Shared Shoes

Students at all high schools in Zambia are required to wear uniforms, including solid black shoes. Students who don’t have the correct uniform can be sent home. In my role as sponsorship coordinator I am often asked to help students get uniforms, especially shoes. Thankfully, there are generous friends in the US who occasionally send me money for things like this, and usually I can help the students who are truly needy.

Chester came on Saturday asking to do some extra work to earn money for school shoes. I had just received word that a dear friend had deposited money in our work fund to use for student needs, so I decided to get Chester the shoes.

Tuesday morning I dropped by his school and asked the head teacher if I could buy some shoes and leave them in the office for Chester. The head teacher said, “Why don’t you just take him with you to buy them so they will be sure to fit?” He sent another student to get Chester out of class.

Chester ambled over to where I was standing. As usual, he wore a beaming smile. I looked down at his feet and saw a nice pair of black dress shoes. “Chester, those shoes look fine. Are you sure you need new shoes?” I asked.

“These shoes are my young brother’s,” Chester replied.

“Doesn’t he need them?” I prodded.

Chester’s quick reply left me speechless. “Madam, his classes are in the afternoon.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as we headed for the vehicle. Thirty minutes later Chester had his own pair of school shoes.