Lamine, Mohammed

Mohammed was about 5 years old at the time of our visit in March 2009 (no one seemed certain of his age).  His father died 2 years ago of a stomach illness, leaving his wife, Mohammed, and his older brother Adama.  In this culture, the father’s family has the right to decide who raises the children if their son passes away.  They chose to raise Adama.  Secondly, in this culture, if a woman wishes to remarry, she must give up her children from a previous marriage.  Mom has remarried, so Mohammed is now being raised by his mother’s parents.  Mom does visit from time to time.

Mohammed lives within the town of Yako in a courtyard with his grandparents, another woman, and her 2 children. They have no electricity and they get their water from a well beside the courtyard. They have no animals. Their house is in average condition.

The 2 women cultivate a crop of millet together. Grandpa is not in good health, so he is not able to do anything.  Grandma has no other source of income and no other family members who help out. They were in good health when we visited.