Gentil was 11 years old when his parents passed away, leaving him head of the household for his three younger siblings, Claudine and Jean-Claude, twins, and a newborn baby girl, Delphine.
After years of struggling, he was introduced to a facilitator from Zoe Empowers, an organization equipping young people with the training, tools and resources to overcome extreme poverty.
By program graduation, Gentil's food trading business grew exponentially, requiring him to hire employees to open his own supply store. He continues to run his donut business while growing vegetables to sell in his store and at the market.
*The impact survey is conducted at three points in the three-year Zoe Empowers program: at intake before the youth receives any benefits, at the midpoint, and at graduation. Empowerment groups at each level are randomly selected in proportion to the total number of groups in each country, with a goal of 20-25% of the groups surveyed (a lower percentage for the largest programs) and a minimum of three groups chosen at each level in every country. One survey is completed by every child-led family in the group, usually by the youth that is the head of household. Initially, the survey is designed to be cross-sectional, with the intake groups’ surveys providing baseline data to compare to the data from the midpoint and at graduation. The selected intake and midpoint groups will continue to be surveyed as they progress through the program, eventually yielding longitudinal data for the program.
Credits:
Kara Welter Photography