Africa is the least developed continent, struggling with food and water security, job opportunities and economic and political instability. This environment creates a struggle for the 50 million child orphans spread across the continent, who must fight, steal and beg to survive. While money can be pumped into Africa to assist with urgent issues such as lack of resources like shelter and food, there must also be a focus on breaking the never-ending cycle of poverty by empowering the youth and escaping poverty.

A Long-Term Change

A significant proportion of the African youth are unemployed; 10-12 million youth enter the workforce in Africa every year. However, only 3 million jobs are created annually, leaving vast numbers of youth unemployed.

Zoe Empowers aims to resolve this issue by prioritizing self-sufficiency for orphaned youth to enable them to escape poverty. The organization achieves this by teaching them skills for long-term success, such as lessons in accounting and investing. With minimal job opportunities, these lessons in self-sufficiency are a lifeline to orphaned and impoverished youths, allowing them to forge their path out of the poverty cycle. The charity has empowered nearly 200,000 children across the world, including Africa, with work being done in Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Sudan.

Success Story From Zoe Empowers

Welshman, a man from the Zoe Empowers program in Zimbabwe, finally achieved his dream of opening a bakery when he was financially supported with a small loan to purchase basic supplies such as flour and loaf pans. After a few months, the profits from his trade allowed him to send his siblings back to school. Today, his bakery is a booming business in the local community. Before Zoe Empowers, Welshman had spent years caring for his younger siblings while working jobs that paid less than $1 per day. The financial and emotional support from Zoe Empowers has allowed Welshman and his family to escape poverty, giving him new sources of income, new career prospects and a new prosperous life.

Zoe Empowers shows impoverished and orphaned children how to turn their passions and natural skills into profitable businesses and trades. The organization has undeniably opened doors of opportunity for struggling youths such as Welshman and Priya. With their success, they and their families now have a steady income that will lift them out of poverty and help rebuild the local economy, ending the cycle of poverty. Zoe Empowers offers impoverished children a long-term solution to escape poverty and empowers the local youth, establishing grassroots change for generations to come.

– Abigail Tidball
Photo: Unsplash