In honor of the Day of the African Child, five Zoe Empowers groups united to donate 270 textbooks to Chimungu Full Primary School. The five empowerment groups, which consist of over 130 orphaned and vulnerable households from Chimungu region, collectively raised MK1,323,000 from a recent maize harvest to buy the books. The donated books include essential subjects such as Chichewa language, English language, and mathematics for grades 6, 7, and 8.

During the book handover ceremony, Clever, a 2nd-year Zoe participant and group spokesperson, expressed pride and commitment to making a difference.

“Despite being orphaned, we don’t take ourselves as beneficiaries,” she said. “Through the necessary support from Zoe Empowers, we now have what it takes to be change-makers in our community. We believe that education is the key to a brighter future for an African child, and we are committed to ensuring that our younger brothers and sisters have the tools they need to succeed.”

Frackson, Zoe Empowers Malawi communications facilitator, explained that the initiative for the book-buying project was sparked during a recent regional meeting involving the 5 Zoe empowerment groups. Some group members are students at Chimungu Full Primary School and informed their colleagues about the school’s challenges. The head teacher at the school confirmed that it was common for ten students to share one book during classes.lear

Now, with support from Zoe youth, Chimungu school has additional resources to enhance the learning experience and academic performance of its 1,478 students. Lead administrators in the district applauded the Zoe groups for such a wonderful gift, noting the books will significantly improve the quality of education at their school.

Furthermore, the book donation highlights the spirit of the Zoe Empowers’ mission. Not only is the organization helping orphaned youth become self-sufficient, but it is also fostering a generation of compassionate and community-oriented young people.

This post was authored by:
Frackson Maocha, Zoe Empowers Malawi communications facilitator

Manley is no stranger to grief and hardship. After losing his mother in 2006 and then his father in 2008, he went to live with his aunt and uncle. Manley’s aunt used brutal ways of parenting: shouting, beating, corporal punishment, and food deprivation. She depleted him of the little confidence he had left. But still, he stayed for five years.

After Manley finished the advanced level of education to qualify for the university, his uncle kicked him out of the house for good. Manley returned to his rural home, where he learned his paternal relatives had assumed control of his parent’s land. They had even sold off part of the estate for profit. Manley was devastated, but as an orphan, he knew he could not make demands of his elders. He drifted on the streets, toiled in the fields, and begged for corn and cassava. Occasionally, he grew desperate enough to return to his uncle for food or ancillary needs. 

In 2014, Manley joined Zoe Empowers Zimbabwe. He received training on starting a business and a grant amounting to 150 USD. With the grant, Manley bought several broiler chickens, which he reared, then sold. As his income grew, he diversified his offering, tending to pigeons, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other larger farm animals. He bought and sold groceries and second-hand clothing. The more his businesses grew, the more self-reliant he became. Eventually, he did not need to return to his uncle. 

The Zoe Empowers staff equipped Manley with the resources to repossess the land his relatives had stolen. There, he settled into the most stable living arrangement he’d had since before the death of his parents. Because he’d achieved high marks in the advanced level of post-secondary education, despite his miserable home life, Zoe staff and his peers encouraged Manley to consider going to college. This possibility had never occurred to him, but he couldn’t unsee it once he envisioned himself in a college classroom. 

Manley enrolled at Midlands State University (MSU) in 2016. He chose Psychology as his major and was accepted into the Honors program. Because Manley relied on his businesses to afford tuition, he hired an orphaned young person in the community to manage his operations while he was at school. Before long, his entrepreneurial spirit prodded him to start another business at college. 

Manley consulted his Zoe Empowers group about the idea, and they loaned him money to start a new endeavor: printing and photocopying. He also bought and sold clothes. All the money he made went toward his school fees. During semester breaks, he returned home to participate in his empowerment group activities and check on his other businesses. 

In 2020, Manley completed his Bachelor of Science degree. He was recognized for his stellar academic achievement, winning the Best Undergraduate Student Award, Nyaradzo Life Assurance Award, MSU Book Prize Award, and First Mutual Health Award for best undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology. After graduation, he returned home to intern for Zoe. 

One year later, in 2021, Manley enrolled in a Master’s program at MSU, focusing on Community Psychology. Upon completion, he was, again, awarded the MSU Book Prize; and the Allied Health Practitioners Council Award for being the top student in his class. He aspires to earn a Ph.D. in psychology in the near future. 

