Kokou received a loan from the microfinance institution WAGES last year. The loan was for 400,000 West African francs, almost £600, and he used it to buy spare parts for vehicles. He has been making all his repayments on time and will finish repaying all of the loan soon. He reckons that by stocking the spare parts he sells to customers when they come to repair their vehicles, his profit has increased by at least 200,000 West African francs a year. He tends to take his family to the medical centre whenever they need treatment now and buying school uniforms and supplies was much easier before the start of the new school year. He has also managed to repair his own car recently. He puts these improvements down to having more income because of his business.