Cash Money

The girls that filed into the office yesterday were incredibly young looking- 15 years old maybe? They were on their way back to their villages after receiving repair surgery. One had a fever and could barely make her thumbprint on the paper to show receipt of the 50,000cfa (approx 100USD) that she was recieving. It is an incredible about of money for a young woman, particularly in the village. The envelopes were comprised of 5 notes of 10,000cfa. One girl had never seen a 10,000cfa note before- she had no idea what it was when shown to her-- and now she had 5 in her hand. The money is intended to help with the reintegration and she can spend it however she pleases- sheep, goats, soap, food. As of yet there has been no tracking or evaluation of this. No one seems to know how they spend the money exactly. The cynical voice in me wonders how long it takes for her husband or father to receive the funds and spend on new clothes for the family for Tabaski, one of the largest annual holidays coming up in a few weeks. But maybe not too- people are full of surprises.