Adding to basket
Born in November 1964 in Bamako, Ms. Assetou is a married woman and the mother of five children. She resides with her husband and their children in a large nuclear family in Hamdallaye, a working-class district in Sikasso City (3rd administrative region of the Republic of Mali). After having run many businesses without success, she finally became familiar with buying and selling a variety of goods, such as peanut butter, smoked fish, dried fish, bath soaps, etc.
Concerned about satisfying her burgeoning customer base further, she decided to join the microfinance institution Soro Yiriwaso about six years ago. After five individual loans, all correctly paid back, she is on her sixth loan, which will enable her to purchase 20 boxes of bath soaps, 10 pails of peanut butter, and 4 boxes of smoked fish, locally in Sikasso. These goods will be resold by going door to door.
With this loan, she envisions making a monthly profit of 90,000 francs CFA that will be used to help cover family expenses and to pay the loan interest. The rest is for reinvesting in her business.
Translated from French by Kiva volunteer Daniel Kuey. View original language description.
