While Blessing was unemployed and caring for her three children in Nigeria, she was contacted by an acquaintance living in Burkina Faso, who offered her a job as a cleaner in Ouagadougou. Given her situation, she accepted the offer without hesitation and she arrived in Burkina Faso in January 2023. Upon arrival, she was shocked to discover that the promised job didn't exist –instead, she was forced into prostitution. 

She tried to escape and resist for several days, but she was confronting organized human traffickers. Forced to pay over 2,500 dollars to the people who had facilitated her journey from Nigeria. Blessing was forced into prostitution for one and a half years in a bar in Ouagadougou. She lived in captivity, under oppressive control of the traffickers. 

She became pregnant as a result of her exploitation. She gave birth to a baby girl in her bedroom, inside the bar where she received her customers. Due to her situation with her newborn child, she was unable to earn a living and had no way to accept customers. The bar owner, therefore, forced her to vacate the room to make space for someone else.

In October 2024, she brought her child to a hospital, who had fallen ill and was suffering from malnutrition. From there, she was referred to the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who work with Talitha Kum to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation. They took care of Blessing and her baby, providing accommodation, food and medical treatments until they fully recovered. 

Sisters from Talitha Kum Burkina provided active care and support to this young woman for a couple of months. They accompanied her as she grappled with her decision to leave her baby behind and return to her family in Nigeria. Despite this support offered, her decision remained unchanged, and steps were taken to arrange for the child’s adoption through an orphanage in Ouagadougou.

To ensure her safe return to her home country, Sisters from Burkina Faso connected her with the Talitha Kum network in Nigeria. Sisters met her upon arrival at the airport, and brought her to their facilities, where she received accompaniment and support focused on empowerment.      

Blessing now lives with her family in Nigeria. To support herself, she plans to start a small-scale cereal business in her village. She believes this will help her rebuild a better life for herself and her children.

By Sr. Nadine Rasmata Ouédraogo

Sister of the Holy Cross
Coordinator of Talitha Kum Burkina Faso

Photography by Lisa Kristine