Stuart Paver, Managing Director of Pavers Shoes, has donated £33,673 through The Pavers Foundation to UK based international charity Lepra, who work directly with communities in Bangladesh, India and Mozambique to try and beat Leprosy.
The donation will be used to fund the charities third mobile shoe van that will deliver custom-made shoes to help those affected by Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis (LF).
What is Leprosy?
Leprosy is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) which attacks the nerves. Neglected tropical diseases are parasitic and bacterial diseases, that often affect some of the poorest people in the world. If left untreated Leprosy can cause life-changing permanent damage to hands, feet and eyes, leading to paralysis, blindness, ulcers and amputation.
Lepra - We Will Beat Leprosy Together
2019 sees the 95th anniversary of Lepra, and Stuart Paver being named as an ambassador for the charity.
Lepra provide 25,800 people with custom-made shoes, allowing members of the community to continue their daily lives with reduced pain and stigma. Importantly, they help individuals to carry on working and earning a living.
The third van will allow specialist shoemakers to travel to communities and design, make and fit the custom-made shoes. Each unique pair is made to a person's individual requirements offering comfort and support. The van includes a sewing machine, a generator, a grinder for pressing soles, and materials to make bespoke footwear. It also includes beds and cooling fans for the shoe technician and driver who live in the van.
So far Pavers has helped to fund two vans; the first travels across the Indian state of Bihar and since 2015 has helped over 5,000 people affected by leprosy and LF. The second van covers Telangana state and works with 20 leprosy colonies across 10 districts.
Chief Executive of Lepra, Geoff Prescott expressed his thanks to Stuart Paver and the company:
"We can't thank Stuart Paver and Pavers Shoes enough for their on-going support"
"The Pavers’ shoe vans provide bespoke specialist footwear for those disabled by Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis. The footwear reaches rural communities and provides a product far superior to what is generally available. As result even those with severely damaged feet, toes and legs can have perfectly fitted specialist footwear, that minimises the chance of further injury. For many they provide some mobility again."
"Pavers’ shoe vans make a difference to tens of thousands of lives and we thank Stuart Paver and everyone at Pavers for making this possible.”
To find out more about the fantastic work Lepra do please visit www.lepra.org.uk.
