School Shoes & Supplies Program

Opening Doors to Education—One Pair of Shoes at a Time

Because a simple pair of shoes can change a child’s future.

Why School Shoes Matter

In Tanzania—and in many countries shaped by British colonial systems—students must meet strict requirements just to be allowed in school:

A school uniform
Closed-toe leather shoes
Basic supplies like pencils, pens, and textbooks

For families already struggling to meet daily needs, the cost of a uniform and shoes can be an impossible barrier. Something as simple as a pair of shoes—shoes many of us take for granted—can determine whether a child’s future opens up or shuts down.

This is why our program exists.

What We Do

👞 School Shoes: Our Top Priority

Through our partnership with Zara Charity and the Moshi Kids Centre, Friends-Together provides children with the shoes they need to attend school.

• 75 pairs provided each year—and growing as the program expands
• $28 sponsors one child (1 pair of school shoes + 2 pairs of socks) and gives the child a chance to attend school.

These shoes are high-quality, durable, and made to last. In many families, one pair is passed down through siblings and relatives.

📘 School Supplies: Meeting the Gap

Schools in Tanzania are not supplied the way schools are in developed countries:

Public schools are only required to provide the building and one textbook per subject
Parents and local communities must provide everything else

For schools we partner with, Friends-Together steps in to ensure children have the basics needed to learn.

While shoes and uniforms allow children to enter school, basic supplies help them succeed once inside, and Friends-Together helps fill that gap as funds allow.

We start with shoes.

We add supplies as funding allows.

Together, they open doors to learning and opportunity.

The Reality Children Face

Without the required uniform and shoes, many children cannot attend school at all. Supplies help them learn, but the shoes and uniforms determine whether they can even enter. Your support removes those roadblocks.

How You Can Help

Sponsor a Child for School 💵💛

• $28 = shoes + socks
• $50 = shoes + socks + supplies

👉

DONATE

Impact in Action

Before/after photos, kids receiving shoes, handmade shoes, Moshi Kids Centre

A short video showing the process—from ordering the shoes at the prison workshop to the children receiving them.

A Future Made Possible

A pair of shoes may seem small. But for the children we serve, it represents:

A chance to enter school
A chance to learn
A chance to build a different future

Thank you for opening doors for children—one pair of shoes at a time.