Zimbabwe Orphans Through CONNECTED CHURCH Zimbabwe Orphans Through Extended Hands

A GIFT OF GOATS June 2016

What’s your favourite meal? Notes to leader: Ask this question to the group and then get them to split off into 2’s and 3’s, then they can feed back to you. Then say… today we’re going to meet a family who were suffering from an extreme lack of food, until our Connected Church partner ZOE came along.

Six months ago Patience Maoko and her three children had a very uncertain future. They were foraging in the woods for food and the children had dropped out of school. Notes to leader: Patience’s husband had passed away in 2011, leaving her and her three children without an income.

Then the church stepped in Then the church stepped in. They gave sacrificially to the family, collecting food together and making sure they had enough to eat. And they got in touch with Tearfund partner ZOE. Notes to leader: The church provided short term help with food, until the family could be given a more long term solution.

ZOE gave Patience three goats, and taught her how to look after them ZOE gave Patience three goats, and taught her how to look after them. She also started a vegetable garden. The difference in Patience is incredible! She has a smile on her face, her children eat well, and they go to school everyday. Notes to leader: Patience has built a goat house for the three goats she was given by ZOE. Thanks to her training in looking after animals she has been able to breed two more, bringing her flock up to five. In Zimbabwe, owning goats is a sign of wealth, and you are more respected in your community if you own livestock, so Patience’s self-esteem and standing in the community has been boosted. Even the goats’ poo has been helpful, as she has used it as manure to nourish her vegetable garden. The produce she grows feeds her family, and there is even some left over to sell. The profits go towards sending her children to school and buying oil and grain.

‘I am happy and my family is happy because of what God did for us through the church.I don’t know how I can thank the Lord enough.’ Notes to leader: Patience is full of thankfulness towards the church, and she has also become a church volunteer herself, visiting other vulnerable families and providing support where she can. Patience Maoko

PRAYER Thank God for the church and how they have blessed Patience Ask God to bless her vegetable garden and her goats so she can continue to provide for her family Notes to leader: You could ask people to pray in small groups, or lead them in a time of intercession.

FIND OUT MORE: Visit your partner page on our website: connected.tearfund.org/partners/ZOE Notes to leader: Encourage people to create an account via the website, so they can receive updates from ZOE.