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Activity 1

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The reality of poverty

Meet the Traore family from Mali, West Africa - Moussa (dad), Rokia (mum), Fatime (daughter - 11 years old), and Lamine (son - 9 years old). 

They used to have seven goats and a cow,  and tended a small piece of land. The rains didn't come this year so they had no crops and the animals died. They have no other income so cannot afford to buy enough food to eat. There is a school in the area, but they can't afford for both children to go so Fatime now stays at home. They want Lamine to go to school, particularly for the free school meals, but he is too embarrassed to go without a school uniform that fits properly. 

What should the Traores do? (click on the choices to see what might happen)

  • Should they all move to Bamako to stay together and find work?

    If they do, they are likely to face discrimination as rural dwellers coming to the city. And with no social network to get them started, it will be really hard to find work. They have no money so where will they live? It is likely that they will turn to begging, and Rokia and Fatime may turn to prostitution as a desperate last resort. The whole family are likely to be powerless to earn money and to make their own choices.

  • Should they stay where they are and hope that the rains come?

    It is possible that the rains won't come soon enough or for long enough to rejuvenate the crops before the next season. So their situation may worsen with no chance for improvement.

  • Should Moussa move to the city to find work, sending money back to his family?

    The only work Moussa might find is unskilled labour, but work will be hard to find without any friends  or other contacts in the city. It is hard for anyone to find their way in a new city, when they have no money, no home, and no friends or family. When he does come across a job he can do, he is likely to face fierce competition and has no guarantee of getting it. Any money he does earn will be sent home - so he will be living hand-to-mouth. He will also be worried about the safety of his family, as his wife and children live in an area where there is a threat of violence and rape from armed groups . Back home, Rokia and her children will feel scared without Moussa there to protect them. They are likely to receive little or no money from him, and will be worried that he will never come home.