#whateverhappenedto

Lumbaram married his 15-year-old daughter to a man who was in his 40s and had a reputation as a heavy drinker. It was part of a family trade. That same night, Lumbaram made a vow to her: "I will fix this."

Lumbaram. Swati Vashishtha for NPR

It was a daunting challenge. To break the marriage, Lumbaram would need permission from a group of elders. Typically they require a father who wants to end a match to pay the husband's family a fine of about $7,000 — an unaffordable sum for Lumbaram, who makes his living as a construction worker. Ending the marriage without the elders' signoff was technically possible. After all, the elders have no legal authority. But they would have declared Lumbaram ostracized for life if he were to act without their approval. No one would do business with him. Even his relatives wouldn't be able to talk to him.

Lumbaram’s daughter, Durga. Image: Swati Vashishtha for NPR

So Lumbaram set about playing a long game. First, he used the boarding school as an excuse to delay the start of Durga's life with her husband, telling him, "As long as she's getting a free education I won't send her to live with you." Lumbaram was able to keep the groom at bay even as Durga went on to graduate from high school and enroll in a local college.

Back in April, we published a story that garnered a huge response — and empathy — from readers.

A number of farmers in Uganda are suffering from a nightmare illness, in which their legs, feet and toes swell up so much that they can't walk. The skin thickens and breaks open, creating ulcers and infections. A researcher found the cause. What's happened since then?

The disease is called podoconiosis, and it's caused by walking and working barefoot on volcanic soil for years. (Podoconiosis is a form of elephantiasis, which is often caused by worms.)

At the end of the story, we described a simple way to stop progression of the disease and prevent the problem in the future: Wear shoes while working in the fields.

But giving away a pair of shoes isn't enough, says epidemiologist Gail Davey of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, for preventing this disease.

For starters, it's not a sustainable approach. There are more than 40 million people at risk for podoconiosis around the world. And shoes wear out. Kids grow out of them. So one pair of shoes per person isn't going to stop podoconiosis from striking.

Davey has shifted her efforts away from simply giving away free shoes. Instead, she is focused on teaching farmers and their families how they can take care of their feet and prevent podoconiosis.

There's one simple step: Washing the feet with soap and water each day.