When Manley reflected on his journey with Zoe Empowers, he described himself as “a village boy with a city dream.” A dream he never thought was possible until his Zoe group  helped him realize it. The dream chart taught him that a negative mindset is a barrier to success, but a growth mindset opens avenues for the less privileged. “A dream does not become a reality through magic,” Manley said. “It took sweat, determination, and hard work to fulfill my city dream. But I know that, with God, nothing is out of reach.” 

Zoe Empowers recently hired Manley as a program facilitator in Zimbabwe. As a Zoe team member, he shares his testimony with the young people in the program, offering advice and encouragement to orphaned children and vulnerable youth as they endure the challenging process of changing their lives for good. He often shares with them, “Men die of boredom, psychological conflict and disease. They do not die of hard work. Zoe Empowers is the catalyst that propelled me from dust to destiny.”

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Josephat always felt like his ambition never aligned with his life circumstances. 

He loved to be in school, but his parents could not afford the fees. There were often gaps in his enrollment, dropping out to work for several weeks or months at a time. Then, inevitably, through sheer will and determination, he would scrape enough Kenyan shillings together to go back. 

When he graduated high school, he dreamed of going to college, but the expense was too great. His mother, who worked piece jobs in the field earning no more than a dollar a day, offered to throw Josephat a fundraising event. Not a single person showed up. 

“People are viewed by their contribution to the community,” Josephat explained. “So, because my family couldn’t contribute, we were viewed as worthless.” 

Discouraged by the lack of support, Josephat shelved the idea of going to college. Instead, he opted to leave his hometown to find a better job and life in another village. With hopeful smiles and farewell hugs, Josephat promised his father, who had been ill and bed-ridden for all of Josephat’s life, that he would secure a fine-paying job in the new city, and when he did, he would send money back to take care of both of his parents and his three younger siblings. 

Contrary to his expectations, life became worse for Josephat in the new city. He searched and searched and searched, but he couldn’t find a stable job. As a result, he wound up homeless, hungry, and drained of the little resources he had saved in the first place. 

Josephat returned home to his family, filled with shame and doubt. Eventually, he was allowed to sell supplies at a relative’s shop. The business was failing, but the work was steady and paid Josephat enough to eat about one meal a day.

In early 2016, Josephat joined the Zoe Empowers Kenya program. Six months later, after receiving many in-depth training sessions on entrepreneurship, he began to notice ways he could improve his relative’s supply shop. 

With a small loan from his empowerment group, Josephat invested in groceries and other essential household goods in demand but unavailable in the community. Josephat also developed a network with other shop owners, so when a customer asked for an item he did not sell, he bought it from another shop owner, then marked it up at his store.

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Josephat’s relative was observant of Josephat’s rapidly increasing business acumen, and before the end of the first year in Zoe Empowers, he turned over ownership of his store to Josephat. The gesture instilled confidence and for the first time in his life, Josephat felt in control of his destiny. 

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Outside of the group projects, Josephat dedicated his days to analyzing every aspect of the supply store. Nothing was overlooked, from the quality of products to how he displayed the items on the shelves. As the notoriety of his shop grew, so did his customer base and community relationships.

“God elevated me to a new level [by bringing Zoe Empowers into his life]. People wanted to be a part of my life as they saw me rising up to success,” he said. He explained that the community began to view him differently than before Zoe because of his new ability to sell something of value or quality.  

The store’s profits were not only enough for all of Josephat’s siblings to attend school, but he was also able to pursue his dream of enrolling in college. He studied mass media with the intention to work as a journalist one day. 

Josephat believes that countless young, bright minds like him are waiting for the same opportunity. “In Africa, we have young minds [who want] to succeed but lack the resources to make it happen. Zoe makes a bridge for sound minds to cross to success.” 

You can help more orphans and vulnerable children across the bridge from extreme poverty to lifelong self-sufficiency by becoming a Zoe Empowers Partner or other ways to give.

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Lidiah was born with a love for education. As a young girl, sitting inside a small, one-roomed classroom, learning new subjects and socializing with her peers was her favorite pastime, and it showed in the high marks she received from her teachers. She didn’t know it then, but she was one of the lucky ones, one of the girls whose parents could afford the nominal school fee and wanted her to attend. 

In the rural Kenyan village Lidiah’s family resided in and throughout low-income countries around the world, girls are regularly restricted from receiving an education for multiple reasons. In a recent study conducted by UNICEF, results showed that nearly one in three adolescent girls from the poorest households have never been to school, and an estimated 25 percent won’t finish primary school. 

