SI Winchester first heard about the Shoe Biz scheme from Friendship Link SI Preston and thought it was a great idea – simple, sensible and effective. In two weeks members raided their wardrobes and collected 85 pairs of unwanted shoes and not all of them belonged to husbands!
UNICEF and Clarks, the shoe retailer, have been in partnership since 2007. In that time, Clarks has contributed to transforming children’s lives through Shoe Biz, gathering old or unwanted shoes at collection points in more than 600 Clarks stores nationwide. The shoes are recycled in the UK and the money raised funds UNICEF’s education projects. More than 67 million children of primary school age are still not in education. This is more than the population of the UK! Clarks is helping UNICEF to ensure that more children are able to go to school.
Some of the funds raised through Shoe Biz are used to provide Schools in a Box. Each box contains essential items for 80 children to learn, including basic school supplies such as exercise books, pencils, wooden cubes for counting and posters. All can be kept safely in the lockable metal box, the lid of which serves as a chalk board. Schools in a Box can transform any space into a learning space, allowing children the chance to learn, no matter where they are, or what is happening around them.
Shoe Biz and UNICEF are working with some of the most vulnerable children around the world to ensure they have education, wherever they are.
How to donate your shoes: Help Shoe Biz and UNICEF to reach even more children by donating your old or unwanted shoes at your nearest Clarks store. Your shoes will help to change children’s lives.