From Program Member to Program 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, […]
Pete Gives Hope and Gets Hope
The summer before he entered sixth grade, Pete signed up to volunteer at his church’s annual Vacation Bible School (VBS). VBS at First Cary United Methodist Church, located in a western suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, resembles numerous VBS programs around the country. Through prayer, demonstrations, fun activities, and hands-on lessons, elementary-aged children experience the […]
Timothy and His Giving Tree
Timothy’s grandmother gave him two gifts before she passed away. The first was a small gourd, meant to symbolize giving. The gourd only darkened if he gave to others. “The darker the gourd, the richer his life will be,” she told him. At the time, Timothy didn’t believe he had anything to give. He was […]
10 Reasons Zoe Empowers is Unlike Other Children’s Charities
Zoe Empowers started as a relief-based organization with short-term, marginal results. In 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. Zoe Empowers […]
A new door opens for Faith
Faith still remembers the day she knocked on her uncle’s door. It wasn’t long after the death of her parents. She was fifteen, and her younger brother, Martin, was eight. They hadn’t eaten in several days, and Faith was beginning to fear they wouldn’t survive on their own. After a few seconds, the uncle’s new […]
From Hopelessness to Hope, Clarisse tells her story.
The sun was almost set when Clarisse climbed up the mango tree. Warm tears traced her cheeks as she processed what she was about to do. She had no choice, she believed and only wanted a way to stop the pain. Since her parents and eldest brother went to prison a few years ago, Clarisse’s […]
Beatrice Shatters the Cycle of Poverty
“Losing my biological father at a young age and being abandoned by my stepfather made me feel that everything was lost,” said Beatrice. “Little did I know that Zoe Empowers would come and change the direction of my life.” – Beatrice Beatrice’s earliest memories are in the hot, dusty fields with her mother, Verina. After […]
Daniel’s Ascent into Fatherhood
Daniel was 11 years old when he became the head of his household. His mother unexpectedly passed away of a mysterious illness, and his father had died a couple of years before that. As the eldest of four siblings, Daniel acquired the role of caretaker. Still a child himself, Daniel’s understanding of parenting could be […]
Sheeja was a Grieving Daughter Looking for Hope
Sheeja was in school when she got the news: Her father had suffered a stroke. At first, Sheeja thought there had been a mistake. Someone had confused her father with another man. Her father was healthy. He had only just turned forty. He worked all-day shifts for as long as Seeja could remember. Sheeja and […]
Winfred’s rise to resilience and motherhood
Nearly three years ago, on a warm July afternoon in Kenya, Winfred grabbed a jerry-can and walked toward the river. The task of gathering water was standard for the seventeen-year-old, who had acquired the role of primary caretaker for her four younger siblings. Their mother had become an alcoholic following the death of their father, […]