Next in our series, Rooted in Resilience: From Crisis to Opportunity, is the story of Bintou Toulema in Mali. For more photos and stories of the Aga Khan Foundation’s partners, please download our 2013 annual report.

The past two years have been difficult for Mali, following civil unrest in 2012. Amid the hardships of drought and a rebellion in the country’s north, some Malians have gained skills that might not typically be expected to help in emergencies.

Take the example of Bintou Toulema, a farmer who participated in women’s garden activities supported by the Mali Food for Progress Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) and implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF).

In 2012 Bintou learned how to grow more vegetables by participating in Farmer Field School training. Then, through business and literacy training she gained more skills – managing finances, selling produce and linking to markets – that were key to helping her family gain stability and even thrive.

In Part 1 of Bintou’s story (contextualized in a 2013 article), she lived in the village of Guidiowel before the disruption by extremist rebels. There in the central Mopti region she first received AKF training.

Eighteen months later, in the village of Promani, where she now lives with her husband and five children, Bintou manages a vegetable plot in this village’s garden, which is equipped with large-diameter wells and surrounded by fencing to protect against pests. Twice a day, every morning and afternoon, she and the other women draw water and irrigate their crops: onions, shallots, lettuce, cabbage, okra, tomatoes and more.

One afternoon in the recent cool season, Bintou and her comrades finished their regular session in writing, arithmetic and basic business management. The literacy training prepares them to do basic accounting for farm activities.

“The literacy sessions have allowed me to master reading, writing and basic calculations,” Bintou told AKF Mali staff. “The training tore apart the curtain of obscurity that nearly all adults in our village live under. I gained enormous benefits from this training that I put into practice in my small gardening and farming business.” Bintou has mastered techniques and practices including nutrition for better health. “Not only has gardening allowed me to have financial independence, but it is also a nutritional supplement for my children and my husband,” she added.

Recently she received more training courtesy of the program, this time conducted in Bandiagara, a town to the east.

“I grow and harvest shallots” said Bintou. “I went to Bandiagara to learn techniques for drying this scarce commodity during the rainy season. With savings from one season, I bought sheep that grew until I sold them for 60 000 CFA each (about $126). I even managed to buy a bull that I’m fattening and have prepared a rice field,” she added proudly.

Despite many difficulties — the drought and the rebellion that affected a large part of the Mopti region — Bintou has regained her footing with the help of AKF and USDA, and a new skill set.

For more on Mali and how the Aga Khan Foundation is helping Malians move beyond crisis, see the 2013 AKF USA annual report. Check out the full Rooted in Resilience: From Crisis to Opportunity series here, and be sure to join us on Facebook!