Stories of Hope: Peninah

Like so many children, Peninah was orphaned at a young age and left with siblings to care for. At the tender age of 12, she was left to provide for a younger brother. An uncle quickly stole the best of the land Peninah’s parents had left for her.

Hungry, alone and frightened, Peninah was approached by a man with the offer of $8 and some bread. With a hungry brother at home, and no other options before her, this young girl accepted. Peninah became pregnant and gave birth.

ZOE began working with Peninah two years ago. A recent ZOE workteam met Peninah, and Rev. Greg Jenks, ZOE’s founder said, “The girl I met bore witness to the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. As I saw her so tenderly care for her child, I was reminded that only Jesus could turn such a horrible situation into something so precious and beautiful. Peninah spoke with such pride about her daughter and her ability to now care for her properly.”

Peninah told the story of how ZOE had transformed her life.

Her Working Group of orphans approached the local chief and petitioned for her land to be returned to her. The chief agreed. ZOE provided a goat and $100 worth of
input for her farm. The other orphans in her support group helped her cultivate her 5 acres of land. She was then trained in tailoring and received a start‐up kit from
ZOE Ministry for her new business.

Today, Peninah has several hundred dollars worth of food stored from her most recent harvest. She has 12 goats, numerous chickens, and her own business in the market. She is a devoted follower of Jesus Christ and is completely self‐reliant at the age of 16.

A ZOE workteam member who met Peninah shared that she had waited her whole life to witness a miracle. As she saw the lives transformed through ZOE’s work she declared, “I have now seen that miracle.”

Peninah’s success in our empowerment program inspired us to feature her story in our Christmas Animals DVD.  She began with just one goat.  After a successful harvest, Peninah sold some of her food and purchased a few additional goats. Animals have played an important role in Peninah’s escape from poverty.  This is the case for many, many orphans in our program.  In fact, animals can often be the first step toward transforming the lives of orphans.