Some girls are banned from receiving an education because it is viewed as a waste of resources since she will eventually marry and take her knowledge to another family. Other girls simply don’t have the option to attend because of the cost or the burden of care falls on them, especially if one or both parents have passed away.

This became Lidah’s reality when she unexpectedly lost both her parents before the age of 14. The situation forced her to drop out of school while she grieved and sought help. An aunt and uncle agreed to take her in. She was relieved until she learned her uncle’s ulterior motive: He wanted to use Lidiah for his personal gain. 

When Lidiah asked to return to school, he forbade it, stating her priority should be starting a family, like her aunt and other girls in the community. He took the plot of land left to Lidiah by her parents, then began making arrangements to marry her off to his friend’s son in exchange for a few cows. An introductory meeting between Lidiah and her predetermined suitor was arranged. 

“I wept the night he told me about the marriage,” she said. “I vowed that one day I would use my story to change the community norm.” In her sorrow, Lidiah quickly devised a plan to flee to a friend’s house. It was her friend who introduced Lidiah to Zoe Empowers Kenya. 

Lidiah was accepted into the empowerment program in January 2018. Within a few weeks, she started a small business selling tea and food on a roadside near a construction site. Three months later, she had saved enough money to return to school. Her teacher gladly allowed her to re-enroll since she had been one of the best students prior to the death of her parents. 

Lidiah’s determination and persistence to receive an education has not let up. She has managed to continue her studies while running her restaurant and participating in her Zoe empowerment group. Every morning, she wakes up very early to prepare batches of tea and chapati (flat bread) and carries it with her to school to sell to fellow students and teachers. After school, she sells the remainder of her goods in a roadside stand. 

Her profits have allowed Lidiah to pay school fees and make improvements in other areas of her life, including enrolling in health insurance and initiating the repossession of the stolen land. Lidiah didn’t know it was possible to get her land back until she received child rights training through Zoe Empowers. The area chief and council of elders are helping with the succession. 

99% of Zoe Empowers school-aged graduates in Kenya are enrolled in school*

After 18 months in the Zoe Empowers program, 100% of Kenyan group members report that they know their rights and can enforce them. 99% said they know how and where to seek help if they experience abuse.**

Although she doesn’t resent her uncle, Lidiah uses his actions and beliefs as fuel for her achievements. “He is the reason I am working so hard,” she admitted. “I want to buy him some cows and goats to show him that he did not have to sell me off for livestock, but he was supposed to give me an education to reap more.”

Throughout her empowerment journey, Lidiah has continued to live with her friend, whom she calls her “support system”. She is grateful to have been welcomed into a safe, loving home that values education. Now that Lidiah is close to finishing secondary school (high school) and graduating from Zoe Empowers, she has her sights set on enrolling in nursing school in 2021. 

Lidiah wants to be a role model for other girls who are facing similar challenges as she once did. She actively shares her story, encouraging them to get their education and helping in any way she can. “Though the journey is tough and tedious, I believe I will finish it,” she said. “One day I will change the story of the girl child in my community.”

380 million children living in extreme poverty are vulnerable like Lidiah was before Zoe Empowers.

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*Education: 

Longitudinal data: Surveys were given to 240 families in Kenya as they entered the program in January or July 2018, then again at their midpoint:

• incoming data: Of those families, 49% of the school-aged children in those families attended school either full or part time.
• midpoint data, 1 1/2 years later: 73% of the school aged children were in school.

Extra info: (from our most recent graduating class with survey data (started in January 2017 and graduated in Dec 2019) (91 families surveyed))  At graduation: 99% of the school-aged children in the group were in school.

**Child rights:

• incoming:  1% said that they know their rights and can enforce them.  1% said they know how and where to seek help if they experience abuse.
• midpoint, 1 1/2 years later:  100% said that they know their rights and can enforce them. 99% said they know how and where to seek help if they experience abuse.

Extra info:   At the midpoint, 99% of the females surveyed and 100% of the males said that boys and girls are treated equally in their empowerment group.

“I want to remind them [orphans in her community] to not see themselves as down. They should see themselves as high, that they can do whatever they want. Since I have suffered and changed, I want to encourage others to do the same.”

