Street Child Africa (SCA), a UK-based charity (SURBITON) is urging people to ‘get their feet out for the street’ on Barefoot Friday (20th June 2014) and take a #footsie (a picture of their bare feet).

Barefoot Friday has been launched to help raise funds for the 100,000 children living and working on the streets in the cities of the six African countries where Street Child Africa works.

No shoes = no hope for the future. Being a street child means being denied access to education, excluded from healthcare systems, and having no safe adult to turn to. Being barefoot is one of the main signs a child is living on the street. It opens them up to abuse and exploitation. Even if a child tries to get off the street, many schools and employers won’t accept someone who doesn’t have shoes. Being barefoot not only causes injuries but harms self-esteem and limits a child’s chances of stepping away from street life.

Celebrity Feet! The charity is enlisting support from celebrities to get involved too and kick off their shoes for charity, including Chris Hollins, TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing champion and former premier league footballer and Sky Sport presenter, John Salako.

How to get involved on Barefoot Friday (20th June 2014):

• Take a #footsie (a photo of your bare feet)
• Text “STREET" to 70660 to donate £3 which could buy a child a pair of shoes2
• Share this with friends on social media #BarefootFriday #footsie Twitter: @StreetChildAfri and Facebook @Street Child Africa #footsie
• Next ‘Foot-Nominate’ a friend or relative to do the same – e.g. I foot nominate my friend, boyfriend, brother, boss, etc.
• Why not change your profile picture to your #footsie as well?

Sheila Lutchanah, Head of Fundraising at Street Child Africa, commented: “We’ve had a lot of fun working on our first wider national campaign, but the message is serious. Without shoes many street children living and working in Africa have little hope for the future. Donating just £3 and posting a #footsie photo is a really simple way of getting the message out there and will greatly benefit the lives of the children we work with on the streets.”