The flood has claimed the lives of 6 people and an estimated 11,000 people have been displaced and deprived of food, shelter and other basic needs. It was heartbreaking to watch people lose everything they owned, all in the twinkle of an eye. Oh, Mother nature, have mercy on us!

Madam Akosua Dentaah looks depressed, helpless and so burdened by the devastating effects of the floods in Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana. She stands with Bishop Joseph Afrifah Agyekum of the Diocese of Koforidua, whom for her is the only symbol of hope in her affliction.

“I am a 38 year old widow with 3 children to fend for” she said, “My only room in which my children and I stay was flattened by the angry and merciless flood waters; all my valuables including my children’s school uniforms and books were swept away by the raging floods”.

“Devastated, helpless but alive” was Akosua’s song of lamentation and thanksgiving.

“Now, what do I do without food, shelter and robbed of all my belongings?” was Akosua’s question—not just to the Bishop, but to you and I as well. Akosua’s lamentation is the story of many flood victims in Ghana and in Africa. Catholic Relief Services is working with the National Catholic Secretariat to get aid to those affected, to help with their long term needs.

What can I do? What can you do in response to Akosua’s desperate cry for compassion and love? “Finally, brothers and sisters, …whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

–Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the United States annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

During the visit, a creative, vivid and pictorial market stall presentation was made on CRS programs and interventions in Ghana. A brief recap of previous interventions and collaborations between CRS and the US government was made by Lisa Washington Sow, the country representative of CRS Ghana.

Lisa expressed the gratitude and appreciation to the delegation for their passion and years of unwavering support for the work of CRS in Ghana. She underscored the need for continual support and collaboration as we address the needs of the most vulnerable in the country.

The delegation acknowledged and thanked CRS staff for their commitment and dedication to the mandate of CRS to serve the needs of the poor and urged the staff to keep up the good work. The fact that the bishops and the US ambassador to Ghana made time within their busy and tight schedules to visit, share our programs and interact with us was a tremendous source of encouragement and motivation for us staff members.

On behalf of CRS staff, our partners and beneficiaries, thank you all for the visit. We definitely appreciated your visit and we hope for more of such visits in the future.

–Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the United States annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

Community members welcome the Hispanic delegation with drumming and dancing. Photo by CRS staff

Nine Hispanic Church leaders from across the United States and four CRS regional staff members spent 10 days visiting CRS projects in Burkina Faso and Ghana, interacting with and experiencing the culture and way of life of the people.

The Hispanic delegation visit to West Africa, Ghana and Burkina Faso, offered an opportunity to see, feel and experience the story of CRS around the world and hopefully, share that story and experience with their people in the United States. I am glad you chose to visit West Africa.

CRS staff, partners and beneficiaries all enjoyed your visit and we hope that many more of you will visit us in due course.

- Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the U.S. annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

The Da Souza family interacting with project beneficiaries in Burkina Faso. Photo by CRS staff

The Da Souza family, friends and great supporters of CRS, along with CRS staffer Alison Judd, spent 10 days in Burkina Faso and Ghana. They visited many CRS projects, interacted with partners and beneficiaries of the various projects in both countries.

It was deeply rewarding for them to find out that their family’s financial support for CRS really makes a great impact on the lives of people and their communities. The delegation returned home a couple of days ago. I am glad they are all back home safely.

We know it took a lot of energy, time, resources and sacrifices to make this trip and I thank you all for taking the trip despite the challenges. I must admit that every moment spent with you during your visit was like a glimpse of paradise, an embrace of solidarity, an epiphany of joy and happiness.

- Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the U.S. annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

A group of blind gardeners supported by CRS welcome the St. Francis girls to their project site in the village of Ermon, Ghana, with song and dance. Photo by CRS staff

A delegation of 12 students and 3 teachers from St. Francis, an all-girls’ Catholic high school in Sacramento, California, visited Ghana from June 7 to 21, 2010. The visit provided a unique opportunity to the delegation to join their sister school, also called St. Francis, in Jirapa, Ghana, to celebrate their relationship, which began more than 5 years ago and has grown from strength to strength.

The girls also took the opportunity to visit Catholic Relief Services projects, learn about the work of CRS in Ghana and interact with beneficiaries of the different projects. St. Francis High School in Sacramento has been a great supporter of CRS programs through many years of participation in Operation Rice Bowl and promotion of fair trade activities in the school.

Reflecting on the visit, one of the girls wrote, “Staying with our sister school friends in Jirapa, Ghana, we ate what they ate, slept where they slept, attended classes with them, celebrated the Eucharist amidst drumming, singing and dancing together. We groped in the dark to find our way because of frequent power outages. We were not able to do enough laundry due to water crisis in the school. These were for sure the highlights of my trip to Ghana and these experiences will forever change my life”.

Girls from St. Francis, Sacramento, California, attend classes with students of their sister school in Jirapa, Ghana. Photo by CRS staff

Another girl also had this to say: “We shared the hopes and dreams of our fellow teenage high school girls, their struggles and resilience. We lived it all. We experienced it all. And trust me, if solidarity was the goal of our trip to Ghana, I am quite sure we caught a lot of sweet glimpses of what the true meaning of the word is.”

