TWO schools in the Reporter area are taking part in a campaign that bids to change a child s life in Africa. Great Chesterford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Katherine Semar Junior School will be part of this year s Shoe Aid

TWO schools in the Reporter area are taking part in a campaign that bids to change a child's life in Africa.

Great Chesterford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Katherine Semar Junior School will be part of this year's Shoe Aid for Africa campaign, which runs until Friday (October 9).

The campaign was launched for the first time last year by shoe care experts Kiwi, to give UK families a chance to change lives in Africa. A selection of schools, Sure Start centres and Scout groups kindly donated over 20,000 pairs of shoes which were then distributed in Mozambique, South East Africa in April.

Following on from that, Kiwi have this year set themselves an ambitious target of collecting 50,000 pairs of shoes for distribution in Africa in 2010. Old shoes will be cherished by children who have never known the luxury of owning a pair of their own, giving them an enormous boost of self-esteem and pride.

A campaign spokesman said: "We are focusing on collecting children's sports shoes, but all children's shoes as well as adult shoes are welcome. Please note high heels and Wellington boots are not suitable.

"So dig out those old shoes and you could make a difference this October - who knows, your old sports shoes could even kick start the career of a future football star!"

The 2009/2010 Shoe Aid for Africa campaign will follow a football theme to align with the Football World Cup being held in South Africa in 2010. As a result, Kiwi is pleased to have the support of The FA for this year's campaign.

The FA has recognised the great work the campaign does and is enthusiastic and passionate about football at a grass roots level.

England team members Emile Heskey, Matthew Upson and Robert Green have also pledged their personal support and donated their boots to the campaign.

Collection bins will be located for the week in over 500 schools across the UK to collect your unwanted shoes - Great Chesterford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Katherine Semar Junior School will be amongst them.

For more information on the campaign visit www.shoeaidforafrica.org