Nairobi Mother Starts Initiative To Distribute Shoes To Less Fortunate Kids In Sinai Slums: Crocs Challenge

• Bridgit Atieno from Nairobi's Sinai slums was moved to tears when she watched neighbourhood kids walk around the ghetto in torn crocs and slippers
• They subconsciously stepped on used condoms, poop, dirty drainages and all sorts of dirt while playing, but then their parents couldn't afford new shoes
• That is what made her start the Crocs Challenge where she collects shoes from well-wishers and distributes them to less fortunate kids from the slums

Bridgit Atieno has trudged the ghetto life like the Colossus, gathering years of knowledge and experience on the problems bedevilling slum dwellers.

In her day-to-day hustles, she noticed that one of the biggest challenges was that most kids in her neighbourhood of Sinai, Industrial Area, either walked barefoot or worn torn crocs.

Bridgit's Crocs Challenge

It was a harsh reality that bothered her time and again given that the sewage network in the slums is poor and exposed the little ones to several hazards.

"It pained me to watch the innocent kids stepping on used condoms, poop, dirty drainages and all sorts of dirt," she told TUKO.co.ke.

The doting mother she is, Bridgit decided to move from wallowing in pity to doing something about the situation.

That is when she figured it was prudent to seek help from her social media followers to buy crocs and distribute them to the children, and the Crocs Challenge was birthed.

Donated to over 100 kids

What started as a small venture soon gained a huge following and Bridgit was being called by different well-wishers asking to join the course.

Since then, she divides her time between hustling to make ends meet for herself and her baby, sourcing for the crocs, and visiting her recipients.

Her recipients, she says, are mostly kids whose parents are so poor that they are unable to buy them new pairs despite the fact that they need to.

"The idea of telling my followers on Facebook to help me by donating a pair or two worked as we have managed to gift hundreds of needy kids from different villages here in Sinai," she continued.

Bridgit also feeds struggling families

In another of Bridgit's philanthropic deeds, she took it upon herself to provide food to families facing hardships.

After expressing her desire to help those in need, her heartfelt gesture gained attention and support from a well-wisher who helped buy the foodstuffs.

She disclosed that she understands the struggles faced by many families in the slums because she grew up in the same setting and has been through similar circumstances.