Empowerment Ministry in Action - Report of ZOE Trip

ZOE
Helping children to
help themselves in
Zimbabwe

ZOE
Need for the
program

• Orphans are shunned by their community including communities of faith
• Their parents may be dead or disabled and they are trying to raise younger family members
• They are hungry and may go without food for 2-3 days
• They suffer beatings and abuse

Overview

• Zoe began to employ an empowerment model 10 years ago in Zimbabwe
• They are now in 5 African countries and India and Guatemala serving 33,000 orphans and their families
• With more financial support, they could doubel the number served

ZOE Process

• Social workers are employed
• These are young people from the communities they serve who have college degrees in social work
• They work in the communities to gain trust of community leaders and try to overcome a natural suspicion of such programs

ZOE staff and
travel group

Barbara - a
woman with a
big heart and
firm hand

Norene -
volunteered
for 3 years
before getting
a paid position

Chico - goes to
the local pool
hall and school
to engage
community
members and
earn their trust

Evans - teaches
and mentors
the younger
staff members

Dennis - has a
passion for
work with
children, sees
their potential
in the face of
often dire
conditions

Milton - relates
well to the
ZOE kids with
his youthful
fun loving
spirit

First year

• Identification and interview of orphans for the program
• Groups are formed and issues of health and food insecurity are addressed
• Community mentor selected
• Christmas party

Dream chart

1. What makes me
   sad?
2. What makes me
   happy?
3. What I don't like.
4. What I want.
5. How can I make
   my dreams a reality?

A common
need included
on the dream
charts is to
have a birth
certificate

Addressing
food insecurity

• Individual and family groups receive corn seed and fertilizer
• They are taught how to plant and care for their corn crop
• All reported tripling or quadrupling their previous crops allowing them to begin eating every day

Second year

• Once food insecurity is resolved, instruction in business practices and bookkeeping begins
• Meticulous record keeping is required
• $150 grants are given for individual businesses

Possible
business
opportunities

• Raising chickens
• Planting a community nutrition garden and selling produce
• Small community store
• Sewing and selling garments
• Raising livestock

Raising goats

Nutrition
garden

Selling school
uniforms

Layer or broiler
chickens

Community
store

Education

• Managing money
• Getting younger children back to school
• Taking classes in subjects such as child protection
• HIV/AIDS
• Health and Nutrition

Third year

• Adding skills to make money, manage businesses
• Group work to identify and begin a sustainable business
• $500 grant for these businesses
• Hiring newly identified orphans and others in the community

Possible
business
opportunities

• Large community garden managed by several family groups
• Selling clothing, grocery items, flea market space
• Raising goats, cows, chickens

Large
community
garden

Our Taguta
group sells
school
uniforms to
the
community

A local
seamstress
makes them
for $4 and they
are sold for $8

Completion of
program

• Completion of progeram with graduation ceremony
• Continued oversight from social workers
• Business mentors available for help
• Help with housing and care of families

Graduates of
ZOE one year
ago selling
goods at
market in
Mutare

Our group -
Taguta Dora

Welcome
Duke Chapelle!

Home visits

Visits from
ZOE Hope
Companions

• Very important part of the program
• Increases productivity of the group
• Effect on the community
• Consider budgeting for scholarship for Congregation members

In spite of
unimaginable
adversity ...

Need for
flexibility
in travel
experience

La Rochelle

Trip cost

• Trip costs
  • Flights $1,000-$2,200
  • In country costs $1,090
  • Visa $30
  • Vaccinations
  • Tips and Souvenirs

Need for support

• Infrastructure is in place for twice as many children
• Support ($$) is all that is needed

Possible ways to increase our support

• Commitment is $8,000 for three years
• Gather eight friends and sponsor a group
• Support Alternative Gift Market

Vacation time -
Africa is an
amazing place
to visit!

Victoria Falls