Samuel Sangaré: A Holistic Mission!

After going into exile in Côte d’Ivoire, Samuel encountered the Lord while working on the plantations. Upon returning to Mali, his heart burned with a desire to share the Gospel, but he was not welcomed back in his village, so he fled to Bamako to stay with an uncle. An active member of his church, he decided to train himself to serve the Lord. He enrolled in the School of Disciples in Koutiala. The challenge was that he could neither read nor write, so he took his first exams orally!

His thirst for learning led him to take courses at the University of the Nations in Burtigny and Lausanne: primary health care, evangelism, community development, and leadership. Although his academic abilities were limited, his spirit was enlivened.

After reconciling with his father, he went to the village with a YWAM team, and they planted a church that would grow spiritually. But the poverty that had driven him into exile remained… his training helped him find a solution. He gathered the villagers and listened; the women expressed their desire: vegetable gardens protected from animals!

In 2005, after forming an association with 100 women and receiving one hectare of land from the village council, iron stakes were driven into the ground to erect a sturdy fence, and eight wells were dug—thus, 100 women now have a garden! Tomatoes, cabbage, chili peppers, and lettuce abound for their families, and the surplus is sold at the market. Once the initial loan is repaid, it will be used to help another village.

Word spread, and by 2026, 47 gardens had been established in 37 villages! Poverty is declining among 4,500 families; children are attending school; and, in collaboration with another mission, the gospel is spreading, with several churches being established.