School Shoe Donation Program
Providing quality footwear to underprivileged school children across India, ensuring comfort, dignity, and improved school attendance for students in need.
Walking the Path to Education
Every step matters in a child's educational journey
Across India, thousands of underprivileged students walk miles to school barefoot or with damaged footwear, facing physical discomfort, health risks, and social stigma that impacts their educational journey.
PlanCare Foundation's School Shoe Donation Program addresses this critical but often overlooked need by providing quality, durable shoes to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, ensuring they can attend school with comfort and dignity.
Our research shows that proper footwear significantly improves school attendance rates, with participating schools reporting up to 32% reduction in absenteeism after children receive new shoes, directly contributing to better educational outcomes.
More Than Just Footwear
Building confidence and protecting health
The School Shoe Donation Program delivers more than just physical protection – it provides children with confidence, dignity, and a sense of belonging among their peers, critical factors in a supportive learning environment.
Quality footwear protects children from soil-transmitted infections, injuries, and discomfort that can hinder concentration and participation in classroom and playground activities, directly supporting their overall health and academic performance.
Each pair of shoes is selected for durability, comfort, and appropriate sizing, ensuring they last throughout the school year and accommodate growing feet, representing a significant financial relief for families struggling to meet basic educational needs.
Nationwide Distribution Network
Reaching students across urban and rural India
PlanCare Foundation has established a robust distribution network reaching schools in both urban slums and remote rural areas across India, prioritizing communities with highest poverty levels and limited access to resources.
Our dedicated team works directly with school administrators to identify children in need and ensure proper sizing, while organizing celebratory distribution events that maintain the dignity of recipients and emphasize the importance of education.
The program operates year-round with major distributions timed to coincide with the beginning of academic sessions, ensuring students start their school year with proper footwear, along with emergency distributions during monsoon seasons when the need becomes particularly acute.
Sustainable Impact Approach
Creating lasting change through comprehensive support
Beyond one-time donations, our School Shoe Donation Program focuses on creating sustainable impact through partnerships with local shoe manufacturers, enabling us to provide quality footwear at reduced costs while supporting local economies.
We complement shoe distributions with foot health workshops for students and parents, teaching proper foot care, hygiene practices, and the importance of appropriate footwear for growing children's physical development and overall wellbeing.
Our monitoring and evaluation system tracks not just distribution numbers but meaningful outcomes—from improved attendance and participation in physical activities to increased confidence levels and academic performance among recipient students.
Support Our Footwear Initiative
Your contribution takes a child one step closer to education
Just ₹400 provides a quality pair of school shoes that changes a child's educational experience. Your support directly impacts a student's ability to attend school regularly and participate fully in all educational activities.
Every contribution to PlanCare's School Shoe Donation Program creates ripple effects through communities—improving health outcomes, boosting confidence among underprivileged students, and creating pathways to better educational achievement.
Join us in ensuring that no child is kept from school due to lack of proper footwear. Together, we can build a future where every child in India can walk confidently on their educational journey regardless of their economic background.
Transforming Lives Through Education ✨
Together, we've made a measurable impact in the lives of students and communities.
15,000+
Pairs of Shoes Distributed Annually
32%
Reduction in School Absenteeism
600+
Schools Served Across India
⭐ Real Stories, Real Impact ⭐
"My new shoes make me happy to go to school. Before, my feet would hurt and get dirty, and other children would sometimes laugh."
— Aarav(9-year-old Student)
"Since the shoe distribution, we've noticed significantly improved attendance, especially during monsoon season when many children previously stayed home."
— Meera Sharma(School Principal)
"As a parent struggling to provide necessities, these school shoes for my children mean they can attend school without shame and focus on their studies instead of their discomfort."
— Rajesh(Parent of program beneficiaries)
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Our program benefits underprivileged students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds across India, including children in government schools, urban slum areas, and remote rural communities. We prioritize students who currently attend school barefoot or with inadequate footwear, focusing on both primary and secondary school children regardless of gender, religion, or caste.
We distribute durable, comfortable school shoes appropriate for daily wear in educational settings. The shoes are black or navy blue to comply with most school uniform requirements, have non-slip soles for safety, and are made from quality materials designed to withstand at least one full school year of regular use. We provide various sizes to accommodate children of different ages.
We work directly with school administrators, teachers, and local community leaders to identify students with the greatest need. Our selection process considers family economic status, current footwear condition, distance traveled to school, and other relevant factors. We ensure a transparent and fair selection process while maintaining the dignity of recipient children and their families.
Distributions occur throughout the year across India, with major events scheduled at the beginning of academic sessions to equip students for the new school year. We conduct distributions directly at schools to ensure proper fitting and to reach all eligible students. During monsoon seasons, we organize additional emergency distributions in severely affected areas.
While we appreciate the intention, we primarily accept monetary donations rather than used shoes. This allows us to purchase appropriate, uniform footwear that meets quality standards, fits properly, and complies with school requirements. It also supports local manufacturing and ensures all children receive new shoes of equal quality, preserving their dignity.
You can support our program by donating funds (₹400 provides one pair of quality shoes), volunteering at distribution events, sponsoring entire schools, organizing fundraising events in your community or workplace, or helping raise awareness about this often overlooked educational barrier through your networks and social media platforms.
Yes, while the School Shoe Donation Program focuses specifically on footwear, PlanCare Foundation runs complementary programs providing school bags, stationery, uniforms, and other educational essentials. We often coordinate these initiatives to provide comprehensive support to the same schools and communities where we distribute shoes.
We implement a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system that tracks both immediate outputs (number of shoes distributed) and longer-term outcomes. We collect data on school attendance before and after distributions, conduct surveys with teachers and parents about student participation and confidence, and monitor health indicators related to foot conditions and hygiene among recipient students.