‒ Suki Makalani, 2015 graduate (Malawi)

As a young child in rural Malawi, Suki Makalani had a good life. Her mother was a housewife, while her dad worked hard to provide for the family. She attended school with her three younger siblings. The family could afford to eat regular meals, wear clean clothing and maintain a fine home. 

Life changed in the blink of an eye when Suki’s father fell ill. After a two-month stay at the local hospital, he passed away. Not long after, her mother also became sick, forcing her to become the head of her household at age 14. In an effort to make ends meet, she dropped out of school to sell vegetables in the marketplace. “Community members use to mock me at the market,” Suki recalled. “They’d say things like, ‘Look at her. Her dad died and now she has to sell vegetables’. It hurt me to hear those things.” 

Despite feeling alone and discouraged, Suki kept working. Her bravery and strong will to persevere powered her through the dark times, times of uncertainty and pain. She prayed for a better life, the one she remembered before her father’s passing. In 2013, she received the opportunity to create the life she envisioned when she was accepted into the inaugural Zoe Empowers Malawi program.  

Suki excelled in the program curriculum and quickly bonded with her empowerment group. Her charisma and bubbly personality began to surface. One year later, in 2014, she started her hair salon naming it ‘Aunt Yankho Salon’, meaning ‘the aunt with the answers’. Her maternal nature and desire to help has led her to be a mentor to many children in her community and in the Zoe Empowers program. Profits from her salon allowed Suki and her siblings to go back to school and invest in pigs and tobacco.

Over 90% of Malawi graduates report having a savings in livestock or other assets. 

By the time she graduated from the program in 2015, Suki had saved enough money to construct a new home for her mother, whose health had improved, given Suki’s ability to provide regular nutritious meals and medication. She completed her secondary education and went on to college at Lilongwe Technical College, in the country’s capital city located about one hour from her home village. To avoid the cost of on-campus housing and to keep her salon business growing, she commuted back and forth for two years.

Suki received a degree in Rural and Community development in 2019. She is proud to now call herself a college graduate. In the same year she also added onto her business by opening a cosmetic accessories shop right next door to her salon business. Her two businesses require the help of one full-time employee and all three of her siblings. 

In 2019, Zoe Empowers Malawi staff agreed to bring Suki on as an intern. Her outgoing, positive spirit and love for life is apparent in every ounce of her being. The continuous cluster of community members gathered around her salon or shouting their well wishes as they pass by are a testament to their respect and admiration for her. As a 22-year old business woman and primary school dropout turned college graduate, she aims to be a source of light and voice of encouragement to children in the program and in the community. 

“I want to remind them to not see themselves as down. They should see themselves as high, that they can do whatever they want,” said Suki. “Since I have suffered and changed, I want to encourage others to do the same.”

When she sees other orphans in her community, she prays that they, one day, can testify the way she can now testify. It is her wish to help more orphans by providing business capital. In the meantime, she will continue to run her businesses, intern for Zoe Empowers and seek out career opportunities in social work. 

380 million children living in extreme poverty will rely on charity forever.

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“Before Zoe, I prayed to God, asking him to help me complete school. I made a promise to God that when I got a job I would help other children. When I was hired by the government, I made good on that promise.”

‒ Madeline, 2014 Graduate in Rwanda

Even before she knew about the Zoe Empowers program, when she was suffering physically and emotionally, Madeline had a dream to help other children in her community. However, given her orphan status, Madeline, who was a young girl at the time of her parents’ death, could hardly help herself or her brother, Jean de la Croix, through each day.

Food was scarce and as a result, she and Jean de la Croix were severely malnourished and ill. The two siblings had a home, but its condition made it practically inhabitable. Attending school was a luxury Madeline dreamed about and prayed for daily. When she was accepted into the Zoe Empowers program in 2012, Madeline made a commitment to herself and to God that she would live out her dreams.

Comprised of 130 members from 56 households, the group’s first task was to name themselves. They settled on “Hope” as a symbol of what they believed their lives would become over the following three years. Although the children faced multiple challenges at the start of the program, most took a backseat to starvation.

After learning basic farming techniques within the first few months, the Hope group developed an income generating project around farming corn, cassava, beans and potatoes. Over the course of a couple harvests, all members of the group were eating more and higher quality meals, in addition to earning income to be put toward the group’s bank account that would later be loaned out to individual members to start businesses of their own.

Madeline and her brother, Jean De La Croix on their farm in 2012.

