Choosing Motherhood:
Nelly & Michael’s Story
Choosing Motherhood: Nelly & Michael’s Story
“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else’s happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you’re not sure what the right thing is…” – Donna Ball
Motherhood is a gift, but it can also be a challenge. Nelly* knew this when she adopted her orphaned nephew, Michael*, adding him to her family of five.
When Michael was 12, he lost both of his parents – leaving him orphaned and alone. For many children living in Zimbabwe, losing a parent leads to a life filled with uncertainty, poverty, and trauma. But God had a plan.
Nelly raised Michael like her own son. But life in Zimbabwe is difficult and many parents struggle to provide basic necessities like food, safe housing and education for their children.
Despite that, Nelly still desired to show God’s love to Michael and to care for him. With 6 children now, Nelly was struggling to provide her family with meals, pay for their schooling, and help Michael heal from the loss of his parents.
Help is on the way
Their local church noticed Nelly struggling back in 2017 and began to help through their orphaned and vulnerable care ministry.
Together with Forgotten Voices, the church paid Michael’s school fees, bought him uniforms, and supplies so that he could attend school and have a chance for a brighter future. But Nelly was still struggling to get enough food and other necessities for her family.
Nelly submitted a business proposal for a market stand to the church.
Wanting to help her be more self-sufficient, the church and Forgotten Voices helped Nelly launch a small business by providing her with food items to sell. Michael even began to help his mom out at the stand! The two became an ambitious team, eager to expand.
This led to Nelly and Michael moving their stand to an area with more people walking by. The business was expanding but Nelly and Michael struggled to keep track of their profits, expenditures, and stock.
A Training That Gave Hope for the Future
Soon after, the church and Forgotten Voices led a training to teach caregivers like Nelly about basic accounting procedures. This training helped Nelly increase profits so that she could better meet her family’s needs!
As the market stand has grown, life at home for Nelly and Michael has changed drastically. From her profits at the market stand, Nelly can buy:
-
Enough food for the family
-
Electricity for her house
-
Medicine for her husband’s high blood pressure.
“Now we are able to buy meat and eat with my family” – Nelly
A few years ago, having meat in the house was considered a very rare treat. But now, Nelly and her family rejoice over all that God has done in their lives!
With the family growing stronger day by day, Michael is excited for his future! He’s in high school now and will graduate soon. Eventually, he dreams of becoming a soldier once he finishes his education!
Thanks to you all, this precious family is moving forward in life and Michael’s dreams are within reach!
