City students upcycle canvas shoes, get a new lease of life

CHENNAI: Have your children outgrown their canvas shoes? If yes, there's a chance to gift them to underprivileged children in the city. Chennai-based NGO Communitee has initiated a project to upcycle canvas shoes and donate them. Abdul Majid Syed, a student intern at Communitree, who manages the initiative says, "The schools are closing for summer and students will start disposing of their shoes by throwing them away. Those shoes will end up in landfills, negatively impacting the environment. We are providing a sustainable alternative to this by undertaking this initiative. For this project, we have partnered with some schools in the city - they will be donating canvas shoes. Volunteers at Communitree will sterilise the shoes, paint them with bright colours and gift them to underprivileged kids.”

The youngster adds that the summer project is mainly aimed at students. “Students who wish to intern/volunteer with Communitree and be part of this initiative can join us. They will get an e-certificate and also understand landfill impact. Schools from across the state can also donate canvas shoes.

Though we are targeting canvas shoes, students can gift any other shoes that are in good condition,” he adds. Abdul, who finished his Class 10 exams, tells DT Next the instructions for shoe collection. “The shoes should be washed and cleaned thoroughly. You have to tie the laces of the right and left shoes to avoid misplacing. The shoe size should be written at the bottom with a marker pen. What makes this project more personal is the students who are donating the shoes can write a hand-written 'love note' to the beneficiary,” adds the youngster. The deadline to donate shoes is April 30.