Our partnership with Zoe Empowers

Meet Yuvulemu

Yuvulemu was in his early teens when his father committed suicide and his mother remarried, leaving him and his three younger brothers in the custody of their chronically ill grandmother. To provide for his siblings, Yuvulemu dropped out of school. Unfortunately, people took advantage of his vulnerable situation, hiring him for day labor and then not paying him wages. One time he was even beaten for reminding a boss that he was due wages for completed work. Despite Yuvulemu’s hard work, he simply could not provide adequate food for his family.

As a young person responsible for his household, Yuvulemu was recruited into the Zoe Empowers program and joined a youth empowerment group where he learned about business management and child rights. Equipped with vocational training and a small grant to purchase a sewing machine, Yuvulemu’s dream of becoming a tailor was realized.

Yuvulemu was able to hire his first employee, then use his earnings to purchase bicycles for a tax business, and open a small grocery shop. And Yuvulemu didn’t stop there. He expanded his agricultural fields and livestock, growing rice, corn, and tomatoes. Now, there were multiple streams of income to support his family. 

In just three years, Yuvulemu was able to pull his family out of extreme poverty. He now not only provides for their basic needs, but is also supporting his brothers’ education. He even donates a portion of his harvest to to elderly women in need. No longer an exploited worker, Yuvulemu has become a role model for his entire community!