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One of my favorite projects that I have become involved with has been microloans amongst church members. I work through the arm of the local churches to find clients who need a small loan to reinforce their existing businesses. Usually these loans are between $100-$200 and their uses can range from pharmacies to farms, from hair salons to sheep herding. The project is still in the pilot phase, and three of my five clients live in the city. I follow up with those clients at least once a month, but usually more often due to their proximity. However, two of my clients live way off the beaten path in a village called Gueladjo.

First there is Soja, the spiritual lion of Gueladjo. He used his loan to buy millet in the Gueladjo market and resell in his village, which is two miles farther up the road. Then there is Mohammed El Hajji, a converted Muslim who has once made the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. For the past 60 years (yes, that’s right, 60) he has been running a small radio repair business. He used his loan to stock his radio repair shop and to fatten a few rams before Tabaski, the Muslim holiday celebrated by mass ram slaughtering. These two have faithfully attended the Gueladjo church for years.

Gueladjo is a Fulani village a little over 80km from Niamey. The first 60km are along a paved highway, but the remaining 20km are down an eroded dirt road. It is populated by 400 herders and farmers. Its distance and remoteness make it difficult to visit more than once a month. The roundtrip can be done in one day, but I usually prefer to overnight at the church to split up the driving and to spend time with the pastor.

Pastor Lawali is a man who infects all he meets with his contagious smiles and joyful laughter. He is a simple man who matches each spoonful of instant coffee with two spoonfuls of sugar, a ritual repeated four to five times a day. He loves to trade stories, especially if it is over a game of spades. He is a good card player and would probably be better if he could keep his hands from shaking with excitement when he holds all the aces. He is passionate about evangelism, especially when a long and winding motorcycle ride is required to reach the unreached. He is an expert bush rider, whose instincts and experiences have taught him how to negotiate the most difficult of trails and how to overcome the most difficult of engine troubles. If he is guilty of a sin it is coveting my mosquito-netted hammock that I spread in his yard the nights I stay. It was he who noticed Soja and Mohammed’s need for a small loan and asked me to come and evaluate their proposals.