Joyful Summer Camps with new shoes

Armenia - For 14 years Christian Summer Camps organized by World Vision Armenia have hosted sponsored children and their siblings. Children spend their summer holidays in the camp, enjoying the good environment, games, recreational activities, and making new friends.

Stepanavan Area Development Project opened the camp doors for some 240 children. They decided to distribute TOMS shoes to all the campers.

“These shoes are lighter than boots are. And also it is not hot in them when I play”

“Camp is a place where children have a very active lifestyle. They run, they jump, they dance, they compete… Children wear TOMS shoes always,” tells Armine Kalashyan, Stepanavan ADP leader.

Diana prefers TOMS shoes to boots

Diana, 11, from Privolnoe Community, is at the camp for the first time.  
“I was very happy to come to the camp. Here surprises are becoming regular. When I was given the TOMS shoes I thought I have to return after the game. I was glad I could keep it,” says Diana.
Diana explains that she has one pair of boots with her but she prefers TOMS shoes and uses them regularly. “These shoes are lighter than boots are. And also it is not hot in them when I play,” she continues.

To the question can Diana ask her parents to buy her another pair of shoes, she replies: “My father doesn’t live with us the majority of the year. He works as a baker in Yerevan which is very far (some two and a half hours drive). In average I see him once a month. My mom is not working, she takes care of the household, and there is always a lot to do.”
Diana describes her family with such understanding and maturity: “I also have a younger brother Stepan who is nine years old now. World Vision gave me the second pair of shoes and my parents, instead of buying something new for me, can spend some money for Stepan.”

Football is the favourite game of Armenian boys

Edik, 11, is one of four children in his family. He has a brother and two sisters. It is not easy for his parents to pay proper attention to all children. Sarchapet, where Edik lives, specializes in cattle breeding and land cultivation.
“We don’t have a land of our own. My father cultivates the land of our neighbours and earns money for our living. He works very hard and when he comes home he is sometimes so tired that [he] can’t spend time with us anymore,” says Edik.

"I was worried what I would be wearing while going back to school" 

Edik is not sure how much his father earns in a month but he knows that his mother is being paid some 25,000 AMD (US $60) per month to milk the cows of villagers. “I wish we had our [own] cow and my mother milks and makes cheese from the milk for us,” says Edik.
Happy occasions are rare in Edik’s life. The letters that reach remote Sarchapet from the United Kingdom are almost the only bright moments in his life. The letters from his sponsor bring hope and optimism to the boy.

This year, together with many sponsored children, Edik was involved in World Vision’s Christian Summer Camps.
“When we reached the resort area the camp leaders distributed TOMS shoes to me and all my friends. I took my only pair of shoes to the camp and I was worried what I would be wearing while going back to school in September,” remembers Edik.

“TOMS shoes are just for playing football. I played football with my friends whenever possible. I play very good and my team was often winning. But it was also because of the TOMS shoes,” explains Edik.

TOMS shoes help Nvart to dance better

Nvart, 10, is a great dancer. “I dance whenever possible. I enjoy it,” she says.

"I dance whenever possible. I enjoy it"

Because she plays and dances a lot her shoes are often worn out.
“It is nice to have new shoes. You feel more comfortable in them. Your movements are becoming freer,” Nvart says.
According to Nvart, the camp leaders organized different games and competitions for them. “When time for games start almost all children in the camp wear TOMS shoes,” says Nvart.
Children come to the camp in different shifts. Nvart’s brother Nver, 12, was in the camp before her.
“My brother came back home with a new pair of TOMS shoes but I was not expecting to get one as well,” she said.
Her father is a job migrant. He often goes to Russia and works in construction to earn bread for the family because in their community Norashen and in the neighbouring communities as well, villagers are unable to find a job. Whenever he returns, he brings some gifts for his children. “I will tell my father that Nver and I already have new shoes so that he buys something else for us,” she said.