Once Madeline and Jean de la Croix understood the fundamentals of farming, they applied their skills on their own property by growing a vegetable garden for their family and starting a goat breeding business. The goats provided the family with milk, fertilizer and enough income for both of them to return to secondary school.

Consuming regular, nutritious meals helped Madeline feel energized and excited about each day, a feeling that was new to her. She found comfort in knowing where her next meal would come from. Healthy meals, in combination with personal health and hygiene training, significantly reduced illness. As more and more of her basic needs were met, she began to look for ways to work toward her larger vision of helping others in her community.

After graduating from the program in 2014, Madeline, then 20, was hired as an executive secretary for the Gisagara District. (Districts are similar to U.S. counties) With that job, came power and influence. When she became aware of multiple orphans in the community dropping out of school, she considered it a calling to put her knowledge into action.

Madeline standing in front of her office.

Madeline took the initiative to invite the orphans into a small group to teach them the lessons she learned while in the Zoe program. She contributed a small amount of her own income to the group’s bank account every week. Eventually, the group saved enough money to start a project selling bananas and avocados. Income from their group project funded the hiring of a seamstress and a barber to train the children to start their own businesses.

Although Madeline was financially secure, it wasn’t feasible for her to personally support the lives of 20+ group members, which is why she sought out training for them. “I realized that I could help without having a lot of money,” explained Madeline. Just like the Zoe program, training is much of the investment, but it has the most sustainable long-term impact.

Today, Madeline has supported five group members in starting their own tailoring businesses and four barbers. The children in her program view her as a parent, and she cares for them like one, too. “I’m so proud of them. They no longer beg and they can meet their own needs,” Madeline said.

“We were suffering so much when Madeline found us,” one young woman in Madeline’s group explained. “She was a very good advisor. This project helped us meet all our needs. We don’t want to disappoint her and are motivated. She inspires us.”

If working her government job and running a small Zoe Empowers-like program didn’t keep her busy enough, Madeline also adopted an orphan in the community who is currently enrolled in secondary school. Jean de la Croix went onto college, something he never thought was possible before Zoe Empowers.

“We have no way to express our feelings. You [Zoe donors] did so many things for us. Wherever we are now is because of you and God. We are full of joy because of you. We promise we will never be a coward and will continue the steps Zoe showed us. We know that tomorrow will be OK. My dreams have been made a reality.”

Like her brother, Madeline, too, believes she is living her dream by serving the children in her community who need it most, just like she once did. “I don’t want to be a leader,” she said. “I just want to help people.”

Madeline may not consider herself a leader, but the ripple effect of her impact in her community says otherwise.

Millions of young leaders like Madeline exist around the world, just waiting for their opportunity to live out their God-given potential.

380 million children living in extreme poverty will rely on charity forever.

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Madeline proudly sharing her recent marriage.

Madeline celebrating her job as a government official.

Madeline’s training shop.

“When I look at my dream chart and think about when I first made it to now, it gives me a lot of happiness, a lot of peace and a lot of hope. It helps me remember that if I’m working hard, I can go really far.” ‒ Fridah, 2nd year Zoe Empowers member (Kenya)

Social media allows our culture to daydream more than ever before. Scrolling through a Facebook feed often sparks feelings of jealousy or inadequacy, as it appears others are living a seemingly more exciting life. The idea of escaping our reality can be tempting, but does our reality really warrant escaping?

When Fridah was fourteen she lost her mother to illness. Since her father passed away when she was very young, the tragic loss of her only living parent left her the head of her household, responsible for three younger siblings ages 11, 9 and 7 at the time.

This is a situation worthy of fantasizing an escape plan.

The years that followed were the hardest of the young Kenyan girl’s life. To earn an income for her family, she dropped out of school to begin doing odd jobs in the community. Usually, her day consisted of cultivating a local farmer’s land: plowing, planting and harvesting fields by hand.

The labor was physically exhausting, especially on an empty stomach. Farmers would promise to pay Fridah in the form of a $1 or a meal at the end of the day, but, sometimes, they would choose to not deliver on their word. Those were the nights she begged for food in the village.

Eventually, her siblings also dropped out of school. Fridah couldn’t afford the school fees and uniforms, and she needed their help earning income to keep the family alive.

“Playing the role of both mother and father to my siblings was challenging and something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I remember feeling so alone, like no one else was suffering the way we were suffering. We didn’t have anyone to turn to. One time, I went to a relative’s home to ask for help, and they chased us away,” recalled Fridah.

