THIS year, Munster Rugby are supporting the Our Shoes campaign, a charity that donates pre-loved sports shoes to young people in South African townships.
The campaign runs for the first three months of every year, so there’s plenty of time for schools and clubs to round up sports shoes that have a second life in them.
The only other thing that schools and clubs will need to do is check out the ourshoes.ie website to register their involvement and request a collection date during the month of March.
Catherine McGee, the campaign manager, told The Southern Star: ‘Over 50,000 pairs of sports shoes for young boys and girls have been delivered to schools and orphanages since the charity was founded in 2019.’
And, in some cases, she said the children had never before owned a pair of shoes.
‘Not only does it help them in pursuing their sporting interests, it is also a major confidence boost for young people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy them.’
The campaign manager said: ‘Sport is a game changer – it helps young people with their mental health, and any anger issues they might have. It can even help them deal with bullying. We have also seen that working with Our Shoes volunteers can boost their confidence because they regard them as positive role models.’
