Giving Hope Project: Community-Building
A Working Group meeting
Connection to Community
ZOE meets with community leaders to identify the most vulnerable orphans in their area. Leaders invite these individual orphans and child-headed families to a meeting for assessment and registration. This documentation enables ZOE to follow the progress of each child.
Everyone at the initial meeting is asked to draw their Life Dreams. These drawings represent hopes, hurts, and fears as well as their dreams for the future. The pictures are placed on the wall in each home as a catalyst for future action.
A Life Dream is posted at a business run by a youth in the Giving Hope project.
Working Groups
To create a new community of support, orphans and child-headed families are divided into Working Groups so they may support each other and raise the standard of living for everyone in their Group. Many children say this group becomes their new family.
Working Groups choose a Leader and an Adult Mentor. Leaders and Adult Mentors receive monthly, specialized training designed to teach life-skills for self-sufficiency.
Training
The oldest child from each family attends a Working Group meeting each week led by Group Leaders and Mentors.
Siblings receive information and training from the oldest child. Like a parent, the oldest child teaches younger siblings about health and hygiene, how to plant and care for crops, and other life skills. Family members work on individual goals to make their Life Dreams a reality in the months and years ahead.
See how the Giving Hope Project is Empowering Lives.
Explore the Giving Hope Project Methodology.