When my wife and I joined a trip with Uganda Shoe Trees, we expected to serve and to learn—but we didn’t anticipate how deeply our lives would be changed. Seeing a child slip on their very first pair of shoes and realizing that something as small as $20 stood between them and an education was a profound wake-up call for us. We also witnessed schools receiving resources that would bless students for years—fruit trees planted for future harvests, clean water provided through wells and filters, and classrooms supplied with the basics they so desperately needed. What began as a short trip quickly turned into a turning point in our lives. We returned home not only grateful, but committed to stay engaged—leading future trips, sharing the vision of UST, and becoming lifelong ambassadors for this mission.

Uganda Shoe Trees has offered one of the best experiences in my life. I have traveled with school tours, backpacked with my husband in Europe and traveled on cruises with family; but this trip eclipses those adventures.  Uganda Shoe Trees was organized, helpful, and knew how to balance fun, learning and service all in one. UST really was a formative experience humbling teaching guests what it means to serve and have compassion for others globally. I look forward to going back to see familiar faces as well as eagerly await to take our oldest son to have this life-giving and life-shaping opportunity.

As a supporter of Uganda Shoe Trees, experiencing the work firsthand was deeply moving. Witnessing the joy and energy of shoe deliveries and the honor of being welcomed into people’s homes brought a new depth to my understanding of the work being done. Each moment served as a powerful reminder of all we often take for granted. What moved me most was the lasting ripple effect, how years of faithful service have empowered local partners to build thriving, entrepreneurial ventures. The impact is real, far-reaching, and something you truly have to see to believe.

I wholeheartedly recommend Uganda’s ShoeTree organization for its life-changing work. I have supported ShoeTree financially and visited its operations in Uganda, where I saw the hope it brings to children and families. This amazing NGO uplifts Uganda’s poorest communities with dignity, sustainability, and real impact. Supporting this organization means investing in education, local livelihoods, and a better future for Uganda’s children.

Nothing can prepare you for the wild enthusiasm of Ugandan schoolchildren as they race toward you by the hundreds. Why? To say, “Thank you” to the incredible team at Ugandan Shoe Trees. UST not only provides shoes (and trees, and water, and jobs, and training!) but ministers to the teachers, administrators, local governments and—most importantly—the families of these kids. The team at UST is committed to an holistic integration between their ministry and the well-being of those they serve. It’s beautiful, inspiring, and eternal.

Uganda Shoe Trees is one of the rare examples in today’s world in which you find an organization who shows its worth by truly prioritizing and valuing the needs of others. I have had the privilege to see firsthand during my time there how my and others’ financial contributions are distributed to those in need throughout Ugandan communities. Focusing on the need to educate children, UST prioritizes providing basic necessities many first-world families take for granted. Such basics include water wells and filters that provide clean drinking water, and a hole-free pair of shoes with which to walk to school. They also provide basic supplies for a classroom, such as notebooks, pencils and pens, backpacks, and sports equipment. By encouraging the continuing education about the local flora and fauna, they help students grow their own gardens. As these gardens grow, they improve the students’ options for nutritious lunches while teaching them the importance of environmental preservation. UST accomplishes its goals by sourcing local Ugandan businesses, which additionally helps the local community thrive.

Uganda Shoe Trees achieves these prodigious goals by making certain the majority of each dollar donated goes to the needs of the children and the schools. Rarely do you find a board that leads by example, and UST is piloted by leaders who do not accept less than excellent quality, from themselves or for the recipients of their benefactor’s generosity. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with this organization, and I look forward to continuing my involvement with UST.