But, despite our generosity and good intentions, we realized we were not <\/span>helping orphans<\/span>. In fact, our impact was marginal if anything at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers adjusted its charitable model to empowerment after discovering a new way to empower youth led families from Rwandan social workers.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Zoe Empowers connected with a group of Rwandan social workers<\/a> who related to our frustration in finding effective, sustainable solutions. Following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda had been inundated with Western relief, lasting years beyond the point of emergency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The social workers noticed their <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> had grown so accustomed\u00a0 to receiving aid that they were unable to care for themselves, resulting in another problem entirely: dependency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not only did <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> rely on outside aid to survive, but the support yielded little sustainable change. Most children were still living in <\/span>poverty<\/span>, which created a third problem: donor fatigue. Donors were giving endlessly, and transformation was not occurring.<\/span><\/p>\n These Rwandan social workers responded with a skills-based, community approach. Instead of giving away resources, they wanted to <\/span>help orphans<\/span> by teaching them how to care for themselves, in the context of a loving, supportive community. And it was working tremendously!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Inspired, Zoe Empowers staff began this approach in Kenya as well, and then returned to Zimbabwe and implemented the empowerment model. When it proved successful, Zoe began expanding the program across country and culture, wherever orphaned children and vulnerable youth lived in life-threatening poverty. Since then, Zoe has honed its implementation in <\/span>11 countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, India, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Uganda) and impacted more than 214,953 orphaned children and vulnerable youth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers helps <\/b>orphans<\/b> become self-sufficient, not dependent.<\/b><\/p>\n The empowerment model works because it allows <\/span>orphaned children and vulnerable youth<\/span> to take the lead in their journey out of <\/span>poverty<\/span> while addressing the well-being of the whole child, including health<\/a> and safety<\/a>, skill building<\/a>, and community connection<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n An essential part of the three-year empowerment program is that Zoe staff\u00a0 do not do anything for the youth they could otherwise do for themselves. Instead of giving food, local staff assist participants in growing and buying their own food.<\/a> Instead of providing shoes, we provide a network of local community members who teach participants how to start their own businesses, so that they can buy their own shoes. Rather than provide an <\/span>orphanage<\/span>, we assist participants in repairing, renting, or building their own housing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Zoe Empowers facilitates training to equip participants for long-term success, including education<\/a>, vocational training<\/a>, business development<\/a>, and financial fluency<\/a>. There is also an emphasis on social and spiritual connections<\/a>, which is an intangible but critical part of the transformation process, and one that\u2019s often absent in relief-based transactions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Learn more specifics about how the model works here<\/a>.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers works in communities, not <\/b>orphanages<\/b>.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n The empowerment program is designed for orphaned children caring for their younger siblings and <\/span>vulnerable children<\/span> acting as caregivers for compromised adults. Millions of children worldwide are living with this burden.<\/span><\/p>\n When <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> become head of their household, the challenges of surviving while caretaking makes education and\/or vocational training unattainable, further limiting economic prospects. Through Zoe, these young people can break the <\/span>poverty cycle<\/span> and build a prosperous future for their families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The program intentionally keeps <\/span>orphaned youth<\/span> in their communities instead of placing them in an <\/span>orphanage<\/span>. As a result, the youth foster critical social connections, which serve them well beyond graduation. Furthermore, as the broader community bears witness to their transformation, the <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> restore a sense of belonging, dignity, and confidence to reunify with relatives when possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers is led locally, not internationally.\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n In each country of service, Zoe\u2019s in-country staff<\/a> is entirely indigenous. As local citizens and trained social workers, teachers, and educators, they bring invaluable cultural knowledge and expertise and understand the specific needs, challenges, and opportunities within their region\/country. The U.S. and Western partners monitor results closely and track finances<\/a> but refrain from offering suggestions from afar about how to improve the empowerment program.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers measures outcomes, not activities.\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n We measure the results<\/a> of the empowerment program on a self-sufficiency index, which evaluates impact across eight areas of intervention: Food Security, Secure Housing, Health & Hygiene, Education, Income Generation, Child Rights, Community, and Spiritual Strength.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our comprehensive reporting practices, combined with a local, agile staff, allow us to make adjustments quickly and efficiently to maximize every participant\u2019s chance at success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our data demonstrates that participants experience an upward trajectory throughout the program, and upon graduation, 95%+<\/a> of <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> and vulnerable youth are entirely self-sufficient.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers produces sustainable, generational change, not quick fixes.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The official program duration is three years, giving participants ample time to learn and implement changes. After graduation, the Zoe empowerment groups continue working together and meeting regularly.\u00a0 Participants remain crisis resilient<\/a> because of their personal and group savings, and ability to solve challenges. Even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, participants expressed confidence in their skills and ability to support themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n More impressively, graduates often become leaders in their community and a resource to other <\/span>orphans in need<\/span>. Group participants revel in paying forward<\/a> their training and skills to help other community members in need, further amplifying the effects of empowerment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers believes in time limited <\/b>partnerships<\/b>, not endless <\/b>sponsorships<\/b>.