For families in crisis, food relief and
a way forward together.
When a mother comes to our crisis nurseries ready to give up her child, it is usually not because she lacks the desire to be a mother. Instead, she often struggling to survive on less than 35 ZMW per day while lacking access to food, employment, medical care or housing. However, when the choice comes down to her child’s survival it is heartbreaking but clear. A mother would rather see her child survive in an institution than die in her arms.
At CACZ, we believe there is a better response. By strengthening families, we can preserve a mother’s bond with her child and protect them from the trauma of family disruption. For the past fifteen years, we have prevented child abandonment by addressing the root causes including hunger, poverty, and social exclusion. Our response guides families from crisis to sustainability through emergency food relief, job skills training, and community savings groups.
We protect the bonds between mothers and children.
How we help families experiencing hunger:
Our Family Preservation and Empowerment Program (FPEP) addresses root causes of abandonment, including poverty and lack of access to social services. FPEP guides families in crisis through a continuum of support in three key areas:
EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF.
We stabilize families in crisis through a regular supply of food. Each month, CACZ organizes food distributions at local churches that provide families with essential nutritional items like formula, food staples and Amway Nutrilite® LittleBits™ micro-nutrients. Church leaders and members offer ongoing spiritual, social and physical care to families.
JOB SKILLS TRAINING.
Once families have food security, we strengthen caregivers economically through job skills training. CACZ partners with international NGOs and local business owners to teach participants marketable skills like tailoring, rug-making, and goat farming. CACZ assists participants in finding employment or establishing their own micro-enterprises.
COMMUNITY SAVINGS GROUPS.
Ultimately, we want families to become empowered and self-sustaining. For the duration of a family’s participation in FPEP, we help them to develop financial resilience within their local communities. CACZ staff leads community savings groups that introduce healthy financial habits and a structure for families to grow their earnings together.
Rebecca’s story: from hunger to hope.
Rebecca came to CACZ two years ago in desperation. As a single mother, she struggled with food insecurity as she tried to survive on less than $2 per day. Rebecca was especially worried about her children who were malnourished due to hunger.
We immediately enrolled her children in FPEP, where Rebecca accessed monthly food relief. With a stable food supply, Rebecca could focus on her family’s future. She attended our job skills training classes where she learned to make and sell rugs.
Within a year, Rebecca was earning enough money from her new craft to provide for her family. We are proud to share that Rebecca has graduated from FPEP with a long-term plan for self-reliance. Both her children are healthy weights for their ages, and consider their mother their hero.
Thousands of families protected and empowered for life.
3,623
malnourished children and their families have received monthly emergency food relief since 1998.
118
parents and caregivers have completed job skills training to learn marketable skills since 2016.
16
community savings groups generate 201,714 ZMW annually with monthly contributions under 90 ZMW.
199
families are building their way out of poverty together by participating in community savings groups.
