It’s almost becoming an annual cycle or a routine in Ghana. It is either a drought or floods. Nature has once again painfully slapped torrential rains into the faces of the people of the Eastern Region of Ghana resulting in devastating, life threatening floods.

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.
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Americans will do anything for Africa, someone once said, except read about it. This is something that people who write about Africa think about. People like Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times’ columnist. Kristof has his methods—using Americans as an avenue through which to hook people on African issues—and he wrote about them recently.

There’s another way to get people to care about Africa. Convince Americans to go to visit. Let them rub up against rural poverty. Let them cuddle Burkinabé babies, drink home-brewed sorghum beer, and rock back and laugh with Ghanaian villagers. That’s exactly what a group of Hispanic Americans did recently. They traveled to Burkina Faso and Ghana to learn about Catholic Relief Services and the people we help.
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A member of St. John Mary Vianney parish near Seattle greets schoolchildren on a visit to northern Ghana. The parish led an effort to help CRS build nearly 20 wells throughout northern Ghana.Photo courtesy St. John Mary Vianney parish

While visiting villages in northern Ghana, members of a Seattle parish were confronted with the realities of extreme poverty.

One image that stayed with pastoral assistant Jan Kline is when a mother thrust her baby into a parishioner ‘s arms and gestured for them to take the child with them.  While it may seem unfathomable for a mother to entrust her child to strangers, Jan explains: “She was indicating that she wanted them to give her child a chance.” And she had reason to.

In the three northern regions, 76 percent of Ghanaians are illiterate-the highest rate in the country. Villages here have long lacked access to clean drinking water, which led to a spread of the guinea worm disease.
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We recently ran a story on a Seattle parish’s efforts to raise funds to help Catholic Relief Services build wells in northern Ghana. But I wanted to tell you a little more about the pastoral assistant who led these efforts. Jan Kline is one enthusiastic Catholic woman.

What captured me during one of our conversations was that she cheerfully says “Har Har” after talking about St. John Mary Vianney‘s work for the poor in places where CRS works, but right in their own town and parish.
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Women unlock their safe to collect and distribute loan money to the rest of their microfinance group. Photo by Mikaele Sansone/CRS

Fr. Kevin Feeney, Vice President and Dean of Formation at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, IL, recently traveled with a group of seminarians to Burkina Faso and Ghana. The trip was part of CRS’ Global Fellows program, a grassroots speaking initiative that draws on the talents of Catholic priests, deacons and seminarians to spread the Gospel message and the mission of CRS in parishes throughout the country. The group visited a women’s fair trade cooperative and a microfinance group supported by CRS.

We travelled to a small boutique which had been made possible by “Collaboration with Women in Distress” (COLWOD) a charitable organization founded to help abandoned women.
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Mark Cregger helps a local farmer to weed his green beans. Photo by Mikaele Sansone/CRS

Mark Cregger, from the Diocese of Gary, IN, recently traveled with a group of seminarians and one priest to Burkina Faso and Ghana. The trip was part of CRS’ Global Fellows program, a grassroots speaking initiative that draws on the talents of Catholic priests, deacons and seminarians to spread the Gospel message and the mission of CRS in parishes throughout the country. The group visited Silmidougou Irrigation Project and Kaya Shelter for Young Women in Burkina Faso.

As we passed out of the city and through the countryside, it dawned on me how immense God’s love must be. It stretches from village to village moving the souls of His beloved to daily acts of charity. This grateful people understands what God has blessed them with. They welcome all and give with an open hand.
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