Sole Hope life: beautiful Article

What does it take to change someone’s life?

For children in Uganda, change occurs one foot at a time with divinely inspired, upcycled shoes.

W R I T T E N b y J u l i e A . M a r t e n s | P h o t o g r a p h e d b y a s h e r co l l i e a n d To b i n B e n n e t t

John, who lives in the village of Wakisi, had over 30 jiggers removed from his feet. By wearing closed-toe shoes while playing and attending his dirt-floored school, John can avoid future jigger infections.

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miles often chase tears in dusty

Ca ptions:

Ugandan villages when Drü and Asher

1. Eleven-year-old Sasha assists

Collie show up. With patience and

at Sole Hope clinics, where she

compassion, they wash children’s feet,

has become an expert at removing

remove parasitic sand fleas known as

jiggers. 2. Drü spends a busy day

jiggers, dry tears and fit children with

at a clinic removing dangerous

new shoes that protect them from reinfection.

pests. 3. In addition to providing

“In Uganda, nobody is combating this problem,” says Asher,

kids with shoes, Sole Hope pays

describing painful infections that often result in amputations and

some African widows to assemble

paralysis. “Some believe it’s caused by witchcraft. Many think there’s

shoes. 4. Children form a ring of

2.

no hope for it. That hopelessness opens doors for us to share not just

happy feet, showing that they

4.

the hope of a jigger-free life, but also the hope of Jesus.”

are insect-free. 5. Once a jigger

With the help of a nurse and volunteers, the Collies regularly

burrows into a foot, it leaves an

host jigger-removal and shoe-gifting clinics through Sole Hope, a

opening in the skin surface to

nonprofit organization they founded three years ago. They also spray

breathe. The opening exposes the

to eradicate the pests in schools and homes, and teach parents and

child to subsequent infections.

caregivers how to remove jiggers—easy when the parasite is young—

6. Jigger removal is painful. Adrian,

and how to care for wounds.

a double orphan, lives with his

In early 2013, Drü and Asher left their home in Asheville, North

grandmother. It took 2½ hours

Carolina, and moved with their three young children to Jinja in the

to remove over 58 jiggers from

Busoga region of Uganda. Busoga is the nation’s jigger capital.

his feet. 7. Here are a few happy

A foot clinic is more than a smiling child. It’s changed lives, like

customers. So far, Sole Hope has

that of a young girl

placed nearly 2,500 pairs of shoes

whose feet were rotting

on children’s feet. 8. Asher helps fit

from gangrene as 30

a child with a pair of soft-top shoes

jiggers dug into her. Left

at the end of a foot clinic.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

untreated,

she

1.

2.

3.

5.

would

have died. “A nurse and I removed the jiggers and treated her with

John 13:14 NIV antibiotics,” Asher says.

“When we went back to check on her a week later, she had two new jiggers, which her mother removed while we watched. That was so rewarding, to see our educational efforts paying off.”

The Collies have a solid faith in Jesus and a desire to witness to others through their words and actions. “Drü and I firmly believe that

Wh at ’s a Jigger?

1.

Jiggers are parasitic fleas that

6.

burrow

into

untreated,

bare

they

feet.

lay

7.

6.

7.

8.

Left

hundreds

of eggs, causing intense pain and secondary infections, often resulting

in

amputations

and

paralysis. They thrive in tropical and subtropical climates.

whatever work we do as Christians should be a ministry to others, and that it should be done in the name of Jesus.”

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A Ugandan woman sews an upper that was cut in the United States at a shoecutting party. Currently 16 shoemakers earn a living sewing for Sole Hope. The Collies measure success in lives—from shoemakers to children—who have been touched by hope.

A few years ago Drü and Asher were like many young couples pursuing the American dream. Drü was managing a chain of coffee stores and Asher was building her photography business and taking care of their young children. Committed, lifelong Christians— Asher’s father was a Navy chaplain and Drü’s parents were involved in overseas mission programs—the Collies have a heart for children in need. They have served as foster parents and were considering adopting an African child when Asher came across a YouTube video on jiggers and their devastating impact on children.

“At first I tried to close off my heart and prayed that someone else would care enough to do

burden on her for these children

“THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY, THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT.”

who couldn’t defend themselves

ISAIAH 40:31 RSV

something about this,” she says.