Fridah and her family endured this way of life for three years before she was introduced to a Zoe Empowers empowerment group in 2017.

Soon after, her group created “dream charts”, or individualized plans for the future. Dreams, to Fridah, had always been just that, a dream—never anything that could be realized because her days were spent surviving. Dreams were for rich people who had parents, or so she thought, but that didn’t stop her from drawing a hair salon in the box signifying what she wanted to become through ZOE.

Even though she didn’t know what her future held, that little piece of paper told her that she had a dream. For the first time since her parents passed away, her dream chart made her feel hopeful. From that day forward, Fridah has kept her dream chart in a place where it can be easily seen.

Today, that place is on the mirror—in her hair salon.

Now, two years into the Zoe Empowers program, Fridah is experiencing great success with the hair salon business she was able to start with a micro-loan from her Zoe Empowers group. Her consistent income has enabled her to repay the business loan with interest to the group as well as pay back the money they loaned her to re-enroll her siblings in school.

Fridah’s Zoe Empowers group members also constructed a new home for her and her family, an act that is common among empowerment groups but only done for members who are most in need of adequate shelter. The recipient is not expected to pay back to the group for this gift.

“I could have never done this alone,” admits Fridah. “ZOE has given me and my family the opportunity for a better life. Everything I’ve learned through the program I always make sure to teach all my siblings.” Fridah’s younger sister (now 16) works with her in the hair salon.

Beyond influencing her family, Fridah’s impact can be felt by many young girls in her community whom she mentors at her salon. “I want to teach other children to have skills. I want to teach others how to do hair and have their own salon business, too,” she said.

While some of the girls want to learn hair styling, some just need a person to trust, to confide in. Fridah can identify with their pain and suffering and offers them support by providing them with basic jobs in her salon, like washing or drying a client’s hair.

Like many Zoe Empowers children, Fridah’s vivid remembrance of her past is what drives her to work hard in her business and give back to the organization that set her on the path to self-sufficiency. At the Thanksgiving in Tharaka event in September, Fridah donated $9 to ZOE.

“When I started to count up all the things that Zoe Empowers has done for me, there’s no way I could ever repay them,” explained Fridah. “Donating money to Zoe Empowers so other children can be helped the way I was helped is my way of giving back.”

With one year of the Zoe Empowers program left, Fridah is excited about what the future holds because it includes everything she and her family once went without: regular income, healthy meals, adequate shelter, clean clothing, access to healthcare, ability to pay for schooling, and most importantly, a strong sense of worthiness and a network of support.

Fridah is no longer dreaming of a better life because with the help of Zoe Empowers, she realized she had the ability to create it for herself, right where she was. A valuable perspective we can all keep in mind.

380 million children living in extreme poverty will rely on charity forever.
A monthly gift of $39 over 3 years empowers 5 orphans out of poverty to never need charity again. How many children can you give lasting sustainable change?

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“Through Zoe Empowers, I learned that children have the right for food, wear clothes, attend school, express ourselves, right to worship, and to do good things,” said Dorcas. “This motivated me to stand-up for myself and for others like me. I want to be a voice to help bring out the voice in others who have been silenced.”  –Dorcas

Standing at a mere five feet tall on a good day, Dorcas, with her sleek, low ponytail and petite frame dressed in a kaleidoscope of Kenyan prints and patterns could easily be mistaken for a girl about to enter junior high. Until she speaks, that is.

Dorcas, whose eighteen years of life experience has included unthinkable physical abuse from a family member, parental abandonment and subsequently, the responsibility to care for her two younger brothers, isn’t shy about sharing her journey out of poverty through the Zoe Empowers program.

When she talks about the nightmares of her past and the happiness of her life today, it’s not boastful; it’s reflective of the confidence and poise unearthed from the years of feeling alone and exploited. She has discovered her voice, and after a single conversation with her, it’s evident she’s never letting it be silenced again.

Before Dorcas began the Zoe Empowers program in July 2016, she described her life as “hopeless”. After her father passed away, her older half-brother began to misuse his position in the family by taking advantage of then 14-year-old Dorcas, to the point of her needing to withdraw from school due to physical and psychological injury.

After her half-brother colluded with her uncle to force her mother out of their community, Dorcas was left as the primary caretaker of her two younger siblings. The young family struggled to eat just one meal of potatoes or bananas a day and were tortured with the feelings of isolation, fear and shame regarding their inability to serve their community.

