Think about walking across a gravel driveway without shoes. Each stone presses and cuts into your feet, right? You’d probably quicken your pace and look for the relief of soft grass or a pair of shoes. 

For children in remote regions of the world, their situation is far worse. The sun bakes the ground. Many have to walk over trash, debris, and sharp rocks that surround their home. And they have to endure all of this without shoes. 

For a boy named Augusto, such circumstances aren’t only painful. They’re potentially deadly. 

Meet Augusto

In one LIFE TODAY television episode, we meet Augusto in a village in Angola, crying and scratching his feet. LIFE Outreach’s mission trip photographer describes the heart-wrenching scene:

“His little feet are in some of the worst shape I've ever seen, and there were many in this village with horrible conditions on their feet. They [his feet] itch so bad. They're completely infected. He said insects have gotten into them. The disease comes in through their feet and goes throughout their body. It can actually kill them; all from going barefoot in conditions that we're in right here.”*

Then, she sees little Augusto trying to say something, and the on-screen caption translates his words: “It’s paining.”

When Walking Can Lead to Death

For many people, shoes are a simple, everyday possession. You put them on, wear them out, then replace them. But for a child who doesn’t have shoes, and may not have ever owned a pair, footwear isn’t about style. It is quite literally about survival.

LIFE Outreach mission partners serve children in some communities walking over garbage dumps, discarded materials, and broken glass. Others cross difficult ground to reach water, or travel over hot sand.  

Without shoes, even a small cut can leave a child vulnerable to infection from insects or parasites. That was the risk the LIFE Outreach team feared when they saw Augusto’s feet. 

The Difference a Pair of Shoes Can Make

LIFE Outreach’s Christmas Shoes Project ministers in regions all over the world, including Central America. On one trip, a little girl got to try on shoes. One pair was too big; another was too small. But when a pair that fit was found, the girl ran off joyfully!

A recent LIFE update also describes children running after receiving new shoes and mothers singing and dancing when they learn the shoes are gifts. 

LIFE’s current giving offer makes your participation in their mission even more tangible: a $36 gift can help provide new shoes for ten children, which means every pair costs just $3.60. It’s the price of a coffee, and if you’ve been moved by the circumstances Augusto and other children like him face, it offers a way to help.

Sharing Christmas Joy to 150,000 Children

Demonstrating God’s love to others is at the heart of the Christmas Shoes Project. For the 2026 campaign, LIFE's goal is to bless 150,000 children with new shoes, but this goal isn’t possible without the support of LIFE’s friends and partners.

These shoes are durable, suited to varied terrain and available in sizes for children of different ages. A pair that stays on a child’s feet can help make everyday walking safer, while the gift itself provides families a wonderful reason to celebrate.

So, think back to that gravel driveway. Most of us could reach for our shoes and forget about the ground. Augusto’s story makes it harder to take that option for granted, and just $36 gift can help provide new shoes for ten children, a beautiful way to embody the words of Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”

*These are LIFE team’s observations in the field, not an independently established medical diagnosis.