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n By design, Zoe participants equip themselves to never need <\/span>charity<\/span> again by the time they reach graduation. Therefore, Zoe Empowers partnerships<\/a> align with the three-year life cycle of the program. Along the way, donors receive reports<\/a> highlighting the stories and improvements from their designated group.\u00a0 Supporters appreciate the chance to be a catalyst to changing lives in generational ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because of the focus on empowerment, Zoe\u2019s monthly cost per participant averages less than $9 per person. As of 2023, the three-year cost for one participant to become empowered was $317, making empowerment the most effective and economical solution to ending extreme <\/span>poverty<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b>Zoe Empowers facilitates travel opportunities to witness change, not mission trips.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Zoe <\/span>partners<\/span> are invited to travel<\/a> to program countries to meet the orphaned children with whom they are partnered. Travelers visit businesses the children have started, see homes they\u2019ve built, learn about jobs they\u2019ve created, and witness the transformation that has occurred in their lives and communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Zoe trips focus on showing <\/span>partners<\/span> the effect of empowerment as opposed to facilitating relief activities, such as building houses or serving meals. It would be ineffective for travelers to engage in such tasks when the participants have learned to do these things for themselves. Instead, <\/span>partners<\/span> get the opportunity to engage in conversation with the orphans, listening as the youth share their experiences, hopes, and dreams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Zoe Empowers actively shares the lessons we\u2019ve learned with others, creating a better world for all. <\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n Zoe Empowers is leading a growing empowerment movement by sharing what we\u2019ve learned and equipping other NGOs, <\/span>foundations<\/span>, and governments with resources to adopt this successful model. We actively assist other <\/span>orphan<\/span> empowerment organizations to replicate and manage the program themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n Although we did not design this approach (we were introduced to it by a group of Rwandan social workers), we are committed to being good stewards of the model. We believe that investing in the empowerment of <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> and vulnerable youth, can ignite a generation of skilled young leaders to leave extreme <\/span>poverty<\/span> behind forever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Learn More<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column]\n\t\t\t[\/et_pb_row]\n\t\t[\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zoe Empowers started as a relief-based organization…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":214658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Zoe Empowers started as a relief-based organization with short-term, marginal results.<\/b><\/p>\r\nIn the early 2000s, the AIDS pandemic devastated communities in sub-saharan Africa, leaving hundreds of thousands of orphaned children in its wake. Globally, there was a push to donate to Africa, support orphan charities, sponsor an orphan, and fundraise for an orphanage.\r\n\r\nZoe Empowers was among numerous Western nonprofits and <\/span>foundations<\/span> that responded to the <\/span>orphan<\/span> crisis. We, like everyone else, believed <\/span>orphans<\/span> needed money, goods, and services, so we arrived in Zimbabwe and dispensed food, clothing, school materials, housing, and other common forms of relief.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBut, despite our generosity and good intentions, we realized we were not <\/span>helping orphans<\/span>. In fact, our impact was marginal if anything at all.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers adjusted its charitable model to empowerment after discovering a new way to empower youth led families from Rwandan social workers.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\r\nZoe Empowers connected with a group of Rwandan social workers<\/a> who related to our frustration in finding effective, sustainable solutions. Following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda had been inundated with Western relief, lasting years beyond the point of emergency.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe social workers noticed their <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> had grown so accustomed\u00a0 to receiving aid that they were unable to care for themselves, resulting in another problem entirely: dependency.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nNot only did <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> rely on outside aid to survive, but the support yielded little sustainable change. Most children were still living in <\/span>poverty<\/span>, which created a third problem: donor fatigue. Donors were giving endlessly, and transformation was not occurring.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThese Rwandan social workers responded with a skills-based, community approach. Instead of giving away resources, they wanted to <\/span>help orphans<\/span> by teaching them how to care for themselves, in the context of a loving, supportive community. And it was working tremendously!\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nInspired, Zoe Empowers staff began this approach in Kenya as well, and then returned to Zimbabwe and implemented the empowerment model. When it proved successful, Zoe began expanding the program across country and culture, wherever orphaned children and vulnerable youth lived in life-threatening poverty. Since then, Zoe has honed its implementation in <\/span>11 countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, India, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Uganda) and impacted more than 214,953 orphaned children and vulnerable youth.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers helps <\/b>orphans<\/b> become self-sufficient, not dependent.<\/b><\/p>\r\nThe empowerment model works because it allows <\/span>orphaned children and vulnerable youth<\/span> to take the lead in their journey out of <\/span>poverty<\/span> while addressing the well-being of the whole child, including health<\/a> and safety<\/a>, skill building<\/a>, and community connection<\/a>.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAn essential part of the three-year empowerment program is that Zoe staff\u00a0 do not do anything for the youth they could otherwise do for themselves. Instead of giving food, local staff assist participants in growing and buying their own food.<\/a> Instead of providing shoes, we provide a network of local community members who teach participants how to start their own businesses, so that they can buy their own shoes. Rather than provide an <\/span>orphanage<\/span>, we assist participants in repairing, renting, or building their own housing.