She and her siblings worked hard, long hours in the crop fields as cash laborers. Community members also physically and verbally treated them poorly and underpaid them for their efforts. One neighbor told Dorcas she didn’t want her to socialize with her children because Dorcas would teach them bad habits.

Things worsened when Dorcas’ uncle stole the land in which her family’s house was situated. Not knowing who to turn to for support, or that she had the right to speak up to authorities about such an issue, she found refuge elsewhere while her uncle proceeded to demolish the home to use the plot as he pleased.

Dorcas truly believed she was alone and other children in her community weren’t suffering the way her family was. To her surprise, when she joined the Zoe Empowers program and learned of the dozens of other orphaned children in her community that could relate to her circumstances, she immediately felt comforted.

“When the group accepted me as I was, I found a sense of living. I became hopeful. I could see that my challenges wouldn’t last forever,” explained Dorcas.

As part of the Zoe Empowers model to empowerment, Dorcas was trained on how to start a business in community. For orphaned children who’ve been boxed into a economic status group and plagued with unfavorable judgements about their character by community members, the realization that they, too, have talents to contribute to their society is incredibly motivating.

Dorcas chose to open her own grain shop where she sold seeds, such as corn and rice, to local farmers. Because the culture in small African communities is to support every business within it, as owning a business symbolizes he or she cares about the longevity of the community, Dorcas’ grain shop experienced growth quickly.

Now, in her third year of business and the Zoe Empowers program, she consistently earns upwards of $7 per day and is making plans to relocate her shop to a bigger market in the near future. Her income has allowed her to transform her life in a multitude of ways, including re-enrolling siblings in school, purchasing new clothing and regular, nutritious meals for her family.

More impressive are the changes that manifested since Dorcas learned her child rights through ZOE. “I learned that children have the right for food, wear clothes, attend school, express ourselves, right to worship, and to do good things,” said Dorcas. “When I learned all of this, I was motivated to tell our group mentor about my family issues (abuse and stolen property) and bring it to the village Chief at his office.”

Given the Chief’s strong support of the Zoe Empowers program, he invited Dorcas’ uncle to come meet him and Dorcas to discuss the issue in a common place. “I was nervous but my group members came to support me,” recalled Dorcas, smiling. “We talked about the issues and the Chief instructed her uncle to build another house for Dorcas’ family and to find her mother.

Without question, her uncle took all the commands from the Chief. He proceeded to build Dorcas a better house than what they’d had before, paid for her youngest brother’s school fees and returned everything he’d taken away years before, including her mother.

Dorcas isn’t one to dwell on the past, now that she can see her bright future so clearly. “I forgave my uncle because we were taught forgiveness in Zoe Empowers, and he accepted everything I asked of him. I know he’ll never abuse me again because they [uncle and half-brother] know I will enforce my rights,” stated Dorcas confidently. “My uncle now calls me a daughter, and we all live at peace.”

Adding more credibility to Dorcas’ unbelievable ability to forgive is the fact that she allows her half-brother to live on her compound. Divided by a single 2×4 and pile of boulder stones, as illustrated in the picture, their homes are within eyesight and earshot. Dorcas stands strong on her property knowing her act of forgiveness will never mean she has to allow others to take advantage of her.

In the community, Dorcas has become well-known for speaking out about child rights, serving as paralegal outside of her grain shop business. She can be found standing in forums teaching others, especially young females, about their rights.

“I know community boys know about me. They think I’m a feisty girl who knows her rights. I know men who have not learned to respect other girls but they respect me because I know my rights,” Dorcas explained matter of factly. “I am confident with my life, and I want to be an example of a woman who is standing for what is right. I want to be a voice to help bring out the voice in others who have been silenced.”

380 million children living in extreme poverty will rely on charity forever.
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Moses, Zoe Empowers Kenya Graduate, B.S. in Mathematics and Physics, Grade 1-4 Math Teacher

“ZOE taught me the value of education,” explains Moses. “Education is a light that allows us to see everything we want to see in this world. The training and ‘start-up kits’ our Group received is much of what I attribute my success to. The personal visits and generosity of Zoe Empowers donors inspires me to continue serving others in my community.”

“Google it” is phrase embedded in our Western culture. With a few search terms and a click, we can gain answers to an infinite amount of questions, whenever and wherever. Information is at our fingertips, and a result, we’re constantly self-educating and being entertained by scrolling, reading and watching content on the Internet.

