Guiré Salimata, Burkina Faso

Today, Guiré Salimata finds herself busy running a successful restaurant and providing for her five children. In 2013, before Guiré began participating in the Boulkon Epicentre Microfinance Programme with The Hunger Project-Burkina Faso, her restaurant was just a small shop serving rice, soup and beans in the village market.

Since being given a loan of 50,000 West African CFA francs and attending Hunger Project workshops, Guiré says she has been able to grow her business and become “a great restaurant owner in this market.”

Guiré lives in Koussago village, in the Kirsi commune in central Burkina Faso. Her husband works as a farmer while two of her children attend secondary school and three are in primary school.

With the microfinance loan, Guiré was able to purchase more ingredients to cook and sell more food every day, increasing her client base and profits. She was also able to purchase a bicycle to save time on her commute, pay for school fees, purchase school supplies and clothing for her children, and improve the health and nutrition of her family.

After just one year, Guiré grew her business enough to pay back her original loan and any accrued interest. She hopes to continue expanding her restaurant business and contributing to her family’s health and education.

Congratulations, Guiré!

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