We equip orphaned children and youth-led families with solutions to overcome extreme poverty—for good.
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Zoe Empowers works with child-headed households and their families impacted by the global orphan crisis.
Through a three-year, locally-led program, participants become safe and healthy, skilled for long-term success, and able to lead meaningful lives within a supportive community providing them with a positive impact.
For decades, the global response to help orphans has been largely relief-based, yielding recipient dependency, donor frustration, and little transformation to support children in their area of need.
By creating opportunities for helping orphans to become skilled, healthy, and connected community members, we not only solve the core issue of extreme poverty but eliminate the need for endless aid.
Once enrolled, our indigenous staff organize participants into mutual care groups of 60-100 children. For orphaned and isolated youth, the group becomes an extended family. Over three years, groups receive micro-grants and training to achieve sustainable success and well-being across every area of life.
“We used to be called dogs for sleeping outside. Most days we did not know where each other were living. Today, we are no longer wandering. My proudest moment was the day I put my feet in our house because it meant reunification with my brothers.”
Jean Claude, Jean Batise and Nkomeje
Rwanda Program Graduates
Youth are equipped to grow, cook, and store food, and make necessary housing improvements.
“I had a young mind to succeed but lacked the resources to make it happen. Zoe Empowers made a bridge for me to cross over to success. Today, I can take myself to the next level of education and pay for my own university degree.”
Youth pursue greater incomes through individualized training funded by the program.
“The women in my community used to tell me that I was not worthy of medical care or education because I was an orphan. Today, those same women come to me for food and I always assist them. I am no longer stigmatizes by my community and this gratitude that I feel motivates me to help others.”
Youth embody a sense of belonging and confidence as respected leaders making a positive difference in their communities.
Youth rejoin siblings and adult relatives knowing how to enforce their human rights and contribute financially.
Children experience the gospel in both action and words in ways that are never coercive.
Zoe Empowers group members continue to support one another after graduation. Lives continue to improve as generational change is realized. Entire communities are transformed.
Together we can empower youth to become the solution that breaks the cycle of poverty.
Read our 2023 Annual Review to see how our impact is sustaining empowerment across 9 countries.
Extreme poverty is solvable. Join other monthly donors creating a future for vulnerable children.
Kenya Program Graduate