Otammari

  • Pre-Entry
  • Pre-Evangelism
  • Evangelism
  • Discipleship
  • Phase-Out
  • Completed

About the People

About 150,000 Otammari live in Northern Benin and Togo. They are famous for their masonry and their traditional homes that resemble mud castles. Most are subsistence farmers and hunters.

Illiteracy is high among this group. Many people only read French, the administrative language of Benin. Very few can read or write their heart language, Ditammari. Most cling to animism and ancestor worship and have resisted both Islam and Christianity. Each household has a family altar called the fetish, where the father of the household makes sacrifices and appeals to the spirits of the ancestors. Participation in initiation ceremonies is of the highest importance for teenage boys and girls.

The whole Bible is translated into Ditammari, but it is out of print. However, the Holy Spirit is moving among these people who have traditionally been extremely resistant to outsiders. Evangelical Christians of several denominations have noticed a dramatic change in their openness in recent years.

About the Project

AFM missionaries have been ministering to the Otammari people since Linden and Michelle St. Clair launched the project in 1996. Today, Ulrike Baur-Kouato leads the project, assisted by her husband Toussaint and three local evangelists. They are working to nurture the church in Natitingou and a growing number of groups in surrounding villages. Suzy Baldwin worked on the Otammari Project for many years and now serves on the Pendjari Project.

People-Group Facts

  • Population: 150,000
  • Language: Ditammari
  • Religion: Animist

Frontier Stories

The Gauthier Campaign

Although our primary target audience is unreached people, it regularly happens that members and even pastors of other denominations are influenced and touched by our activities.

By: Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
March 01 2024, 6:40 pm | Comments 0

Chantal

Please keep praying that God will continue to strengthen the faith of Chantal and the other Kouaba church members amid persecution.

By: Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
January 01 2024, 1:52 pm | Comments 0

The Rainy Season

It is the peak of the rainy season, a time when food is scarce and sickness is rampant. We praise God and thank our donors that we can help

By: Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
November 01 2023, 3:19 pm | Comments 0

Papa Ulrich

Please pray with us that Papa Ulrich would not listen to Satan’s voice, which is trying to tell him that he is rejected and unworthy of God’s love.

By: Uli Baur
October 01 2023, 12:57 pm | Comments 0

No Safer Place on Earth

Trust Him wherever He leads you, even if it is to an operating table. If He is there, there is no safer place on Earth.

By: Veronique Charbonneau
September 01 2023, 2:15 pm | Comments 0

The God of Twins

Our God proved himself faithful and stronger than any evil forces who had tried to take this little child’s life.

By: Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
July 01 2023, 12:40 pm | Comments 0

The Lemon Tree

Maybe we are running on a low battery. Maybe we are meeting a lot of resistance. Maybe some circumstances out of our control are slowing down our activities. Whatever the reason, I pray that even during those times, I would still bear fruit.

By: Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
April 01 2023, 2:25 pm | Comments 0

The ABCs of Prayer

God hears our prayers. Sometimes the Lord delays His answers to show His glory and to teach us valuable lessons.

By: Veronique Charbonneau
March 01 2023, 8:00 pm | Comments 0

Felicité

We do not yet know how Felicité is doing in her new role as a young wife living in her in-laws’ house. But the Boukombé church members will continue visiting, praying with, and supporting her, whatever her situation. Please pray for Felicité. Please also pray that our team will grow in love, grace and patience.

By: Uli Baur
March 01 2023, 2:55 pm | Comments 0

A Simple Question Goes A Long Way

I don’t know who else God healed as a result of our prayers, but I know He healed me.

By: Veronique Charbonneau
November 01 2022, 1:09 pm | Comments 0

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