When handling the garbage of a city of over 3 million people and equipped with little more than a face mask and gloves, it helps to have a sense of humor. Yacouba Diallo decided to name the two donkeys that pull his cart after his cousins, Keita and Kante.

Hauling garbage in Mali’s capital, Bamako, can be otherwise grim. The city more than doubled its population in recent years and struggles to manage its waste. Piles of garbage dominate some streets.