Stories of Hope: Ituze Restaurant
Ituze Restaurant was created by orphans in the ZOE Ministry Giving Hope Project to support other orphan children.
Ituze means “tranquility.” That’s just what the Ituze Restaurant means to 15 orphans supported by the restaurant’s proceeds.
The orphan restaurant owners used life-skills learned through the Giving Hope Empowerment Project to conceive of and develop their business. They designed the restaurant to help children living without any kind of assistance. They say Giving Hope helped them understand the problems that other orphans face and call these vulnerable children “their babies.”
A 2009 ZOE Team learned about Ituze Restaurant when visiting a nearby ZOE Ministry Pig Project. Many of the Giving Hope orphans from that project started the restaurant, picking a busy location to help ensure success.
Sarah (red hat) helps run the Ituze Restaurant.
Despite challenges, their project is profitable and running well. In addition to supporting children in need, the income generated by the business helps put money in their Working Group savings account, feed their pigs, and pay salaries for orphans who work in the restaurant.
Sarah (pictured in the red hat) helps run Ituze and the Pig Project and is taking care of 8 children. Read Sarah’s Story of Hope.