Children grow quickly, especially their feet. But many families cannot a{#blank#}1{#/blank#}new shoes when a child needs them. As a result, about 300 million children around the world go barefoot, Those children risk picking up diseases and parasites(寄生虫) from the soil.

    An American finally has a s{#blank#}2{#/blank#}for those barefoot children a shoe that grows with the child. Kenton Lee is the creator of The Shoe That Grows. He explains how the shoe works and how it is able to last so long. "It grows in three places; the front, the side, and the back. It can last up to five years. The b{#blank#}3{#/blank#}is compressed(压缩的) rubber like tire rubber. The top is just high-quality leather. "

    The shoe comes in two sizes; small that fits children ages 4 to 9 and large for children aged g to 14. Lee says he got the idea for the shoe while working as a v{#blank#}4{#/blank#}in an orphanage in Kenya. "… and there was a little girl in a white dress walking next to me. And I just remember looking down and seeing how small her shoes were. And she had to c{#blank#}5{#/blank#}open the front of her shoes to let her toes(脚趾) stick out. At that time I just remember thinking, wouldn't it be nice if there were a pair of shoes that could grow with her feet. "However, Lee says it was i{#blank#}6{#/blank#}to turn his idea into a reality at that time. "Yet I kept writing down I should do this because of this or because of that. All these reasons why it really was important for me to try to make the shoes grow are to try to help them. "

    Finally, in 2009 Lee founded a non-profit organization called Because International. Together, they have sent over 50, 000 pairs of shoes to 70 countries. Lee says a pair of shoes gives a child much protection b{#blank#}7{#/blank#}self-worth and more chances to succeed.