Talam used to clean the barges that arrived in her town after weeklong journeys on the Niger River, and sometimes sold millet porridge to supplement her income.  Although hard-working, she barely made enough to properly care for her six children.

With her Trickle Up grant she opened a food stand in the local market. She sets herself apart from other stands with her table, chair, and a parasol for shade, and she always has cold water on hand – amenities much-appreciated by her customers, as it gets quite hot in town during the day.

She sells shish kebab, mangos, peanuts, and plantains. The mangos she buys wholesale and then resells at a thirty percent markup, but for a penny less than other stands in the market. Depending on the season, she might also sell parsley, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.

Talam contributes one dollar per week to her social group and to her business development savings collaborative.  Both organizations set aside funds on which members can draw to reinvest in their businesses or to pay for weddings, baptisms, funerals or other events.

“Selling in the market leads to being able to feed the kids, which makes it possible for them to go to school," she says.  "It also means that we can make large investments as a group.”

She is pleased that she can afford basics like bed sheets and school supplies as well as the cost of celebrations like her son’s upcoming wedding. Her goal is to save enough to buy a house for her family - which can cost as much as $2,000 - in a country where the average annual income is less than $1,000.