THROUGH wind, rain, and whatever weather November hurls at us one Yate student will be walking barefoot every day to raise money for orphaned children.

Charlotte Curtis, 21, fully expects her feet to look “quite gross” by the end of her challenge but she’s put her hedgehog slippers in to hibernation, stored her winter boots in the cupboard, and she’s determined to make the sacrifice to help African children who don’t even own shoes.

Although some people have taken the No Shoes November challenge for a day, Charlotte is thought to be one of only a handful of people in the country who going barefoot for a whole month this year.

The money she raises goes to the Kenyan Orphan Project (KOP) which Charlotte visited last year, working at the Kochogo Integrated Children’s Development Centre which helps children affected by AIDS and HIV. Children are given one good meal a day, treated for illnesses like malaria, and encouraged to go to school.

Charlotte, who is studying conservation of historical buildings in Bath, is travelling on buses and trains, walking and working, studying and relaxing with her tootsies out in the cold.

In her first week without shoes Charlotte says she learned that 1) people put gravel in the most inconvenient of places; 2) bike pedals + cold = serious pain; 3) grass is wonderful; 4) People break glass everywhere; and 5) pavements can become really, painfully cold.

“My feet are very, very cold,” she says. “It’s painful at times but I’m acclimatising to it. It’s quite nice when it rains because it makes the pavement softer.

“On my first day I was cursing myself and questioning what I was doing but every time someone sponsors me at the Kenyan Orphan Project it makes it all worthwhile.

“It’s really common for the children in Kenya not to have shoes and a lot of the children develop worms because they are walking on soil. The poverty is really shocking but what the project is doing is amazing. It’s a really great project, I’ve fallen in love with it.

“It’s so nice to see how much good it does. The social workers are some of the most inspirational people I’ve ever met.”

Charlotte’s barefoot travels have been causing a stir but she’s thrilled when people ask her what she’s doing.

“People give me very strange looks when I’m barefoot, most of them assume I’m a bit crazy and I think I probably am but when I think about the children it’s worth it.”

* Follow Charlotte’s progress at http://charlottegoesbarefoot.wordpress.com Click on ‘about’ to sponsor.