ever, we had a professional basketball player, Jeff from North Carolina, come and play on our newly renovated court at the hospital. He held a mini clinic and played a game with the kids against our Childlife staff. Jeff is below in white. Read the full post here
Not only are we building in Eldoret, two hours away, in Torokwonin, Baringo, we are constructing another building. This is a Boys Dormitory building to compliment the Girls we built a couple of years ago. “Mason & Geri House” is expected to be ready in a few months time, and will house 36 kids who are in the upper classes. Right now, we are at layer one, at the starting blocks! See picture below.
Thank you to Marya and Junyan for hosting a 4k that’s not just a race, but a journey towards healing and love! The “Step in Love 4 Africa”: is a nonprofit race event dedicated to raising crucial funds for the first East and Central Africa Children’s Hospital SHOE4AFRICA in Kenya hosted in Missouri City, Texas for us! See picture below.
JANUARY 2024
We started off the year with a bang handing out running shoes to our Boys and Girls Club. Coaches James Kwalia and Mary Keitany gave words of inspiration along with our visitors Kev, Jason, & Caroline.
Our captain, Ruth, arrived late and had never met Mary (who is world famous and still holds the Women’s World record for the marathon) and was shocked when she discovered that it was Mary handing her a new pair of running shoes! See picture below.
And, even bigger, on January 8th, 2024, before a group of Doctors, Nurses, and Medics, Shoe4Africa started the major projects for our planned Shoe4Africa Children’s Health Village. See picture below.
And a big thank you to Kevin Thompson, who has been running projects in Kenya for years, who brought ‘Haircut & a Movie’ (and snacks) to the Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital! Two trained barbers came with clippers (and Kevin also donated two sets to the hospital). See below.
(Pics Below) Thanks to Harton Grange Academy of Eldoret who came on a ‘philanthropy’ trip to the hospital. The Academy’s directors have had a long standing relationship with our hospital and often, like today, bring snacks to hand out to the sick children and cheer up our patients with a friendly visit. See picture below.
It’s your birthday World record Holder Mary Keitany! And Mary spent her birthday with our twelve wonderful guests from America visiting her Mary Keitany Shoe4Africa School and handing out books, calculators and gifts to all of the children. Whose birthday was it?? See picture below.
Our All4Running Club had its first out of town road trip as 36 young athletes went to Eldoret to compete at the 33rd Discovery Kenya event. They were thrilled to meet up with Ezekiel Kemboi and Faith Kipyegon (see our facebook page for those pictures). See picture below.
Furthermore, the above picture shows the club from Elgeyo-Marakwet, but we also had a team from the Shoe4Africa ALL4Running school attend the event! See below.
Older History, 2023 back to 2021 can be found here LINK
