Our Partnership with Zoe Empowers

Malawi is one of the most economically challenged countries in the world, with 50.7% of the population living below the poverty line and 25% living in extreme poverty. Zoe Empowers has operated in Malawi’s rural Doya District since 2013 where the poverty numbers are even more disproportionate, with 28% in extreme poverty. Large-scale flooding in 2015 followed by a major drought in 2016 has compounded issues of food insecurity. Approximately 37% of children under age five experience growth stunting due to malnutrition. High poverty rates have resulted in Malawi having the 12th highest rate of child marriage with 9% married by age 15 and 42% married by age 18. Many children are trapped in a cycle of poverty and are unable to meet their basic needs of food, shelter, education, health, income generation, and safety. Zoe Empowers is reducing the number of orphans and vulnerable children living in poverty by meeting the needs in all areas of their lives enabling them to become self-sufficient.

One Day’s Wages partnered with Zoe Empowers in Year 1 of a 3-year project to support 600 Malawian orphans and vulnerable children. Zoe Empowers is a three-year comprehensive, youth-led program that enables vulnerable children to permanently pull themselves out of extreme poverty, with a 95% rate of success. Building on a foundation of indigenous staff, community leaders, and local resources, orphans and vulnerable children are empowered to become entrepreneurs who are socially, economically, and spiritually strong, transforming entire communities in the process. Zoe Empowers provided comprehensive training and resources across 8 key areas to ensure self-sufficiency. By the end of the first year, each child-headed household had established a business that provided a steady source of food and income, and had access to educational opportunities and healthcare systems. At the end of the three years, the children will graduate to owning multiple businesses with diverse revenue streams for their families.