Table 3 Summary of emergent themes with example quotations from qualitative interviews with adolescents

Economic

Using rabbit sales to pay for school fees and other school items^e

• “I was very happy because … I was able to attend school and pay for my studies … That I take good care of this rabbit because it can pay for my schooling and feed me.”

• “In terms of finances, they pay for my school easily. No longer do they say ‘you didn’t pay yet, go home!’“

• “I sold them and paid for my schooling. I paid for two months at school.”

• “With the first birth, the rabbit birthed four bunnies and I sold the four for eight thousand fc and I had paid for two months at school, and that really helped. And the second birth, she had three bunnies. One died, the other two lived. And the two that lived I had them reimbursed.”

• “I had sold two to pay for my brother’s schooling.”

• “I buy clothes to wear to school and notebooks, a backpack and I bought shoes.”

• “I was happy that the rabbit could give birth and I could sell the bunnies to pay for school, buy clothes, or oil from the village.”

• “The 2nd time, I sold it and paid for school for our kids and for me as well. The 3rd birth, I did the same thing.”

• “This [rabbit] can help me pay for school and buy food and clothes... I had sold the bunnies and paid this money... I was the first to pay the money for TENAFER (Test Nationale de Fin d’Etude Primaire, National Examine at the End of Primary School).”

Challenges sustaining rabbit business^b

• “For the first time, they were all eaten. The rats. Yes, they had entered into the rabbit’s room. Yes, I closed it off well, but they were too small.”

• “It was hard to find grass. There were times where someone was missing grass and searching is difficult.”

• “When we don’t have vegetables, they can ask me to butcher it, and if I refuse that can bring conflict.”

• “The difficulty I had … [was when] the rabbit would escape too often and taught its little ones to escape. Since we sold it, it’s babies escaped too and go wandering.”

• “Only one of the twelve bunnies grew, and the others started dying. And, just this little one, the thieves broke in and took it.”

Psycho-social

Helping parents or others in the family and community^c

• “I can now pay for school costs, buy notebooks, and buy the uniform. [I feel] very, very good because my parents didn’t have the money to pay for my schooling. [I feel] very, very good because my parents didn’t have the money, and I helped.”

• “For me, I find that I can help the others. I can give them a rabbit.”

• “By selling several of the rabbits … after the sale, we gave one to someone else who has nothing.”

• “This money, if someone gets sick, your friend, you can give it to him to go see the doctor, and he’ll get better with it.”

• “I did well... I had bought shoes and clothes and payed for school for my little one.”

Improving respect given to adolescent from the community^c

• “The rabbit can change a man’s life. When we sell them and we have money, it changes one’s life. Money, when we see you financially well off because of the rabbit, you gain respect.”

• “I was happy because I also discovered animal husbandry, and the others will never ignore me.”

• “When you have money, you’re going to take good care of yourself, and they will say that his farming techniques improved, whereas before he had this rabbit and it wasn’t this way so the rabbit can earn you respect. If she births four, I’ll definitely give Mom one. And, when that one gives birth, she will give some to the other family members, and we really see the importance.”

• “When I sell it, and there is money it pays for my school, and I am respected. Because when they see it, they like it too.”

• “They (my family) consider me very highly. That’s to say Mom thinks highly of me because I brought the bread, and me, it’s going to help me with school little by little.”

• “It will bring me respect because I can sell it, and when I get lots of money that brings respect.”

Reducing idleness and risk behaviors^b

• “Before, I was wandering the neighborhood. The time I spent wandering, I now spend looking for grass for the rabbit.”

• “Like, I already have the rabbit. I have to work every day so that he can eat.”

• “Because it’s very useful. Like when at home, the kids play and fight and don’t realize the importance of the rabbit. I tell them to help me because I have a lot to do. And then, they can help me do certain chores, and I do the others.”

• “It helps me with a lot of things, like sleeping without eating, sending me back to school, missing clothes, wandering in the street … Like going in the street because I don’t have anything to do because there is no work to do. Like going wandering somewhere, we don’t even know.”

Health

Experience of or plans to use rabbit sales towards unexpected medical costs^c

• “Yes, I went to sell the bunnies to buy medication. My head hurt, … the headache.”

• “Mama added money to her savings for the hospital visit... I did that.”

• “My rabbit- I liked it a lot because you can sell it if you get sick and pay for the medicine.”

• “The rabbit can help me find medication.”

• “The day I get sick, it will help me pay the clinic.”

• “Someone can get sick, and he can sell a rabbit to get treatment.”

• “When we are suffering, we can buy medication and drink it.”

Feeling happier, and less worried^b

• “And me, I feel good and my heart changed because I am no longer the person I was before I made the cage because with my rabbit, I don’t worry anymore. All I have to do is pick herbs and give them and as soon as I want to sell, I can sell.”

• “If I’m given the money, I feel good.”

• “When I sold the rabbit for money, I was happy.”

Providing source of food or hunger reduction^d

• “There are many changes... many things changed because I couldn’t eat anything and [now] I have this rabbit. They can no longer chase me out of school. I no longer lack shoes, clothes. And, I help my parents with these rabbits.”

• “If we don’t have food, I bring the flour... [and] buy clothes, shoes.”

• “It helps at home with food, because we can no longer sleep without eating.”

• “It can help me against hunger. And, if I get sick, I can sell it and get money to receive medical treatment. And if I am sick, we can butcher it and eat it if hungry.”