After Miriam’s father died, her mother married a man who did not want to be responsible for someone else’s children. Miriam and her younger siblings were sent to live with their grandmother who was already caring for other grandchildren. Sadly, their grandmother was not well and greatly struggled to provide for the family.
Miriam dropped out of school so that she could provide for the family. Or at least she tried. Being young and unskilled, what few jobs she could get involved hard labor and paid very little. Mainly, the family begged or relied on donations from church members to get by. Miriam felt it was her responsibility to take care of her grandmother and four younger relatives, but being the mom was overwhelming.
When Miriam joined her Zoe Empowers Zimbabwe Empowerment Group she discovered she no longer had to struggle alone. Through each area of empowerment, Zoe Empowers provided training and resources while Miriam’s groupmates ensured she had the assistance to accomplish her goals.
The group helped Miriam plant both a home garden and a crop of maize. Following business training, they provided advice and approved a grant so Miriam could open a “tuck shop” selling items like soap, sugar, rice, cooking oil, and snacks. A year later, they helped her begin a business of breeding chickens. With some of her earning she purchased plaster and cement to improve her home, but without the help of her empowerment group completing the task would have been impossible.
Miriam has returned to school and is also paying the costs for her younger relatives to continue their education. She is providing the family three nutritious meals a day and has also taught them how to protect their health. With such great support from Zoe Empowers and her groupmates, she is filling the role of mom quite well.
380 million children living in extreme poverty will rely on charity forever.
$9 a month can change that.
It only takes $9 a month for three years to bring a child from begging for food as a way to survive to never relying on charity again. How many children’s lives will you change?
[button url=”https://www.wearezoe.org/give-monthly/” style=”primary” text=”Learn More”]
“Our life has totally changed. We used to starve and we had dropped out from school. I never thought I might be a business person one day and own my livestock as I now have.”
