CURRENT INITIATIVES
ORPHAN EDUCATION & CARE PROGRAM
THE CHALLENGE: VULNERABLE CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND
Unfortunately, many children in Chibolya have lost one or both parents due to disease, violence, or poverty, and are left to navigate life on their own - often ending up on the streets. These children are highly vulnerable to crime, abuse, and exploitation of all kinds, with few pathways to education or safe shelter.
Even those with surviving relatives are often trapped in unstable, overcrowded, or impoverished homes, unable to access basic needs or attend school. The streets of Chibolya hold too many stories of children fending for themselves in an unforgiving environment that offers little help.
Without meaningful intervention, these children grow up without the tools to change their circumstances. Without access to education, safety, or consistent care, they face a future shaped by survival rather than opportunity. As they become adults, many are forced into unstable work or harmful environments, often repeating the very struggles they were born into. The cycle of poverty, hardship, and lost potential continues - generation after generation - unless something breaks it.
OUR SUPPORT: STRENGTHENING A COMMUNITY-CENTERED MODEL
Rather than starting from scratch, we partnered with an existing force for good - Action for Empowerment (AFE) - a grassroots care centre founded by Jacob and rooted in the community itself.
AFE is not a traditional residential orphanage, but a daily support centre. Vulnerable children are placed in safe homes with relatives, trusted guardians, or vetted members of the community. AFE fully funds each child’s education - covering school fees, uniform supplies, and support all the way through to university graduation.
Each day, the children attend the AFE centre, where they receive a nutritious meal, educational and emotional support, and a sense of safety and belonging.
We also support the host families, particularly the women, by providing sewing machines, tailoring courses, or other practical skills training. This helps them enter the workforce, increase household income, and better care for both the children and themselves.
This model avoids the long-term harm of institutionalised care by prioritising family connection, community integration, and sustainable development. It builds dignity, stability, and opportunity into every child’s life - not just for today, but for generations to come.
THE IMPACT: EDUCATION TRANSOFMRING FUTURES
The results are life-changing. Children in the program are not just surviving - they’re thriving. Many are either in the process of or have already graduated from high school and university.
The ripple effect is profound. When a child is educated and empowered, they’re more likely to build a stable future, choose a partner who shares the same values, and raise children in a home where education and opportunity are the norm - not the exception. Over time, this creates a generational shift: smaller, healthier families with the tools to break the cycle of poverty for good.
One powerful example is Natalie - a girl you had been orphaned at just 13 years old and left vulnerable on the streets. Before entering the program, she endured immense hardship and exploitation. But once welcomed into the AFE community, her life changed. She received care, structure, and an education - eventually graduating from a teaching college and beginning a life with dignity, safety, and purpose. Her story is just one of many.
These outcomes are not just wins for the individual children, - they are wins for the broader community. Every child lifted out of the cycle of poverty has the potential to become a future changemaker within their community.
SCALING WITH YOUR SUPPORT
Currently, the entire program is sustained by Jacob’ Vision, along with a small amount of local income from Jacob’s farm - a very generous gift from the local Chief in recognition of Jacob’s kind initiatives and contributions to the community. The farm grows corn, which is processed into maize samp and cornflour - both staple foods across the region. This farm supplies the AFE centre with food for the children as well as a small amount of income from its sales.
But the centre’s need is far greater than our current capacity. There’s a growing waiting list of children in urgent need of help. With more support, we can expand the program to reach them - providing more safe placements, more meals, more school fees, and more futures changed.
