Perhaps the One Laptop Per Child is a little rich for your blood and while you would love to help out, you just can’t this year.  Perhaps then you would consider a similar program to help children in Ethiopia get a pair of shoes.  For every pair you purchase Toms Shoes will give a pair to a child in need.

Inspired by an Argentine shoe with a hundred year history and the continent’s poverty and health issues, TOMS was created with a singular mission: To make life more comfortable. TOMS accomplishes this through it’s ultra lightweight design and the company’s commitment to match every pair purchased with a donated pair to a child in need…there are no complicated formulas, it’s simple.you buy a pair of TOMS and the company gives a pair to a child on your behalf. The vibrant colors and patterns in the debut collection depict Blake Mycoskie’s life changing experiences in his travels to South America where he embraced the lifestyle wholeheartedly and therefore gave back by creating TOMS – shoes for Tomorrow.

And lest you think this a one off kind of thing here, you will be happy to know that the company has donated over 60,000 pairs of shoes around the world since 2006.  In addition, as the shoes wear out they are replaced, so this isn’t a one off thing for any child who receives them.

Pop over an take a look.  If you find yourself having to buy something on Black Friday, maybe this could be what you buy.