COTE D’IVOIRE

IVORY COAST

Presentation

Côte d'Ivoire is a country in West Africa, with a surface area of 322,462 km², bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north by Burkina Faso and Mali, to the east by Ghana, and to the west by Liberia and Guinea. An agricultural country, Côte d'Ivoire draws its wealth from the land. It has a population of 23 million. Abidjan, the economic capital, has a population of 4.5 million. Religiously, Côte d'Ivoire is divided between Christianity, Islam and animism. Christianity accounts for around 40 % of the population. The dominant Christian religions are Catholicism, Methodism and Evangelicalism (Baptists, Assemblies of God, etc.).

A FEW FIGURES

Regions

Places of worship

Number of followers

Pastors

Baptized faithful

baptized faithful

Union des Églises Évangéliques Services et Oeuvres :
These evangelical Protestant churches are the result of evangelization work carried out by the Mission Biblique in Côte d'Ivoire since 1927. The Union des Églises Évangéliques Services et Œuvres comprises 14 regions, with autonomous assemblies spread throughout the country. These 12 regions manage more than 1,000 places of worship, bringing together 70,000 faithful. 132 pastors teach the faithful and the 24,000 baptized.

The works of UEESO :
A work is defined as any establishment or other training facility created or acquired by the Union, or whose management is entrusted to it, and which has at least two of the following four purposes:
a. spread the Word of God,
b. contribute to the spiritual growth of Christians,
c. provide material or financial support to the Union or the Churches in their missions,
d. contribute to the social well-being of Christians and populations.

Doctrinal basis :
The UEESO churches have adopted the confession of faith of the French-speaking Baptist churches.

Man Bible and Theological Institute

Founded in 1957, the Institut Biblique et Théologique de Man is at the service of the Church for the training of God's servants. It is a work of the UEESO-Cl, on which it depends entirely. However, it remains open to students from outside the UEESO. It is located in Man (Zlanvopleu). The Institute has a capacity of over 70 students. Courses are spread over 3 years. IBTM is open to all committed Christians with a vocation to serve God full-time. But entry is subject to financial constraints due to the rising cost of living in Côte d'Ivoire. For single students,
tuition fees are 375,000 F.CFA (€600) and for married students, 530,000 F.CFA (€800). In the current context, these costs are becoming increasingly onerous for the Union's churches, which are already struggling to support their servants of God.

The nursery

Founded in 1947 in Man, this organization takes in babies whose mothers have died. Its aim is to bear witness to Christian love and value life. It provides care and education for these children for a few years before they return to their families. The nursery is officially recognized by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Rural animation service (SAR)

The UEESO's Service d'animation rurale (SAR) has been operating in Danané since 1983. Its aim is to provide Christians with food self-sufficiency. It carries out :
- Breeding local and mixed breeds of poultry,
- Planting hundreds of grafted or selected fruit trees
- The cultivation of market gardens,
- Awareness-raising and training sessions in villages on hygiene, maternal and child health and nutrition.

Protestant secondary school in Daloa

Founded in 1947, the Cours Secondaire Protestant (CSP) or Collège Jean Calvin de Daloa is a UEESO-Cl. private secondary school. It follows the official curriculum in force in the country. The college has a student body of around 1,000.

Elementary school

The elementary school, among the works created by UEESO-Cl, contribute to evangelization, education and the socio-economic, moral and spiritual development of the Ivory Coast.

The UEESO health center

The mission of the Baptist General Conference, with the help of the Bible Mission, has built a community health center in the commune of Abobo (Abidjan) on a 4,000 m² plot of land. The center, which opened in 2000, is dedicated to providing local healthcare to the poor. This work is carried out by evangelizing and edifying through action. The center comprises an administrative block, a maternity ward, a dispensary and a training room. Doctor Pierre BALLE is in charge of the project. This project will bring relief to the surrounding population, the majority of whom are Muslim.

Service technique des Églises Évangéliques de Côte d'Ivoire: SERTEECI

This was the first carpentry workshop, which started work in 1965. Today, this service also includes car mechanics. It not only provides training for young people, but also helps the churches with building construction (doors, windows, carpentry, etc.) and vehicle repairs. SERTEECI is located on the UEESO station in Daloa.

The Sassandra Bible Training Center

The center's vocation is to train and retrain committed Christians and preachers in the Word of God. The program of subjects and courses is similar to that of Bible schools. Courses for preachers are given over a three-month period, and for civil servants over a two-week period.