The Shoe That Grows

It’s called The Shoe That Grows. What does it do? Well, it grows! This lets kids have shoes they can wear for a long time! In 2007 Kenton Lee was working at an orphanage in Kenya. One day he was walking with a group of kids. He looked down at a little girl. She had on a white dress and shoes that didn’t fit.

它叫做“成长的鞋”。它做什么？ 嗯，它在成长！这让孩子们有了可以穿很长时间的鞋子！ 2007年，Kenton Lee在肯尼亚的一家孤儿院工作。 一天，他和一群孩子一起散步。 他低头看着一个小女孩。她穿着一件不合身的白色连衣裙和鞋子。

The front parts of the shoes were cut open, and the girl’s toes were sticking out. Kenton looked around. Many other kids’ shoes were much too small for their feet. Kenton asked the orphanage director why so many kids had shoes that didn’t fit. The director explained that the children outgrew their shoes quickly. And there simply weren’t enough donated shoes for everyone.

鞋子的前部被切开了，女孩的脚趾露了出来。 肯顿环顾四周。许多其他孩子的鞋子太小了，脚穿不下。 肯顿问孤儿院院长，为什么这么多孩子的鞋子不合身。 导演解释说，孩子们很快就穿不下鞋子了。 而且根本没有足够的捐赠鞋给每个人。

Kenton couldn’t stop thinking about the children’s shoes. Wearing small shoes was unhealthy for the children since their feet were still growing. But going barefoot was dangerous too. The children could get diseases from walking barefoot. Their feet could even become infected. There had to be a solution to this problem.

肯顿忍不住想孩子们的鞋子。 穿小鞋对孩子们来说是不健康的，因为他们的脚还在长。 但赤脚也很危险。 孩子们赤脚走路可能会得疾病。 他们的脚甚至可能被感染。必须有解决这个问题的办法。

Finally Kenton had an idea. He could create special shoes. His shoes would grow along with a child. The shoes couldn’t be expensive, and they needed to last for a long time. Now Kenton just needed to find a way to make these shoes. He contacted several shoe companies, but none showed interest in his idea.

最后，肯顿有了一个主意。他可以创造特殊的鞋子。 他的鞋子会随着孩子长大。 这双鞋不可能很贵，而且需要穿很长时间。 现在Kenton只需要找到一种方法来制作这些鞋。 他联系了几家鞋业公司，但没有一家对他的想法感兴趣。

Kenton decided to make the shoes himself. He even made himself a promise to show his commitment. He wouldn’t buy himself a new pair of shoes until his project was finished. Five years later Kenton’s shoes had holes and were worn out. But he had created a great new shoe—The Shoe That Grows!

肯顿决定自己做鞋。 他甚至向自己承诺要表明他的承诺。 在项目完成之前，他不会给自己买一双新鞋。 五年后，肯顿的鞋子破了洞，磨损了。 但他创造了一双很棒的新鞋“成长的鞋”！

The shoes look like normal sandals. They’re designed to last for five years, so all of their materials are durable. The straps can be adjusted with snaps, buckles, and Velcro. This lets the shoes grow along with the wearer. The shoes come in three sizes. Each can fit five different shoe sizes. Kenton designed the shoes to be small and light too.

这双鞋看起来像普通凉鞋。 它们的设计寿命为五年，因此所有材料都是耐用的。 皮带可通过搭扣、搭扣和尼龙搭扣进行调节。 这让鞋子随穿着者一起成长。 这双鞋有三种尺码。每一款鞋都可以穿五种不同尺码的鞋。 Kenton设计的鞋子也小巧轻便。