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One Big Sister’s Great Responsibility

Growing up as an only child, Millicent had a close relationship with her parents. Their family blended into the conventional standards of the rural Kenyan village in which they resided: A breadwinner father who provided a comfortable life for his family. 

Millicent attended school, lived in a safe home, had access to nutritious meals, water, clothing, and other basic necessities. When her mother became pregnant with twins, it was a joyous occasion for the family. Millicent, then 16, was excited to have siblings. 

But, her role as big sister took on added responsibility when her father suddenly passed away in a car accident. The loss of her father’s income pushed the family into extreme poverty. Millicent had no choice but to drop out of school to earn money. She found odd jobs, like collecting and selling firewood and washing clothes, but it was never enough to cover expenses. 

The family was kicked out of their living situation and moved in with their elderly grandmother and chronically ill uncle. Mourning the loss of her husband, Millicent’s mother began drinking alcohol heavily, spending long amounts of time away from the home, before ultimately remarrying and abandoning her children entirely. 

By default, Millicent became the primary caretaker. The village people noticed and some took advantage of her vulnerability, exploiting her desperation for their gain. Ashamed her once stable and secure family was suffering, Millicent and her siblings isolated themselves from the community until they were accepted into the Zoe Empowers Kenya program in July 2019.

After completing business training, Millicent realized there was a demand for fresh vegetables in her community. She presented a business plan to the empowerment group, and once approved she received a loan to open a convenience shop to sell vegetables, along with items like flour, sugar, salt, rice, and tea. 

A few months later, she borrowed money to purchase two dairy goats, which grew to provide her family with regular milk to drink. Her expanded knowledge of agriculture and animal rearing has also motivated her to keep a large vegetable garden and several chickens at home.

Before Zoe Empowers, Millicent and her siblings often suffered from illnesses such as diarrhea and scabies. Training on health and hygiene incited a major overhaul in the way Millicent managed her household. 

She cleared away bushes around the house to prevent mosquitoes, set up a clothesline and learned how to cook food and clean the dishes properly. With monetary help from the group, Millicent built a new latrine and established a hand-washing station with soap. 

Millicent guides her younger siblings in proper hand-washing technique.

Before year-end, Millicent also plans to enroll the family in health insurance, using profits from her business, as well as repair the leaking roof on their home. Although schools closed when the pandemic hit, she is hopeful her siblings will be able to return to the classroom in 2021. 

The hardships she endured before finding Zoe Empowers Kenya tested her trust in God and His plan for her life. Her anger kept her from attending church. Eighteen months later, Millicent, now 19, has a transformed perspective, one that welcomes God’s love into her daily life. 

She still misses her parents, but her involvement in the church has helped to fill that void. “Even if I lost my earthly parent, I know I have a father in heaven,” she said. Her empowerment group has also become like an extended family to Millicent and her siblings. 

Sometimes, Millicent can’t believe how much her life has changed, and that she was the one responsible for it. Zoe Empowers provided her with training and resources, but she was the one responsible for implementing what she learned. 

She can’t help but smile when thinking about her accomplishments, even in the pandemic. Month by month, she can look back and see progress. More importantly, she no longer fears the future because she knows she is capable of overcoming any challenge with the support of her group and faith in God.

Just over halfway through her time in the empowerment program, we have no doubt that Millicent will continue to excel on her journey toward self-sufficiency. 

Millicent shows off some of the products in her shop.

380 million children living in extreme poverty are vulnerable like Millicent was before Zoe Empowers.

$9 a month can change that.

A monthly gift of $9 over 3 years empowers one orphaned or vulnerable child out of poverty. How many children like Millicent can you give lasting sustainable change?