I am collaborating on a microcredit project with Yagana, an organization that operates in a remote area of Mali challenged by drought, food insecurity and a jihadist insurgency. A no-go zone for most aid agency representatives, the region has received limited support from the outside. Once a popular tourist destination for Malians and foreigners alike, the Bandiagara region is now considered too insecure for tourism. Yagana is a life-line for communities.

The project I am involved with is a microcredit bank. Yagana Microcredit lends primarily to women, but some men are eligible for loans under certain conditions such as young men in economically challenging situations vulnerable to jihadist recruitment and the lure of illegal emigration by sea. The initiative’s purpose is to give a helping hand to socially and economically vulnerable people in order to restore dignity and autonomy.  It enables people to engage in market gardening, small trading and other income-generating activities ensuring greater and, above all, more regular cash flow. Households save more, take out health insurance, improve their housing and enroll children in school. People are able to manage their lives independently and are actors in their own development.