As we were going through some boxes of things, we found a book of Haitian prayers. One prayer reminded us of the ladies who receive vocational training in Burkina Faso and Haiti.

All my life I have been just a weed; but the other day You pulled me up, planted me in Your garden and I became a flower. I am young and want to grow and be cultivated so I can become beautiful.

The ladies who receive vocational training at the Village of Opportunity (VOO) in Burkina Faso and the Feminine Training Centers (FTC) in Haiti may begin their time with Christian World Outreach (CWO) feeling like their life is just a weed but God has used these programs to help them become the flowers He has designed them to be.



The VOO in Burkina recruits young ladies from villages that in recent years have become combat zones. Many of these young ladies’ families have been displace leaving them with little hope of any education. The CWO staff provide these young ladies with vocational training, trauma counseling and the Gospel message. We are looking forward to graduation in June when young ladies will be graduating with skills in sewing, cosmetology and cooking but more importantly a new and stronger relationships with Jesus Christ.

Isabelle Lankouande was a new sewing student at the VOO for the 2025-2026 school year. She is from the eastern side of Burkina Faso, from a village called Bogande. This small village has been surrounded by many different terrorist groups. Last year, Isabelle and the people from Bogande had to run for their lives due to the violence. Isabelle came to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and near the home of the VOO. She heard about the VOO school and she wanted to be part of the many displaced young women who found a home at the VOO. Isabelle has felt safe and is grateful to be at the VOO. She hopes to return to her village one day, where she can bless her family and friends.

Haoua Kabre was also a new sewing student this year at the VOO. She was a Christian living in a Muslim family. Since Haoua accepted Jesus as her Savior in 2023, she has been under persecution from her family, who tried to scare her and pressure her into renouncing Jesus and becoming a Muslim. She continued to stay strong against this pressure. As a result, they took her out of the local school program and wanted to send her to an Arabic school. Haoua belongs to a family with a lot of children, and her mother is the third wife of her father. Her mother gave her life to Jesus first and then led her and her sister to Christ. Since Haoua joined the VOO, she is so happy to belong to a Christian family that teaches her, loves her, and cares for her.

Alexis Dialine was a countryside girl. She attended school for free until she completed the equivalent of high school. She could not go to university because her parents did not have the means to pay for her schooling. She decided to grill peanuts and make grated coconut crackers to sell on the streets. One day, Marie St. Amour, the FTC director, saw her walking in the street with her little basket selling peanuts and grated coconut crackers. Marie stopped Dialine and had a conversation with her about what she was doing for a living. Dialine told Marie that she would buy peanuts, then grill them and sell them, and also buy coconuts, grate them, make coconut crackers, and sell them to make a living. Marie asked her what skill she wanted to learn. She promptly answered and said that she wanted to go to a sewing class. Marie invited Dialine to join a sewing class at the FTC, where she learned to sew. Dialine sent a note to express her thanks for the training she received at the FTC. “Auntie. I want to express my gratitude to you. Words are inadequate to express my gratefulness to you, through whom Christian World Outreach reached out to me and is enabling me to learn a skill that will change my life. I am doing what I never dreamed would be possible. Only heaven will fully tell how greatly I appreciate this wonderful thing that is happening to me. I am already able to make my own dresses. Again, I say thank you.” 

We are so grateful that God has used the VOO and the FTC to help these and many other ladies become the flowers that he designed them to be. We look forward to celebrating the ladies who will soon be graduating. They will be able to use the skills in sewing, cosmetology, and cooking to provide for themselves and their families. They will also be able to share their faith with their families, friends, and those they serve.

Thank you for praying for the CWO ministries as they continue to change lives today and for eternity.

Serving Together,

Greg and Laura

• The teachers and staff at the VOO and the FTC.
• The ladies who have received training at the VOO and the FTC.
• The ladies who have become Christians and those who have grown in their faith.

• For the safety of the teachers and students in Burkina and Haiti.
• For those who will hear the Gospel at the graduation ceremonies.
• For the new graduates as they begin new businesses and find jobs.