To survive, Madeline relied on begging in the community and working hard labor jobs to earn a meal for her small family. Her greatest dream was to attend school.
Madeline endured years of suffering before being connected to Zoe Empowers, an organization equipping young people with the training, tools and resources to overcome extreme poverty.
At home, Madeline started a vegetable garden for her family. She received a small grant from Zoe Empowers to start a goat breeding business, which generated enough income for her and her brother to return to school and complete their education. Jean de la Croix currently attends college.
As more and more of her basic needs were met through Zoe Empowers, she began to look for ways to work toward her larger vision of helping others in her community.
After program graduation, Madeline was hired as the Executive Secretary of the Gisagara District. This gave her the opportunity to take what she learned from Zoe Empowers and become a child rights activist.
Today, Madeline believes she is living her dream.
*The Rwandan 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