Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, a land-locked country slightly larger than Colorado, is home to over twenty-million souls. Having been a French protectorate until 1984, French is its official language, although most of the population also speak the tribal dialect of Mooré. Nearly two million people live in or near the capital of Ouagadougou. Their government is secular, not religious, providing a considerable degree of religious freedom. Over half the population follow Islam, and the rest are largely divided between Catholicism and traditional ethnic religions.

As a country, it faces many national hardships. The majority of its population are subsistent farmers. Although three large rivers run through the country, they suffer from chronically drought. Gold is one of Burkina Faso’s chief exports, and yet it is one of the world’s poorest countries. Low literacy and high unemployment force many people to seek work in surrounding countries.

Nevertheless, in the eyes of the missionary, this country holds great spiritual potential! Sixty-five percent of its quickly growing population are under the age of twenty-five, which means over thirteen million young people are seeking answers to life - what a tremendous opportunity for ministries among the youth! Since Burkina Faso is also home to thousands of refugees, a ministry in this country has the potential of reaching citizens from surrounding North African countries that are otherwise difficult to enter.

Missionaries in Burkina Faso:

Missionaries in Africa (listed with BIMI account numbers)