Father Bernard Vespieren, unstoppable entrepreneur in love with Mali
Father Bernard Verspieren was born in North of France in 1924. Passionate with agriculture, he graduated from the agriculture school of Purpan in southern France before going into the Catholic Church and joining the White Fathers, the Society of Missionaries of Africa at age 19. After four years at a seminary, he was ordained priest in Carthage in 1950 then left for Mali, called French Sudan at the time.
From that day, started a real passion, an everlasting true love for this country.
He began his mission in Bobo country, at Mandyakuy, between the years 1951 and 1959, building six churches. However, he started to get interested in the problems of development and when Pope Jean XXIII, "the pope of his heart", declared: "no evangelization without development, no development without evangelization", Father Verspieren threw himself in an adventure of more than forty years working in various sides of development : agriculture, health, education, water production or women social promotion. He started by creating two schools of agriculture : in Tominian in 1966 then in Koni. These schools operated with an unusual model : during one year, couples would learned to farm with modern techniques and then would returned to their village with a plough and a pair of oxes from the school to implement those techniques locally.
In 1973, a terrible drought devastated the Sahel; famine caused the death of thousands. Solicited by the highest Malian authorities, Father Verspieren created Mali Aqua Viva and with this new association, he launched the most fantastic water wells drilling campaign that Mali has ever known. After holy water, he specialized in drinking water ! This programs still continues until today and it accounts for more than 4000 drillings.. At the beginning, the wells were equipped with foot and hand pumps; then one day, in Corsica, the Father discovered one of the first solar photovoltaic cell pumps. What could be better for Mali where the sun only veils its face seldomly ! In 1977, he installed the first solar pump in Mali. He will be the pioneer of renewable energies in this country. In all, he has installed more than 125 solar pumps ! At the same time, he built schools, dispensaries, set up twinning links between French and Malian cities, took care of some local women association and helped the setting up of an orthopedic center of physiotherapy...
More than everywhere else, his love for Mali and the Malian people shows in his last project: Teriya Bugu. In the middle of the bush along the Bani river, the Father met a Somono fisherman in 1965, Lamine Samaké. From their friendship was born a dream. This dream became Teriya Bugu, the “friendship hut”, a model farm, and a small oasis in the heart of Mali. The Father settled in Teriya Bugu at the beginning of the 1980’s. True builder at heart, he left a precious legacy to Mali : a test platform of renewable energies, including solar panels, windpumps, biogas; orchards, field crops, cattle. He demonstrated what can be done in Mali with water, will and love… Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, he was also decorated with the French Order of Merit. In Mali, he was decorated with the National order of merit and with the Ciwara d'Excellence order. After more than 50 years spent at the service of Mali and its people, Father Bernard Verspieren died in October 2003. He left an unforgettable example in the heart of people who knew him. He was like a Father for Mali who leaves behind him many orphans...