Habibou Tiendrebeogo was still in her 20s when crisis struck and her husband went blind following an illness.<\/p>\n
Faced with caring for her dependent husband, she also became the sole provider for her four young children on their two-acre farm in Nomgana village on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, the capital of one of Africa\u2019s poorest countries, Burkina Faso.<\/p>\n
Now aged 44, Habibou is a role model and a hero for her 24-year-old eldest daughter Fatimata, herself a young mother. \u201cI\u2019m proud when I look at my mum. She\u2019s a hard-working woman. She has done so well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Habibou provides for her four children and two grandchildren by growing peanuts, beans, maize, sorghum and millet (an indigenous cereal crop) on her small plot.<\/p>\n
She does most of the farmwork alone, although her children give her a hand on the weekends and during school holidays.<\/p>\n
Habibou manages to grow enough food to feed her family twice a day. She even sells some of her crops to make an income.<\/p>\n
Like other women in her village, Habibou received improved maize, beans and sesame seeds to plant. She also received training that has allowed her to maximise her yields, and earn more from selling her surplus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to grow the same crops, but I didn\u2019t harvest as much. I planted my seeds not long ago and they are already looking good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch Habibou’s interview:<\/strong><\/p>\n