He's so moved by what he has witnessed, he's made it his mission to bring about change. Some call him the "Shoeman" although the title doesn't come close to describing the effort that's being put forth as Vic Hamer travels the countryside on his quest to help others.
In January of 2011 Hamer volunteered his time and his skills as well as a small crew in Kenya to drill wells to help find fresh drinking water and after what he has seen, he's made it his goal to do whatever he can to help improve the situation.
From Illinois, he is also a representative for the Shoeman Organization.
Hamer was recently in Yorkton and he says he has strong Yorkton and Saskatchewan ties. He has a cottage at Burgis Beach and dear friends in this area. He says when Yorkton got involved with the shoeman initiative on his last trip to the city, it made the organization international - a huge leap for shoeman.
Shoeman Water Projects is a ministry of Eagle Wing Ministries, working to alleviate human suffering. Representatives of Shoeman pick up donated used and new shoes year round from businesses, churches, schools, special events and shoe drives. Once collected, the shoes are given a second life when the Shoeman exports the donated shoes to retailers in the developing world. The resale of shoes provides jobs and affordable footwear. Affordable shoes are a life saving tool as they protect the new owner's feet and overall health from foot abrasions, parasites and mites.
Also, funds generated from the export of the shoes provides well drilling rigs, water purification systems, and hand pump repair micro businesses bringing clean, fresh water to those who thirst.
Since 1998, Shoeman Water Projects founder George, "the Shoeman" Hutchings has visited Kenya repeatedly, shipping a sizable quantity of supplies including 21,000 meals for orphans, $2 million in medical supplies, dental labs, neurosurgeons for pediatric facial reconstructions.
Following in Hutching's footsteps, Hamer is working to collect as many shoes as possible to continue the good that's being done.
"I want to do all I can to help these people. Especially at a time when that country is on the news constantly with the drought situation... 29,000 people are dying everyday in Kenya. They have no food and no water..."
One of the biggest problems he says, is a lack of safe, clean drinking water.
"There is a lot of disease... infants have very slim chances of survival."
Hamer now travels each January to Kenya to work on drilling wells.
"We try our best to go to areas where people from surrounding areas can come for water - it's public water. We drill the well and the people are provided with free, drinkable water."
Among the most memorable wells for him was at a Kenyan school.
"When a child in Kenya goes to public school, they begin at first grade all the way through high school and they actually leave their home and go and spend nine months at school away from their home and families.
"They're housed in barracks with bunk beds and there might be 50 to 100 children in one barracks... it's all very rustic. We went to one school where there was 700 kids who had never experienced clean drinking water. They were collecting water from the gutter and water from a stream about five miles away.
"We actually brought them the first drinking water that school had ever had. That touched my heart."
Water was also brought to a medical clinic to which people would walk five miles to seek treatment.
"Many times I would see ladies lying on the porch ready to give birth because that was the closest facility they had and they had to walk there to get medical attention."
Hamer says he and whomever travels to Kenya pays for their own expenses, ensuring that all money raised goes towards the purchase of needed equipment.
Overwhelmed by the spirit of the Kenyan people and their plight Hamer says it's "just in his heart" to help them.
He has also personally taken it upon himself to construct one particular well.
Filling with emotion, he says, "I met a college student whose name was Ruth... she asked me to come back to the church where we met the following Sunday to meet her dad who pastors in Kenya. He also oversees an orphanage and three feeding stations."
Feeding stations are where Kenyan children can go to get a meal... they may walk miles to get there and it is the only meal they receive all day.
"When I met him, he asked me if I knew of anybody who could bring water to that village... they had been praying for three years for somebody to bring them water. When he told me that I knew I had to do it."
Another friend of Hamer had a daughter whose name was also Ruthie.
"Her lifelong wish was to go to Kenya... but she died. She didn't make it. To make a long story short, the money generated will be dedicated to this village in Kenya and the well will be called 'Ruthies Well.'
"My personal goal is to take water to that village this coming January." You can help.
Hamer encourages Yorkton and area residents to take the time to clean out their closets to help. "They can get other people on board through schools, churches..."
He will be back in Yorkton with a trailer this coming October to collect gathered shoes.
"The one thing we need to establish is a collection point." Anyone interested in helping out, organizing a collection point or sponsoring a shoe drive can do so by emailing Hamer at [email protected]. Cash and/or cheque donations are also welcome and Hamer says all of the funds will go directly towards the building of wells.
