Client Spotlight: Yacine Moustapha Gueye

Like we say in Wolof: Bal ma. I'm sorry for the slight delay between the posting of the last story and this one! When here in Senegal it is difficult to not want to be out spending time with friends and exploring new territory. Without further ado, here is a post about a meeting from a few weeks ago...

A few weeks ago Miriam and I had the chance to meet with borrower Mme. Yacine Moustapha Gueye in her market shop. Mme. Gueye is currently on her third loan with Zidisha. She uses the money from her Zidisha loans to purchase and import fabrics from Mauritania. Her third loan actually enabled her to travel to Mauritania herself to select her fabrics.

Dress is very important to Senegalese culture. Women are adorned daily from head to toe in brightly colored fabrics so there is a large market for products like what Yacine sells. Women will buy the fabric at the market and then take it to their local tailor to have them sew their boubou exactly to their design. Yacine does not just sell fabrics but she imports jewelry from France and India for resale. In addition she sells soaps and other fragrances.

Yacine is a strong and outgoing woman, and she thanked us multiple times for not only increasing her revenue but for helping African women with micro-lending. As many other Zidisha members Mme. Gueye is no different in the fact she is already planning what to do with her future Zidisha loans. She hopes in the future she can travel again to purchase more fabric as well as move into a larger shop in the Parcelles Assaines market.

Yacine and friends posing with several fabrics in her market stall in Parcelles Assaines.

Photo credit goes to my colleague Miriam! This photo turned out so well I could not help but want to share it!