Dorka says, “Thank you!”

Meet Dorka. She’s a sweet 10-year-old girl who lives in the Dominican Republic and was thrilled to receive new shoes from a Buckner mission team last year. After the shoe distribution, she saw a cameraman with the group and asked him to record a message to take back to the United States.

“In the name of the children of Buckner in the Dominican Republic, we want to thank you, but first God, because He has allowed you to be here,” she said. “And then we want to thank you, because you have come here to give us this gift. God bless you and fill your life with many blessings so you can keep giving these donations of shoes to other kids of the world who are in need.”

Dorka lives with her parents, brother and step-sister in a wooden, two-bedroom house with a concrete floor in Eduardo Brito, a severely impoverished community about 45 minutes east of Santo Domingo. Most families there, including Dorka’s, live on one very low income. Education is an issue in Eduardo Brito because many families cannot afford to send their kids to government schools. Nutrition and health are also a problem; most people get their water from a polluted stream that runs through the densely-populated community.

Dorka has been coming to the Community Transformation Center in Eduardo Brito for a year and a half to receive tutoring in math. With the help of the CTC staff, her skills have improved and math is now one of her favorite subjects at school. Her other favorite subject is Spanish. She also loves dancing and pantomime and practices these activities at church. Dancing has made her more disciplined, she says.

Thank you for supporting Shoes for Orphan Souls, even when you can’t always be there to travel and witness firsthand the fruits of your labor! With your help, we’re able to give children around the world – children like Dorka – the gift of new shoes.