Returning to the United States, the girls from St. Francis in Sacramento have resolved to share with fellow Americans the joy of being in solidarity with Africa. They will tell family and friends the story of CRS working strategically to alleviate human suffering among the most vulnerable. They will take a larger advocacy role, donate and raise money for CRS. And most importantly, they will pray for the efforts and collaboration with other agencies to serve the needs of the poorest of the poor. Simply, each will be an advocate and a good example of global solidarity.

Thank you for your visit to Ghana. May your visit deepen your relationship with your sister school in Jirapa and enhance the partnership and collaboration with CRS in the service of humanity.

–Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the United States annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

During my speaking tour, I visited 17 States, 30 Dioceses, 50 parishes and about 100 Schools, reaching out to approximately 50,000 American Catholics. The trip was well planned, well coordinated, successful, and extremely worthwhile, notwithstanding the fact that there is always room for improvement.

Often times, people ask me; how and where do you find the energy and motivation to keep going on such a long and heavily packed itinerary? The answer is simple: There is no doubt that I absolutely enjoy telling my personal story and the story of CRS around the world. Apart from that, I draw on a lot of inspiration and inner motivation from my usually excellent and profoundly engaged audience anywhere, anytime. That humbles me, and gives me strengthen to keep going even when I am sometimes humanly exhausted.

I recall a 7-year old elementary school boy, who after listening to my presentation, walked up to me, and in front of the whole class, presented to me a little cross and said, “Remember Christ died for you.” What a gift that was! I ponder on that experience every day.

In a separate event, a 10-year old boy who listened to my presentation just before his birthday, decided to accept only cash donations for CRS on his birthday instead of any other birthday presents. A high school girl who listened to me, remarked, “I will never complain about my internet speed”.

These stories, experiences and many others are the sources of my strength, motivation. They help me find joy and fulfillment in doing what I do. In this context, challenges become opportunities do to better.

While on this trip, I experienced and enjoyed unparalleled hospitality, friendship and love from host families, parishes and co-workers. Let me take this opportunity to express profound gratitude and appreciation for your goodness. May God richly bless you!

- Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the U.S. annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

One of the questions I get asked a lot when I speak to school children in the US is, “How old are you?” I visited Holy Spirit High school in the Northeast region to speak to an all school assembly of 750 students. One of the numerous and good questions I was asked was, “How old are you?” My answer is, I don’t know exactly how old I am though I very much wish I did. I explained to the questioner that I was born not in a hospital, my parents could neither read nor write and no records were documented. It’s been impossible to find out my actual date of birth.

A follow up question from another student was, “if you don’t know your date of birth, then what do you celebrate for birthday?” My answer was, “I celebrate life.” I am simply happy and grateful to God to be alive and everyday and every moment is my birthday. I know it must feel good to know and celebrate your birthday every year but I don’t know mine and it is ok with me. The good news is I get to make up a date of birth for myself, but the problem is that I always forget it and have to check for it in my passport.

At the end of my presentation, one of the students asked for permission from the principal of the school to sing Happy Birthday for me given my story of not knowing my birthday. The whole student body including faculty and staff broke into song—Happy birthday to you… What a beautiful song and a great gift that was for me! It brought tears of joy to my eyes.

- Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the U.S. annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.

The bishop announced that the Catholic community of the Worcester Diocese has raised close to $500,000 in aid of victims of the earthquake in Haiti. He added that the money will be channeled through CRS because he knows and believes that the money will be spent judiciously and efficiently to save and improve lives of the afflicted.

Thanks to Bishop McManus and the Catholic community of the Worcester diocese for being so generous and demonstrating such a high sense of solidarity with the people of Haiti.

-Thomas Awiapo

Unfortunately, this is the reality being confirmed over and over again by the media and the government of Haiti. What a painful reality it is! I wish this didn’t happen and people didn’t have to suffer this way.

On the flip side of the coin, the earthquake tragedy in Haiti is exposing and demonstrating the incredible goodness of the human family. Since the tragedy hit Haiti, there has been a great outpouring of immeasurable compassion and love from the human family to the victims of the quake. I just visited a Catholic high school called Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland, that raised over $15,000 in one day by sacrificing part of their snack and lunch monies to support victims of the earthquake through Catholic Relief Services. What a powerful and inspiring demonstration of solidarity with the afflicted! Kudos to all students, staff and faculty of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Let me take this opportunity to salute all the rescue workers who risk their lives, spend every little ounce of energy, skill and experience to save lives from the rubble of the quake. I congratulate all the relief workers who are on the ground providing the very basic needs to keep victims alive.

The most powerful lesson I have drawn in the mist of the earthquake tragedy is that, no matter the power of evil in the world, goodness and love will always overcome evil. I pray that we remain united in goodness and love of God and one another.

- Thomas Awiapo
As a child in Ghana, Thomas Awiapo was a beneficiary of CRS school feeding programs. Now, as an adult, he works for CRS Ghana and travels to the U.S. annually to tell his inspiring story to American Catholics at schools, parishes and communities. Thomas will be a featured guest blogger and will be reporting from Ghana about the issues he witnesses firsthand.

Watch the video: Empowered for Life: The Thomas Awiapo Story.