Burkina Faso (MNN) — The military junta under Captain Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso has been in power since late 2022. It runs a fierce campaign to control dissenting voices and project a narrative about its own success.
But the facts on the ground are grim. Islamic insurgents control large portions of the country. Clashes between armed groups and the Burkinabé army catch civilians in the crosshairs. According to a lengthy report from Human Rights Watch in April 2026, war crimes and crimes against humanity have been documented by all sides of the conflict.
Yet in the midst of destruction and a displacement crisis, a handful of women press on toward life and faith. Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach says 25 young women have recently graduated from their vocational training programs.
Cooking school at CWO’s Village of Opportunity in Burkina Faso. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)
“It is a great opportunity to just share with them and love on them. Our directors there love these girls like their family,” he says.
CWO’s Village of Opportunity has been a refuge from Burkina Faso’s insecurity for these graduates, who have worked hard to achieve their goals. Now they are re-entering the country’s realities with sewing or cosmetology skills.
“Some of them are going back to displacement camps or finding a relative that lives in another area, but some are going back home,” Yoder says. “These villages out in the countryside are really poor, but these young ladies leave with a heart to share what they’ve learned with others.”
Skills aren’t the only thing these young women take from their two- or three-year training course. Yoder says many of the young women arrive without faith in Christ. But by the time they leave, transformation has often taken place.
“We do Bible training with the young ladies once they become believers, teaching them how to share their faith with their family, with others,” says Yoder. “Some aren’t necessarily accepted back with their families because they’ve changed in what they believe.”
Christians make up around 20 percent of Burkina Faso’s Muslim-majority population. Praise God for raising more Christian women to enter their communities. Pray for their wisdom and passion as they live in the context God has placed them.
“Pray for them as they share their faith that God will protect them, and that He will just use their newfound faith to spread the word about what God has done for us in sending His Son,” says Yoder.
Header photo: Students at the Village of Opportunity (VOO) with CWO in Burkina Faso. (Photo courtesy of CWO)
