Judith’s Energy

For three years, Judith has been a member of one of the savings groups supported in Burundi by the Si può fare! project. It is a choice that has changed her life, improving it: “We save, we support each other, and I see how useful this is. Before, to get a loan, I turned to neighbors and it wasn’t easy. But now the situation has changed; thanks to the group, I get credit without difficulty”. The woman has eight children, two of whom are already married, but she is a widow and everything falls on her shoulders. She has used the microcredit mechanism to continue cultivating some land: “In the past the land was still productive, but now it is no longer: it needs fertilizer. So I turn to the group, asking for credit to buy manure from the breeders, which I use as fertilizer. With what I earn from cultivation I get what I need to feed the children”. When she became a widow, Judith was afraid she wouldn’t make it, but at the time the land was more fertile and making the fields bear fruit to harvest beans, corn, cassava and pumpkins was less difficult. Then things changed: “I have enough cultivable space, but we need trainers in this field and enough fertilizer. I thank those who included me in this microcredit group.” Judith is the pillar of her family. She has a clear idea of what she needs to not give up and what her strengths are. The bond with her land is one of them.