Jokebed Coulibaly – Mali

Associate Regional Director

Jokebed was born in a Christian family, and her dad was a pastor who told her about Jesus since she was young. She remembers wanting to follow Jesus since she was about 8 years old. In 2009, her church invited her to the first Young Life leadership training in Mali. She was intrigued by the idea of sharing the Gospel with young people. She started volunteer leading, which she continued until 2013 when she joined Young Life staff as an area director, and most recently stepped into her new role as associate regional director. Jokebed is challenging the cultural norms that expect women to stay at home and not interact with young people. It is important to note that the area she supervised has more female team leaders and Campaigners than male. God is using Jokebed to encourage other women to follow Him despite the cultural challenges in Mali.