Bakary is a 39-year-old farmer. He lives in Mali with his wife and ten children ranging from ages 1 to 22. One of his sons and one of his daughters are enrolled in elementary school. In addition to his main crop farming activity, Bakary has been fattening sheep as a secondary business for over seven years. In the photo, he is the man holding the sheep.
Bakary belongs to a group of seven livestock breeders who have come together to request a loan from the RMCR in order to finance their activities.
He buys his livestock at nearby markets, takes care of his animals during the length of the loan cycle, and then resells them at the same venues in order to repay his loan's principal and interest by the repayment due date.
After repayment, Bakary makes a profit of 95,000 to 100,000 francs per cycle (the equivalent of 16,000 francs per month). His earnings are used to cover his family's expenses. In the future, he would like to expand his activity in order to better meet the needs of his family.
In this group: Bakary, Oumar, Yaya, Soumaila, Tiemoko, Drissa, Karim
Translated from French by Kiva volunteer Sophie Narayan. View original language description.