Dianda uses credit loans from The Hunger Project to expand her business and support her family in Burkina Faso
Dianda invests in her business using training and micro credit from The Hunger Project
“My name is Dianda Zonabo. I come from the village of Kapon [in Burkina Faso]. I am forty two years old. I am married and the mother of five children, three girls and two boys. I am a saleswoman of yams in the market of Kapon and my husband is a peasant farmer.
I’ve participated in the activities of the epicentre since its creation and I am a member of the village credit committee.
I attended formal education through the primary school level.
Since the epicentre’s application of credits for the benefit of the women, we [the women of my village] have become very involved. Since 2010, our group has received an annual credit for the women to lead different income generating activities such as the creation of small businesses, sale of spices, cereal, soaps, and fruits, and the breeding of poultry, sheep and pigs. The amount of the credit granted to every beneficiary within our group varies from 5,000 CFA to 75,000 CFA.
As a yams saleswoman in the market of Kapon, I have benefited from receiving credit to strengthen my business several times. I began with a starting loan of 10,000 CFA. Today I receive 70,000 CFA and I have become a yams wholesaler and half-wholesaler; this means that other women come to get fresh supplies from me for resale.
At the present time, I can show evidence of the impact the microcredit has had on my life:
- I pay for my children’s school fees and supplies, as well as for their clothing every year.
- I was able to buy a bicycle that has improved my mobility.
- This year, I bought the fertiliser NPK for my sorghum field. I can already notice the effect it has on the yield at the ears level before the harvest.
- I bought a goat to breed.
- I cover my children’s medical expenses.
- And I am working to extend my hangar to increase the storage capacity of the yams.
In conclusion, I can say that the microcredit has allowed me to strengthen my activity, and my income has drastically improved. I am recognised as a leader in the village. I thank The Hunger Project for its support of women for their socio-economic promotion.”
INVEST NOW IN WOMEN LEADERS LIKE DIANDA
What is an epicentre? WATCH THIS GREAT VIDEO
PROJECT MAP – The Hunger Project, Burkina Faso