Just a few kilometers away from the center of downtown Playa del Carmen - with its glitzy nightclubs, international restaurants and boutique hotels - children in small jungle villages are living in homes and learning in classrooms that are lacking basic services (running water, electricity) and have no access to health services.

Many of the homes and classrooms are open-air, or enclosed only by sticks, which allows the air to circulate, but does nothing to prevent snakes and other undesirable jungle residents from entering. 

Because the children do not leave their villages, many of them simply do not have shoes. The shoes they do have are plastic flip-flops or “chanclas” which provide no support or protection from sharp stones, stinging insects, snake bites and parasitic infections.

In the areas where children are most at risk, there are no emergency health care options to properly treat wounds and prevent infection from setting in. 

Monetary donations are appreciated and used to buy sneakers in local shops, supporting the local economy.  The shoes are then sized, sorted and distributed by club members to the children in local schools.

Healthy kids = Healthy Students!