Having the opportunity and capacity to learn at our leisure is a luxury and privilege we don’t think twice about, when in reality, hundreds of millions of children living in poverty around the world are either dreaming about being able to attend school or lack the understanding that a better life is possible through education.

The freedom education provides was an unfamiliar concept to 15-year old Moses. Living in a rural Kenya town with his two siblings (one older and one younger) and their widowed mother, the family struggled to obtain the most basic needs like food, clean water and a stable shelter.

Moses and his siblings did not attend school because paying school fees was out of reach, and being in a classroom meant the family couldn’t perform field labor to earn a meal. Feeling isolated and perpetually sad, Moses often kept to himself to avoid hearing hurtful remarks often shot at him by community members.

When Moses joined the Umoja Group under Zoe Empowers, he was introduced to peers in his community who were living in situations similar to his. Together, the group bonded over the hardship they had endured in their young lives and realized a brighter future was available to them without leaving their village or receiving charitable handouts. They began to understand the power to transform their own lives came from within.

The Umoja Group’s journey toward empowerment began with planting potatoes and later on, rearing egg laying chickens. Stabilizing food supply within Zoe Empowers groups is critical early on, so the children have energy to think and work while also gaining confidence in their evolving mindset.

Over the course of several months, Moses and his group members attended trainings, conducted by community leaders, Zoe Empowers mentors and staff, that focused on various aspects of life. Some trainings were specific to trades, like carpentry, while others were geared toward business and entrepreneurship. Every individual in the group was responsible for having an activity that generated income.

Having spent much of his life working in the field for community members, Moses chose farming as his business. With a $50 start-up grant awarded by his group (from Zoe Empowers provided funds), he was able to run a water connection that allowed him to slowly increase his production of sukuma wiki (leafy greens). Within three months, he was selling ten bags per week, yielding a profit of $237 per month—enough to invest in a diversified agriculture portfolio including onions, bananas and cattle.

Farming also enabled Moses to earn enough savings to attend a university where he finished with a degree in mathematics and physics. While away at school, his younger sister stepped into his spot in the Umoja Group to complete the program. Following in her brother’s footsteps, she went on to the university in Nairobi to complete her degree in accounting.

Today, as a Zoe Empowers and university graduate, Moses is a full-time elementary math teacher back in his Kenyan town. He continues to grow his farming operation to positively influence other local children. “I want my farm to inspire youth to venture into self-employment, particularly farming which is mainly done by the elders in my community,” said Moses. With the help of two full-time employees, Moses successfully farms onions, kale, grains, chickens and four dairy cows, and he has plans to scale up in the future.

With a deep understanding of the importance of education and a supportive peer group, Moses uses his farming income to pay the school fees of other community children, a pay-it-forward act becoming increasingly common among Zoe Empowers grads. In 2017, 80% of Zoe Empowers graduates surveyed in Kenya reported they assist other poor vulnerable people in their community without asking for payment.

“ZOE taught me the value of education,” explains Moses. “Education is a light that allows us to see everything we want to see in this world. The training and ‘start-up kits’ our group received is much of what I attribute my success to. The personal visits and generosity of Zoe Empowers donors inspires me to continue serving others in my community.”

Beyond satisfying his hunger, gaining entrepreneur skills and growing a business, obtaining a college degree and the countless other ways Zoe Empowers impacted Moses’ life, the most significant and lasting transformation is his psychological change; his innate understanding that he is fully capable of helping himself. Each day and every decision he made to become self-reliant has broadened his view of the world. Coincidentally, a view now inclusive of the world’s most powerful search engine: Google.

Google, the invaluable research tool our society uses daily, is one Moses has become aware of and gained access to in his small Kenyan town. Post-college and Zoe Empowers graduation, Moses “Googled” how to build a latrine, and then he built one in his community using the information found in his search; a resourceful act unthinkable before he was exposed to a steady, diversified stream of educational courses.

ZOE’s empowerment program radically changed Moses’ life; a change his entire community is benefiting from through his farm, employment opportunities and generosity. Your donation to Zoe Empowers today can bring more education, training and hope to thousands of other children who are still living the darkness of poverty, unaware of such opportunities.

380 million children living in extreme poverty will rely on charity forever.

$9 a month can change that.

A monthly gift of $9 over 3 years empowers one orphan out of poverty. How many children like Moses can you give lasting sustainable change?

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