In the market

Welcome to the market! It’s Saturday and the hot midday sun is shining down on us as we join the hustle and bustle of traders who have come from near and far, and families here to buy what they need for the week.

Wooden stalls display bowls overflowing with delicious ingredients like fresh tomatoes, yams, dried fish and locally grown grains like millet, maize and sorghum.

Bright fabrics ripple in the breeze, and there’s a pungent smell of spices and dawadawa – fermented African locust beans that make a nutritious addition to local dishes.

The air is filled with voices bargaining, children laughing, and goats searching for fallen scraps. This is where many of the families supported by AfriKids come to trade in their thriving businesses, and make the living that helps them provide for their children, so that they can go to school instead of needing to work or marry.