Ibrahim Kanté was a new – and fantastic – addition to our team who visited Dagabo in April. Ibrahim is a Malian native who left Mali as a teenager to follow his brother to France and then to the US. He was playing professional soccer for the Missouri Comets indoor soccer team when he met Abigail Hayo’s brother, who when he learned that Ibrahim was from Mali, immediately connected him to Abigail.

After discovering more connections between his family and friends in Mali, and learning more about our work in Mali, Ibrahim signed on as a participant on our joint mission with partner Medical Missions Foundation. A Bamako native, Ibrahim had little prior experience outside that city. We teased him that we would show him “our Mali” and introduce him to this wonderful country.

Fluent in English, French, and Bambara, Ibrahim was a natural translator, who had an easy and positive way of interacting with the children and adults in Dagabo. He spoke to Siraba School students about the importance of education, of dedication, of having a dream – and illustrated his words by the inspiring example of his own life. He led a soccer clinic and drills and gave t-shirts to the winning team. He translated for the medical team as they screened patients for the adult clinic. A “gentle giant” from a family of giants, he and his equally strapping nephew drove a truck piled high with all our luggage and equipment bags, loading and unloading them with ease. His whole family supported us – his brother Oumar and his wife Mariam hosted an amazing spread and extended family gathering for us our last night in Bamako. He participated in just about every action completed by our team and during the Medical Missions component (other than surgery, of course!). And yes, he saw sides of Mali that he had never seen before.

On our last day, Ibrahim shared that this had been a “life-changing experience” for him. He was amazed at how easily our team – both regular Mali mission participants and veterans who were in Mali for the first time – would jump into experiences, try new things, be open to interacting with people and sights and tastes we’d never known before. How committed we are to helping his country and its people. He felt inspired, awed, and determined – this was his first mission to Mali, but it will not be his last.