Days before Fiona’s mother passed away, she made one last request of her eldest daughter: “Take care of her three younger siblings.”
Despite being thirteen and still a child herself, Fiona promised her mother she would honor this request. Moments later, her mother died in her arms.
Shortly after her mother’s death, Moussa, Fiona’s seven-month-old brother, had a seizure. The episode scared Fiona badly, so she packed up the family and moved in with their father, who had never provided for his wife and children.
Unfortunately, Fiona’s father still wasn’t interested in helping. He quickly remarried another woman and forced his children out of his home. With nowhere to go, Fiona and her siblings went to live with their elderly grandparents—her grandmother Virginia, age 80 and disabled, and her blind grandfather. There, she became the family’s caretaker.
Fiona dropped out of school to care for her siblings and grandparents. She found work in the community, hauling manure, fetching water, and weeding crops. The pay couldn’t sustain and nourish a family of six or provide proper medical care for Moussa, who continued to have seizures. Most days she was paid in a small amount of food instead of money, and sometimes not paid at all. “Some people would send me away empty-handed,” she remembers.
Misery turned to panic when Fiona’s aunt arrived one day with a baby boy, Kenny, who was one year old. At first, it seemed the aunt just wanted to introduce the family to Kenny, but after a couple of days, she disappeared, leaving Kenny behind with Fiona. Suddenly, the family of six grew to seven.
Moussa’s condition worsened as seizures became more frequent. Without money or transport for hospital visits, Fiona could only pray he would survive. The first time she saw him convulse, she thought he was dying like her mother. “I was terrified,” she said. “I did not know what was happening.”
For five long years, Fiona tried to hold the family together. Nights were often sleepless and hungry. “I would lie awake listening to my stomach rumble,” she recalled. She often thought of the promise she had made to her mother. Was it even possible to keep it?
Finally, in 2022, Fiona, then 18, experienced a spark of hope: she joined Zoe Empowers Rwanda’s Intwali Group. For the first time, she met other youth facing similar struggles. Her group and mentor Emmerance welcomed her with compassion.
The timing was an answered prayer for Moussa. With swift help from Zoe, Moussa was hospitalized and diagnosed with epilepsy. She finally had an answer to his condition with a treatment plan.
Meanwhile, Fiona dutifully attended the Zoe Empowers group meetings and soon received her first business grant—a chicken. She intended to start a poultry project, but instead made the heartbreaking decision to cook and eat the chicken to keep everyone alive. The group eventually provided Fiona with a second grant. But, again, Fiona spent the funds on food.
Ashamed of her behavior, Fiona stopped attending her group meetings and fled to another city, where she found a job as a housekeeper. While she was gone, Moussa’s treatment stopped and his health deteriorated rapidly. Hearing that he might die, Fiona rushed home, remembering the promise she made to her mother.
When Fiona returned, her mentor Emmerance and group facilitator Alice visited her. They shared her story with the group, who voted to welcome her back.
“I asked forgiveness,” Fiona said. “They accepted me and said, ‘We love you and want to be part of your life.’ I felt so overwhelmed and happy.”
Also, by this point in the program, many of Fiona’s peers had experienced significant changes in their lives. Seeing this, Fiona recalls feeling hopeful.
“I started to believe that I could do it like my group mates had done,” Fiona said. “I wanted to be like them.” Accepting a third grant, Fiona promised her group that she wouldn’t disappoint them.
Fiona used the grant to start a business selling vegetables. Her profits afforded the medical attention Moussa needed to survive. She also paid back the grant money she had misspent with interest. Eventually, she earned enough to provide adequate food and medical insurance for her entire family.
A major turning point came when Fiona bought a goat. With a smile, Fiona noted, “The day I bought my first goat, everything changed. It gave me confidence. I started to walk taller. I felt strong and smart.”
Rearing livestock amplified Fiona’s earning potential. She reenrolled her siblings into school and purchased materials to build a house. The entire empowerment group worked together to help Fiona construct a new home.
“Witnessing my empowerment group come together to build my home filled me with love and worthiness,” Fiona said.
Fiona’s peers describe her as funny, calm, and strong. Luise, one of her group mates, said: “We saw how much responsibility she had. We wanted to support her and be part of her life.”
Another youth, Innocent, admires her perseverance. “She’s mentally strong,” he said. “She never gives up.”
Today, Fiona operates a third business weaving shopping bags. A skill she learned through a vocational training program provided by Zoe. Fiona recently helped her sister start a business selling sweet potatoes. Now, they both can provide for the family.
Fiona often reflects on her journey, “I used to be homeless,” she says. “Now, I have a home, goats, and chickens. People in my community respect me.”
As for her mentor, Emmerance, she remains deeply proud. “I always worried about Fiona,” she said. “She had more on her plate than anyone. But I knew she could make it.”
Having also lost her own father young, Emmerance empathizes deeply with Zoe’s youth. “I was helped by neighbors when I was a child,” she said. “Now, I give back. Every child deserves a chance to pursue their dream.”
Fiona still misses her mother. She often wishes she could show her the life she has built—the goats, the baskets, the laughter filling their home.
“I wish she could see us now,” Fiona said. “She would know I kept my promise.”
Through Zoe Empowers, Fiona transformed from a burdened child into a capable leader whose life now shines as brightly as her mother’s final hope.
