Zoe Empowers Update: Meet Lydia
In January, the North Georgia Conference began a 3-year partnership with a remarkable program, Zoe Empowers, to offer support to the Imani “Faith” Kiborione Group in Kenya. This group consists of 99 orphaned and vulnerable children living in extreme poverty from 27 child-headed households.
Pictured is Lydia, chairperson of Imani Kiboriene. She has 3 siblings (2 girls and 1 boy), and her mother died in 2010. She took the responsibility of caring for her siblings. Early this year, before COVID-19 forced stay-at-home orders, Zoe trained her for 3 months as a seamstress and provided her with capital and fabrics to start her workshop. Today, she is able to meet some basic needs for the family. We cannot wait to see where her empowerment leads her!
What is Zoe Empowers?
What if a mission could help recipients to never need charity again? This is what NGUMC is accomplishing with Zoe Empowers for orphaned children living in extreme poverty in Africa and India.
Zoe’s unique three-year, community-based, empowerment program stands with these young people as they pull themselves, their siblings, and each other permanently out of extreme poverty across every area of life — from food security to knowing they are not beyond the love of God.
These young people will move from hunger, begging, and abuse to leaders and employers in their community over the next few years. It is like watching a miracle unfold. If you enjoy data and measurable results click here and you can see what God has in store.
How to Engage Your Congregation
Zoe has resources for you and your congregation to engage in discussions on how we can practice missions in more effective, more sustainable ways:
- Zoe offers Virtual Mission Trips, visiting Rwanda, Kenya and India across three days and seeing God at work.
- Engaging discussions for small groups and Sunday School classes offering a chance for people to reflect more deeply about being in mission with others in sustainable ways.
- Resources specially crafted for Christmas alternative giving, VBS mission projects, direct partnerships, and additional church resources.
With funding already provided, the greatest need from North Georgia Conference congregations and individuals is for prayer for a family group. To sign up for a family group to pray for, contact Parrish at Scott.Parrish@ngumc.net.