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nZoe Empowers facilitates training to equip participants for long-term success, including education<\/a>, vocational training<\/a>, business development<\/a>, and financial fluency<\/a>. There is also an emphasis on social and spiritual connections<\/a>, which is an intangible but critical part of the transformation process, and one that\u2019s often absent in relief-based transactions.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nLearn more specifics about how the model works here<\/a>.<\/span><\/b>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers works in communities, not <\/b>orphanages<\/b>.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\nThe empowerment program is designed for orphaned children caring for their younger siblings and <\/span>vulnerable children<\/span> acting as caregivers for compromised adults. Millions of children worldwide are living with this burden.<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhen <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> become head of their household, the challenges of surviving while caretaking makes education and\/or vocational training unattainable, further limiting economic prospects. Through Zoe, these young people can break the <\/span>poverty cycle<\/span> and build a prosperous future for their families.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe program intentionally keeps <\/span>orphaned youth<\/span> in their communities instead of placing them in an <\/span>orphanage<\/span>. As a result, the youth foster critical social connections, which serve them well beyond graduation. Furthermore, as the broader community bears witness to their transformation, the <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> restore a sense of belonging, dignity, and confidence to reunify with relatives when possible.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers is led locally, not internationally.\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\nIn each country of service, Zoe\u2019s in-country staff<\/a> is entirely indigenous. As local citizens and trained social workers, teachers, and educators, they bring invaluable cultural knowledge and expertise and understand the specific needs, challenges, and opportunities within their region\/country. The U.S. and Western partners monitor results closely and track finances<\/a> but refrain from offering suggestions from afar about how to improve the empowerment program.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers measures outcomes, not activities.\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\nWe measure the results<\/a> of the empowerment program on a self-sufficiency index, which evaluates impact across eight areas of intervention: Food Security, Secure Housing, Health & Hygiene, Education, Income Generation, Child Rights, Community, and Spiritual Strength.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nOur comprehensive reporting practices, combined with a local, agile staff, allow us to make adjustments quickly and efficiently to maximize every participant\u2019s chance at success.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nOur data demonstrates that participants experience an upward trajectory throughout the program, and upon graduation, 95%+<\/a> of <\/span>orphaned children<\/span> and vulnerable youth are entirely self-sufficient.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers produces sustainable, generational change, not quick fixes.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe official program duration is three years, giving participants ample time to learn and implement changes. After graduation, the Zoe empowerment groups continue working together and meeting regularly.\u00a0 Participants remain crisis resilient<\/a> because of their personal and group savings, and ability to solve challenges. Even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, participants expressed confidence in their skills and ability to support themselves.<\/span>\r\n\r\nMore impressively, graduates often become leaders in their community and a resource to other <\/span>orphans in need<\/span>. Group participants revel in paying forward<\/a> their training and skills to help other community members in need, further amplifying the effects of empowerment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers believes in time limited <\/b>partnerships<\/b>, not endless <\/b>sponsorships<\/b>.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\nBy design, Zoe participants equip themselves to never need <\/span>charity<\/span> again by the time they reach graduation. Therefore, Zoe Empowers partnerships<\/a> align with the three-year life cycle of the program. Along the way, donors receive reports<\/a> highlighting the stories and improvements from their designated group.\u00a0 Supporters appreciate the chance to be a catalyst to changing lives in generational ways.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBecause of the focus on empowerment, Zoe\u2019s monthly cost per participant averages less than $9 per person. As of 2023, the three-year cost for one participant to become empowered was $317, making empowerment the most effective and economical solution to ending extreme <\/span>poverty<\/span>.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \u00a0<\/b>Zoe Empowers facilitates travel opportunities to witness change, not mission trips.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\r\nZoe <\/span>partners<\/span> are invited to travel<\/a> to program countries to meet the orphaned children with whom they are partnered. Travelers visit businesses the children have started, see homes they\u2019ve built, learn about jobs they\u2019ve created, and witness the transformation that has occurred in their lives and communities.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nZoe trips focus on showing <\/span>partners<\/span> the effect of empowerment as opposed to facilitating relief activities, such as building houses or serving meals. It would be ineffective for travelers to engage in such tasks when the participants have learned to do these things for themselves. Instead, <\/span>partners<\/span> get the opportunity to engage in conversation with the orphans, listening as the youth share their experiences, hopes, and dreams.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Zoe Empowers actively shares the lessons we\u2019ve learned with others, creating a better world for all. <\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\r\nZoe Empowers is leading a growing empowerment movement by sharing what we\u2019ve learned and equipping other NGOs, <\/span>foundations<\/span>, and governments with resources to adopt this successful model. We actively assist other <\/span>orphan<\/span> empowerment organizations to replicate and manage the program themselves.<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"Epiphanie\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/02_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/03B_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/04B_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/05_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/06B_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/07B_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/08_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/10_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/p>\nImpact one young person for as little as $9\/month.<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/01_10Reasons_ZoeEmpowers-1024x576.jpg\")
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n