334 Orphans Graduate from Zoe Empowerment Program in Dowa

A total of 334 orphaned households have graduated from the Zoe Empowerment program after three years of receiving various training and microgrants, enabling them to become self-reliant.

Speaking during a farewell event in Mponela, Dowa, the organization’s Senior Program Facilitator, Esther Chinkhadze, expressed her satisfaction with the improved livelihoods among the program’s beneficiaries.

“It is quite encouraging that when we visit them, we can see changed lives among these beneficiaries who are mostly orphans and vulnerable children,” she said.

Dowa District Social Welfare Assistant, Daniel Phungulume, described the Zoe intervention as remarkable, noting its positive impact on the status of orphans and vulnerable children in the district.

“My appeal to the beneficiaries is that they should make good use of their businesses and skills so they can employ others and eliminate abuses that occur when people are unable to thrive on their own,” he said.

He also thanked the organization for its efforts and urged continued support for orphaned and vulnerable households in the district.

Mita Gelesomu, one of the program’s beneficiaries from the Tiyanjane Mapondera group, shared how her new salon business has allowed her to generate enough income to support herself and her dependents.

“In the past, life was hard because I had no one to support me after being abandoned by the man who impregnated me,” she said.

The Zoe Empowerment program supports orphaned and vulnerable youth through a three-year program, providing training in various aspects of life and micro-grants to help start businesses. The program also focuses on spiritual strength, food security, education, housing, health, and child rights.