In the Sahel-scarred stretches of Burkina Faso, where families uprooted by terror seek safety in fragile neighborhoods, the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) has helped plant something quietly luminous: hope stitched into cloth, dignity dyed into color, community shaped by compassion.
Roger Bindré Dayamba, whom many of us had the privilege of meeting and learning from in Cote d’ Ivoire at the 3rd African Catholic Congress, shared the steady, grace-filled beginnings of “Solidarity for All (S4A).” Inspired by the Good Samaritan and Pope Francis’ call to reach the peripheries, the S4A initiative steps directly into the lives of internally displaced women and girls living on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, women who have lost homes, livelihoods, and, too often, their place in the world.
On March 15, 2025, the S4A team launched a hands-on training in traditional textile arts: Kôkô dunda, dunda, and Bogolan cloth-making. Twenty-six women, including nine girls, gathered to learn: how to mix natural dyes; how to anchor color and patterns; how to dry and wash their cloth; and, how to design motifs like sunflowers and leaf patterns.
Masks, gloves, hot water, cloth, stories, laughter, all became part of the workshop. Roger noted that the atmosphere itself was full of joy, the kind that suggests something deeper than skill-building was happening: women were remembering their own worth.
The early fruits of the project are beautiful and practical: 26 women and girls now carry a new, income-generating craft. They speak of renewed hope, the kind that rises slowly but surely. A community of internally displaced women has begun to form a space of mutual learning and belonging. Participants also received guidance on online marketing and networking, helping them envision sustainable futures for their craft.
Roger outlines several next steps that will deepen and strengthen this ministry: A dedicated online group so the women can collaborate, support each other, and stay connected with the S4A team; Providing materials and equipment so participants can begin producing cloth independently; Formalizing the women into a cooperative or working group; Supporting their visibility and sales through Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media promotion; coordinating a workshop on liquid soap production, another potential source of livelihood.
Roger, with humble gratitude, reflected that God’s desire that we show compassion to the poor and the needy was evident in the joy that filled the team as they witnessed hope return to women who have carried far too much loss.
This is only the first step of the Solidarity for All project, but the impact is already unmistakable. New skills. New community. New reasons to smile. New pathways to dignity.
And woven through it all, a quiet, steady gratitude for the support of PACTPAN, and for every friend of PACTPAN who believes in building a more just, more tender, more united Africa.
