Kenyan Graduates Travel to Malawi
Feelings of excitement and fear filled John. He never thought he, a 22-year-old orphan from rural Kenya, would fly in an airplane. Now, he found himself 10,000 feet in the air, staring out at the clouds from his window seat on the way to Malawi. Next to him sat his friend Pamela and Mercy, a […]
The Harvest of Hope
“I want to see Zoe Empowers expand into more areas of Malawi because it is unique from other organizations I’ve been registered with. Those programs didn’t solve my problems. They would just give me food and go. Instead of giving fish, Zoe Empowers is giving fishing sticks so we can do it on our own.” ‒ […]
Zoe Empowerment Group Member Becomes Malawi Staff Intern
“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 […]
ZOE and Malaria Prevention
Malaria is an awful disease, debilitating at best and fatal at worst, killing nearly half a million people worldwide each year. The children who enter ZOE’s empowerment program face this threat continually and many have lost their parents to the disease. Zoe Empowers joins others as part of a global movement seeking to eliminate this scourge. […]
When Maize Provides an Education
Smiles come more easily for 14-year-old Elless these days. Shown with her maize crop, she is beginning to see the fruits of her labor on her own land. She no longer has to experience exploitation from the farmers who would pay her for a day’s work with a little food and nothing else. When Zoe Empowers […]
Girl Power: Closing the Gender Gap in Malawi
Girls in Malawi’s Zoe Empowers program are overcoming more than poverty – they are fighting against gender discrimination and becoming role models for others in their communities. “Customary practices [in Malawi] often restrict women’s ability to own or operate land,” said Mercy Nyirongo, program manager for Zoe Empowers Malawi. “They own fewer of the working animals needed […]
Hope Through Agriculture
By the time he was seven years old, George had already struggled with adult problems. His father died three years ago and his mother is very sick. He and his sister still live with their mother, but they have felt the ostracism and isolation of poverty and discrimination. Even though they have some land around […]
Her Right to an Alternative Rite of Passage: Part 1
Many of us living in the US are lucky enough to have never heard of the practice known as female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM includes a variety of gruesome practices that involve cutting, stitching and other trauma to a girl’s genital area. Different communities and cultures have different reasons for carrying out this practice. […]