In the drought-stricken region of the Sahel in Africa, more and more families are resorting to digging up their once fertile farmlands that can no longer sustain them, in search of gold. Artisanal gold-mining is labour-intensive, using only basic tools. The gold needs to be separated from the dusty earth or extracted from the rock. There are rare examples of finds that mean instant wealth. Usually, an individual will find enough to buy just one dish of millet per day. Sirguin, Northern Burkina Faso.
