Shoes that grow five sizes invented by Kenton Lee to help poor in Africa

THE best ideas are often the simplest. So it proved for a volunteer who hit upon an ingenious way of ensuring poor kids always have a pair of shoes.

=?UTF-8?Q?The_Shoe_that_Grows_are_sandals_with_poppers_on_the_?= =?UTF-8?Q?side_and_a_strap_on_th

YOU’VE heard it said before, that the best ideas are often the simplest.

So it proved for Kenton Lee, an American volunteer who spent time working in an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr Lee was struck by how many of the kids he worked with had shoes that were way too small because they had outgrown them and were too poor to buy new ones.

He said: “I’ll never forget it. One day I was walking down a road with a group of kids from an orphanage where I was staying.

Ideas man ... US volunteer Kenton Lee hit upon the ingenuous yet simple idea. Picture: Because International

“Next to me there was a girl in a white dress. As I looked down her shoes were so small and as I looked around there were so many other kids with shoes that were too small for them.”

That’s when he hit upon the ingenuous yet simple idea of creating a shoe that could be adjusted to increase in size as the kids grew.

“That way they will always have a pair of shoes that always fit,” he said.

The Shoe that Grows are sandals with poppers on the side and a strap on the front that can be moved to accommodate the child’s growing feet. A buckle at the back can also be adjusted.

New look ... Because International aims to distribute the shoes to African orphanages. Picture: Because International

Mr Lee said the shoes were designed to grow five sizes and last five years. He is working with a non-profit called Because International which aims to distribute the shoes, which come in two size ranges, to orphanages in Africa.

“I really feel that we have created something incredible.”