As people who do good and spread kindness in the world, do you sometimes feel like a special agent, maybe a kindness ninja? Every time you hear of someone in need, you make it your goal to do what you can to change that person’s life. It’s kind of like having your own personal mission to make the world a better place. One organization we are highlighting this month was founded on that very idea. Sole Hope was born after the organization’s founder, Asher Collie, watched a YouTube video of African children who were seriously infected with jiggers. Instead of handing the problem off to someone else, she made it her personal mission to change hundreds of people’s lives.
Everyday people in Eastern Africa are at risk of being infected by little fleas called jiggers. While tiny, jiggers can create huge problems for families and communities. Children miss school, mothers and fathers cannot provide for their families, and the elderly are captive to their homes. Jiggers are small sand fleas that bury into a person’s skin, often on their feet, and feed off of their blood. Once a person has been bit by a jigger, they can become infested with eggs that hatch and cause infection. While there is no cure, there are preventative steps that people can take to live life jigger free!
Sole Hope aims to help people in the country of Uganda live life jigger free. Their mission is to build relationships, provide treatment, and educate people through their Sole Hope Outreach House. Volunteers and nurses use supplies such as cotton balls, safety pins, and alcohol wipes to help remove jiggers; and send patients home with shoes and educational materials to help prevent future jigger bites. As we all know, helping others is not a one person job. Sole Hope encourages and inspires those who hear their story to host Care Kit parties and Shoe Making Parties to help support their mission. Care Kits are filled with the supplies needed to treat and prevent jigger bites and infection. They are easy to put together and just one kit can care for multiple patients!
Check out this month’s Campaign to find out how to get involved and create your own Care Kit! We hope you join this amazing mission!