But as she read more about this problem half a world away, she knew the Lord had placed a

against an almost invisible foe.

The more she learned online and during trips to Africa, the more she realized the solution was simple: closed toe shoes would protect children’s feet from jiggers. But knowing the answer and creating that solution were two different things. For six months she tried to design a durable shoe made from recycled materials, only to fail repeatedly. One day, she sat down with her son’s baby shoe and imagined what it would look like flattened into a pattern.

“I knew there was nothing in me that could do this, so I told the Lord, ‘This is completely YOU, God—because I have no idea what I’m doing.” She drew up a pattern, sewed it up and burst into tears. God had given Sole Hope a shoe.

Drü supported Asher’s efforts, but wasn’t fully on board until he visited Uganda and saw the problem up close for himself. “The turning point for me was doing my first jigger removal and holding the foot of a child who was the same age as my own,” he says.

“Suddenly it made sense that somebody had to do something about this—and we were that somebody.”

With Drü fully committed, the couple and their supporters developed

an

international

shoemaking

process.

Stateside,

volunteers host shoe-cutting parties, gathering friends to recycle old blue jeans into shoe uppers. More than 2,000 parties have been held.

Shipped to Africa, the uppers are sewn and attached to soles made locally from recycled bicycle tires. Local tailors oversee Ugandan shoemakers, often widows and former sex workers.

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Drü and Asher Collie spread health and hope to the children of Uganda.

“By making shoes, these individuals learn a trade and earn a sustainable income,” Asher says. “In many cases, they also begin to care about the jigger problem and develop a passion to help the people in their villages.”

This is Sole Hope’s goal: to inspire local people to care. “We’re

Help with Sole Hope’s life-changing efforts by hosting a shoe-cutting

not here as the muzungu, the white person who has come to fix a

party. Every pair of shoes made in

problem,” Drü says. “We’re here to educate, love and share hope.”

Africa starts somewhere else in the world at a shoe-cutting party.

Sole Hope’s shoe party specialist

If God puts a burden on your heart, the Collies urge Christians to

Ashley Redburn oversees the effort.

act on it. “Don’t wait to be ‘ready’ to obey,” Drü says. “Being ready is

She and her husband adopted twin

a myth. You can always have some excuse or something that gets in the way. But when it’s God’s timing, there’s no sense in waiting.”

Asher adds, “Take God’s call seriously. He’ll reveal His perfect plan and His perfect time. In the meantime, don’t think little of prayer.

It’s the greatest action you can take while you wait for God to prepare the way.”

Partnering with God has taken the couple and their children

boys from Ethiopia who had jiggers in their feet. She’s hosted over 50 shoe-cutting parties.

“Anyone who can use scissors can cut shoes,” she says. “You can do this so easily while

far from home, careers, family, comfort and convenience. Despite

fellowshipping with other people.”

Africa’s fear-inspiring reputation, this young family is thriving.

It’s a great activity for a Bible

“Our children—Quinn, Asa and Silas—love Africa. Silas thinks he’s

study group, Girl Scout troop or any

African,” Asher says. “If God is calling you out of your comfort zone—

small group. Parties may be just a

to another nation or down the street—take the risk. Seek what God

few people or as many as 100.

has in store for your life. Don’t stay comfortable.

To get started, you need a party-

“As you obey, don’t diminish the results by thinking it’s not big

hosting kit, which includes shoe

enough or fast enough. That’s how we think in America,” Asher says.

patterns, an instructional DVD, a

“I find myself constantly having to humble myself and think, ‘This is about this one child in front of me.’”

Drü agrees. “Our joy is seeing the face of the one we’re impacting.

It starts with one home. If we can get one home jigger-free for six months, then spread out to 10 homes, wow. In the meantime, it’s the one in front of us that matters.”

The Collies started Sole Hope by investing their own time and money. They quickly attracted a group of experienced mentors and

booklet and lots of advice.

Guests are asked to bring scissors and old blue jeans.

They also pay $10, which covers shipping, a shoemaker’s wage and supplies for sewing and foot clinics.

Order party kits at the Sole

supporters who helped them get the organization established on a

Hope website or support the

firm footing. Today, Sole Hope has an active board of directors and is

ministry through a purchase of an

registered in the United States as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Americanized version of the shoes.

Go to www.solehope.com.

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