A calling for the unreached
The problem: the unreached
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
— Matthew 28:19
Of the 8 billion people alive today, just over 3 billion live in Unreached People Groups (UPGs), with little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Joshua Project counts approximately 17,428 unique people groups in the world, with over 7,400 considered unreached — more than 42% of the world’s population.
Collectively they’re known as the THUMB peoples (Tribal, Hindu, Unreligious — including many Chinese —, Muslim, Buddhist). These peoples have little, if any, history of Christianity. They are on a road that leads to eternity without ever having heard how they can go to heaven — they were never given the choice to choose Jesus (Romans 10:14).
The 10/40 Window
The majority of these least-reached groups in the world exist within what’s called the 10/40 Window — the band stretching between 10 and 40 degrees latitude north, from the Maghreb to Southeast Asia.
Senegal, and particularly the interior around Kaolack, sits within this window. Less than 10% of missionary work worldwide is done among these peoples — for every 30 cross-cultural workers going to already-reached people groups, only one goes to the unreached.
The great imbalance
For every dollar of Christian resources, less than one penny is directed at reaching unreached peoples. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 to go seek the one — he uses all his resources to find the lost. Today, that priority is backwards.
Our calling: from Dakar to Djibouti
“I have made it my aim to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was named… but as it is written: ‘To whom He was not announced, they shall see; and those who have not heard shall understand.’”
— Romans 15:20-21
God has spoken to our team through several of us, at different times. To me, Ehonam Hamenou, He gave the direction “from Dakar to Djibouti.” This path runs through the Sahel, one of the least-reached regions on the African continent.
Who I am
I was born in Agoévé, near Lomé, Togo. My birth itself was a miracle — doctors told my mother she would have to choose between her life and mine. My middle name, Ehonam, means “He saves me” in the Ewe language.
My childhood was marked by instability and pain: my parents separated when I was eight, there was violence at home, and at twelve I reached a point of total despair that only God brought me out of. That same year, I gave my life to Christ at a Baptist church near our home — the same church that had, months earlier, stopped a bomb attack on our neighborhood through prayer.
At nineteen, I joined my mother in France. The years that followed brought real hardship, including a period of homelessness — an experience that gave me a lasting compassion for people living on the street.
In March 2013, an encounter with God in a forest near Strasbourg redirected my whole life toward evangelism. The following summer, forty days of fasting and prayer in the Alps revealed what remains the heart of my calling: to love with the love shown at the cross — loving God, loving others, becoming Love.
Out of that conviction came several initiatives in Strasbourg: Porte du Ciel (a house of prayer and intercession), Pionniers (inter-church street evangelism, every Saturday), and The Cross Love, connected to networks like CFAN Evangelism Alliance, GEA, and OMS, through whom I also received my ordination.
I hold a diploma from the ISOM international Bible institute and from EM Strasbourg, and am connected to networks such as CFAN Evangelism Alliance, AIMG, CNEF, GEA, and OMS, through whom I also received my ordination. Today, the same voice that redirected me to the streets of Strasbourg in 2013 is calling me further still — from Senegal to Djibouti.
How to support this project
This project moves forward through prayer and the support of those God places on its path. There are several ways to be part of this mission — from Dakar to Djibouti:
- Pray — for open hearts across the Sahel, and for wisdom and protection for the team.
- Give one time — a single gift to fund a trip, equipment, or a specific stage of the project.
- Become a regular partner — monthly or annual giving, to give this work the long-term stability it needs.
- Go to the field — for those who sense a similar call and want to join the team, short-term or full-time.
If you sense the Lord calling you to take a step in any of these directions, feel free to reach out.
The Cross Love 