Yolène is very happy about the way things are going for her. Her goats are healthy and both should have kids in January.

She’s been managing her stipend carefully, using little bits that she can save to buy more livestock. She bought a large chicken the first time she had built up enough, but the chicken was stolen almost as soon as she purchased it. She was frustrated, but not discouraged. As soon as she had saved another hundred gourds, she purchased another small hen. “Keeping chickens is useful. If you run into trouble, you can grab one and sell it to get the money you need.”

She’s right, but it also shows that she thinks of her poultry mainly as a way to keep savings, not as a moneymaking venture. She looks at her larger livestock differently, though. She doesn’t feel as though she’s made progress since she joined the program, but she has a clear idea of what will count as progress for her. “It’s when your animals start to have young that you can start to move forward. You can sell some to buy larger animals.”