Burkina Faso

A 25-year story of friendship, faith, and lasting change

What began as a friendship between two Bible college students has grown into one of the most significant partnerships in Freedom Church's history. Over 25 years, that friendship has helped build a school, feed hundreds of children, support vulnerable mothers, and train young people with skills for life - all in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Samuel and the vision

In 1999, Samuel Yaldia returned to his home country of Burkina Faso in West Africa with a calling to plant a church in Bobo-Dioulasso, a predominantly Muslim city in the southwest of the country. Burkina Faso remains one of the five poorest nations in the world - landlocked, under-resourced, and facing enormous challenges in education, healthcare, and clean water.

But Samuel's focus was never on what was lacking. It was on what God could do despite it.

From the beginning, Freedom Church's involvement has been shaped by a simple conviction: don't arrive with an agenda. Ask what is needed, and serve that. Not handouts - partnership. Not directing from a distance - walking alongside.

L'École de Lumière

In 2012, Samuel had a vision for a proper school - not just a building, but a place where children could receive education, Christian nurture, and daily care in one community. Freedom Church said yes.

In 2013, a team from Jersey helped clear and build on eight acres of scrubland outside Bobo-Dioulasso. Six classrooms and a toilet block were constructed, with local teams completing the work. L'École de Lumière - the School of Light - was born.

Today the school serves children from nursery through to junior secondary level. Class sizes are intentionally kept small by local standards, so that every child can be known - not just the brightest or the loudest. A small kitchen feeds over 500 children every day, providing what is for many their only reliable meal.

In the most recent school year, the pass rate for pupils completing primary school and moving into secondary education was 100% - something almost unheard of in the region.

The school is also moving steadily towards sustainability, with a thriving vegetable garden now supplying much of the produce the kitchen needs.

The Compassion partnership

In 2009, a Compassion child sponsorship project launched at Samuel's church, initially supporting 150 children. Today that project supports over 500 children, with many Freedom Church members among their sponsors.

Compassion's approach is holistic - supporting a child's education, health, nutrition, and spiritual development from early childhood through to young adulthood. Sponsored children stay in school longer, are more likely to find employment, and more likely to become leaders in their churches and communities.

Compassion also runs a mother and baby unit connected to the project, supporting the most vulnerable women through pregnancy and the first year of their child's life - providing medical care, nutritional guidance, and vocational training.

To see the current impact of Freedom Church's Compassion partnership - including how many children are being supported and who is waiting for a sponsor - visit our Compassion page: