When South Africa is frequently accused of getting things wrong, it’s always a real pleasure to report on initiatives when we get things right!

A refreshingly good news story happened in Sedgefield over the last week, when 55 local youngsters were included in a nationwide campaign that just has WIN WIN written all over it.

Imagine if a project was launched providing free school shoes to needy children. Now imagine those same shoes were manufactured out of recycled hospital waste!

This is exactly what the My Walk initiative does. A non-profit organisation that is supported by Netcare and Adcock Ingram Critical Care, My Walk recycles uncontaminated PVC drip bags, oxygen masks and associated tubing to manufacture durable and fully recyclable school shoes. These are then laced up and distributed as a ‘gift of dignity’ to children in the lower LSM schools at no cost to their families or the school.

Since inception, My Walk has recycled more than 100 000 kgs of healthcare waste and donated over 250 000 pairs of shoes. Based on research, there are more than one million children in South Africa who do not have a pair of shoes, and the My Walk team aims to ultimately reach each and every one of these children.

As one grateful headmaster put it “School shoes mean more than just completing the uniform. When children don’t have shoes, it can affect their personal dignity and self-esteem, which may negatively impact their school experience, academic performance and potentially hold them back from participating in games and sports. Wearing fit-for-purpose school shoes can help bolster children’s confidence and self-esteem and have an all-round positive effect on their journey of development and learning, so that they can be better equipped for the future.”

The My Walk shoes are not only durable, waterproof and fully recyclable, they are stylish too. “Prototype pairs were tested at three schools in 2019, in order to get first hand feedback from learners on the design and comfort,” Delanie Bezuidenhout, General Manager of My Walk explained in an email, “The final unisex shoe design took into consideration the valuable feedback received from the learners. Qualitative research conducted in 2024 confirmed that our shoes are durable, comfortable and socially accepted in the communities where they have been donated. More than 85% of recipients indicated that they pass their My Walk shoes onto siblings or friends once they have outgrown them.”

Of course the My Walk initiative also does a lot to protect the environment by reducing healthcare waste in landfills and thus the associated greenhouse gas emissions that are harmful to the environment. A green solution that fulfils a material need for a business, while simultaneously benefiting society – in this case, by supporting education, job creation and enterprise development.

It is thanks to another NPO, CDR Equipping that Sedgefield youngsters were fortunate recipients of the My Walk project. CEO Craig Rowe contacted Masithandane and asked if there were any boys and girls who might need school shoes, and duly sent 55 pairs. Of course there were plenty of willing young feet eager to wear the shiny new shoes and Masithandane has worked alongside ‘Cherished’, to identify just the right children.

Thank you to My Walk, CDR Equipping, Masithandane and Cherished for giving us such good news!