The first time Sungano attended a Zoe Empowers meeting, she arrived so late the meeting was nearly finished. Not only was she late, but she was breathless, sweating, and covered in dirt. The Zoe Empowers program facilitator leading the meeting was concerned about her desperate appearance and began asking Sungano questions.
Sungano, then 15, replied that she had come from almost four miles away, where she worked to support her family. She was the caretaker of five younger siblings: Ramos (11), Nokutenda (10), Beyonce (10), and twins Tawanayasha (1) and Tadiwanashe (1).
At that time, in March 2022, it wasn’t unusual for Sungano to walk more than eight miles every day to find odd jobs. Searching for piecework drained Sungano of her joyous spirit. She felt shameful having to beg for a job, but she did it knowing her family depended on her to survive.
Fighting for her family
Sungano’s mother passed away from health complications after giving birth to her twin brothers. Because each of the siblings had a different father, all of whom had abandoned their child(ren), Sungano and her siblings lived with their 72 year-old maternal grandmother, Viola.
Viola’s house had two rooms, but only one section had a roof. Open windows without glass made the family vulnerable to intruders, insects, and variable weather. Winter was especially miserable since the five siblings shared one blanket while Grandma covered herself with a thin cloth.
Without access to financial resources, Sungano, Ramos, Nokutenda, and Beyonce had dropped out of school. Sungano sought work in neighboring communities, going as far as she needed to secure a job. Despite laboring for ten, twelve, or fourteen hours a day, she’d barely earn enough to feed her siblings.
Unfortunately, this scenario is not uncommon for vulnerable youth living in extreme poverty. When an employer knows a child or household is desperate for work, they can exploit the family. For example, a child could be promised $5/day but only receive $.50 at the end of the day.
This is why Zoe Empowers equips its participants to start and operate their own businesses, giving them full control over their earning potential. Once established, many of these young entrepreneurs take pride in hiring other vulnerable young people from their community and feel pride in being able to pay them a fair wage.
From one blanket to many
Sungano was one of the first in her empowerment group to receive a start-up loan of $100, which she used to start a business buying and selling clothes. After saving some of her business profits, she bought several bags of maize from a wholesaler. Her investment was timely since an El Nino drought during the 2023-2024 growing season had left many households without maize. Sungano was able to sell the crop in her rural community for double its usual market price.
Profits from her business endeavors allowed Sungano to re-enroll Ramos, Nokutenda, and Beyonce in school and cover fees for their uniforms and books. At home, she made significant improvements, including plastering the walls and installing a roof and window panes, and her empowerment group helped to build a new latrine. For the first time ever, the family no longer dreads winter.
“Everyone now has their own blanket,” Sungano said proudly. “Even if we are to receive visitors, they won’t need to worry about having blankets. We have plenty of them here.”
Sungano’s success has inspired her siblings, especially Ramos, who has begun to see himself as the “man of the house.” With Sungano’s help, her three eldest siblings have started their own businesses. Nokutenda sells dried fish and chips, while Beyonce sells zippers and undergarments. Ramos sells snacks at school and is saving to start his own poultry business in the near future. All the siblings now use their profits to help cover their school fees. Sungano believes her siblings will work harder in school if they are financially invested in their own future.
‘Hold on to the future.’
Sungano herself stays inspired by her grandmother, stating that Viola is the one who continually reminds Sugano just how far they’ve come.
Viola often tells Sungano, “Hold on to the future,” meaning she wants Sungano to keep working hard to keep improving their lives now, and then they can relax and enjoy it in her old age.
Sungano heeds her grandmother’s advice—with a couple of exceptions for indulgence.
In August 2024, Sungano unveiled a custom tombstone at her mother’s gravesite. Adding beauty to her mother’s place of rest has been on Sungano’s mind for over two years. “It would wake me up at night,” Sungano said. With the support of Zoe and her businesses, Sungano accomplished this coveted wish and honored her mother’s life.
Another lifelong goal of Sungano’s was to attend a church conference in a city nearly 300 miles away. Given the distance and price of admission, she never thought it would be possible to attend. However, in 2023, Sungano not only traveled to the conference by bus but was able to save enough money to also take her entire family with her.
The conference united church members from across Zimbabwe for days of prayer and holy communion. Sungano and her family had such an incredible time that they vowed to return every year.
Until then, Sungano will continue to build her businesses and help her siblings. She will graduate from the program in March 2025.
