The gift of family and future in Burkina Faso

Your support and prayers have enabled Christians like Binta facing persecution and poverty to have hope for the future. Thank you!

When Binta’s father found out about her conversion to Christianity from Islam, he offered her a two-week ultimatum: renounce her faith or be exiled from the community. 

“I thought it was a joke. But at the expiration of the ultimatum, the atmosphere was so tense in the family that I had to leave,” Binta remembers. 

Over the past year, violence has worsened for believers in Burkina Faso. The country rose four places on the World Watch List, largely owing to attacks suffered by the church.  

• What does persecution look like in Burkina Faso? 

Life is incredibly difficult especially for converts in the country. Believers face intense pressure from their relatives and neighbours to return to Islam, it being so ingrained in the culture. Many are physically and verbally abused, facing rejection and discrimination. What’s more, entire communities of Christians are targeted by extremists for the ‘betrayal’ they are considered to have committed.  

Binta is a young woman who became a believer when she was miraculously healed of an illness. She once lived with her parents and two younger sisters, but when they found out about her faith, in their eyes she could no longer be tolerated. 

A new family 

For Binta and many other converts like her, finding hope in Jesus meant losing her family. She was forced to leave her village for a different town – leaving behind everything she had ever known. “Since I was born, I have always been living with my parents. So, I suffered a lot when I drifted apart from them,” she says. 

But in moving to a new village, she was welcomed by a Christian friend and introduced to an Open Doors local partner who offered her discipleship. Despite the pain of her loss, she began to find healing. “Today, I’m no longer suffering because God has provided another family to me,” Binta shares. 

A new future 

In late 2025, Binta and a group – ten in total – were trained to grow their skills in socio-economic development. The training focused on dyeing local fabrics called ‘koko donda’. These are a staple in the attire of Burkinabe men and women alike, used to create colourful clothing. Attaining skills in this area provides a reliable source of income for Binta and the others. For these brothers and sisters living in a country which suffers from extreme poverty already, the training was a lifesaver. 

“Thank God for the opportunity He granted us to take part in this training to learn the dyeing of the ‘koko donda’,” Binta told Open Doors’ partner. “I bless the Lord for this training. We have learned a lot of things. We also thank our brothers and sisters who set up this training session. It has been very helpful to us. May the Lord abundantly bless them.” 

Thank you for your prayers and support!