Caritas Ghana, with support from Hungary Helps, distributed non-food items and cash packages to forty-eight flood-affected households in Kwahu Afram Plains.

These affected households, located in the following riverine communities, Kodidi B and Amankwa-Tornu in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District, and Kwame Dwamena, Asaase Boama, Kwabena Kwahu and Foso in Kwahu Afram Plains South District, were affected by the torrential rains and the water spillage from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.

Caritas Ghana is grateful to the Hungary Helps for the humanitarian assistance; the Apostolic Vicar of Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate, Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, who accompanied all the distribution trails and did the presentations on behalf of the Church; the Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate Distribution Team; the priests who are pastorally overseeing those affected communities, and the focal points in the affected communities.

The beneficiaries, in turn, did express their joy and appreciation to the Church for the unexpected shelter materials (bags of cement and roofing sheets), water-tanks, and cash packages which were donated to them. Particularly, the opinion leaders of Amankwa-Tornu thanked the Church for the replacement of their broken overhead water-tank. Those who had their houses affected by the flood were advised and urged to relocate to a higher and safer ground.

Following the devastating effect of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams water spillage on islands and riverine communities along the Volta River, Caritas Ghana with support from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sent non-food relief items (jerry cans and aquatabs) and cash donations to the affected victims of Aveyime, Battor, Mepe, Sogakope and the islands close to Mafi-Adidome. Next, some households at Agbozume, Hatsukorpe, and Viepe which are in the Ketu South Municipality who got affected due to the torrential rains in that region. Then, there is Salo, Atito and Alakple in the Anlo District on the Dabala-Keta Road also got flooded when the Keta Lagoon was opened to allow some of the water to flow into the sea to avoid major disaster in that enclave. The National Catholic Secretariat added food items received from other dioceses and well-wishers.

As an immediate response, NADMO offices in the affected districts created temporary shelters or safe havens for thousands of displaced people at Mafi-Adidome (Adidome Farms Institute), Mepe (Catholic Mission and St. Kizito JHS), and Aveyime-Battor (newly constructed hamlets). Others moved to live with relatives and friends within and outside the districts.

Based on its initial assessment and analysis, Caritas Ghana’s reportage prompted the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference to offer financial support to Accra Archdiocese and Keta-Akatsi Diocese to provide relief material to the affected households and persons.

Caritas Ghana is grateful to Catholic Relief Services for the cash donation and the WASH Kits for the affected/displaced people, as well as journeying with us to all the distribution centres. Thanks again, CRS, for your solidarity. Caritas Ghana is also grateful to the Keta-Akatsi

Diocesan Team (the Bishop, the DDO, the Bursar, the priests at the affected communities, the focal points and the volunteers) for their cooperation, availability and support.

All is not over. There are chunks of affected households that have not been adequately assisted. For instance, the island community of Awadiwoe, near Vume. Donations in-cash and in-kind are welcome. For further information, contact the Secretary-General at the National Catholic Secretariat – Shiashe, Accra; or through your parish-priests.

Contact lines: secretarygeneral@cbcgha.org; info@caritas-ghana.org;

“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity” – Leo Tolstoy

“Human dignity, and human life” are two essential blocks and motivating elements which for Caritas Ghana are non-negotiable in our works of charity. We go to lengths to be present in the living situations of the vulnerable and the marginalized.

In response to humanitarian crises in parts of the Catholic Dioceses of Wa, Damongo, Keta-Akatsi, and Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Caritas Ghana donated some relief items, including cheques, to the respective Diocesan Development Offices to supplemnt their efforts to assist the victims of these humanitarian crises.

At Damongo and Wa, Mr. John Oheneba-Acquah, the Humanitarian Coordinator of Caritas Ghana, presented a cheque of GHS10,000.00 to each of the Dioceses. Rev. Fr. Sylvester Kuubetersuur, the Damongo Diocese’s Development Officer, received it on behalf of his diocese, and similarly, the Diocesan Administrator of Wa Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Edward Tengan, received that for his diocese. Both priests expressed their appreciation for the kind gesture from Caritas Ghana, and on behalf of their respective dioceses, they thanked Caritas Ghana for fulfilling its divine mission to care for the poor and the vulnerable.

Currently, Wa Diocese is confronted with two issues: to assist some of the displaced people from Burkina Faso to the Sissala enclave due to the political unrest, as well as assist some of the households which hosted those displaced Burkinabes.

In Damongo Diocese, the situation has to do with the ethnic conflict between the Gonjas and the Mamprusis over a community within the Lingbinsi-Daboya District which both claim ownership and the right to enskin a chief for the community. The conflict led to the death of one of the Mamprusi chiefs and the destruction of properties, including houses. Through Very Rev. Fr. Maurice Porekuu, the Parish-Priest of St. Peter’s Catholic Church at Lingbinsi, the donation will be used to provide humanitarian relief to the displaced people of Lukula and beyond.

In a related mission, the National Director of Caritas Ghana, Mr. Thomas Abaruk Awiapo, and Mr. Gregory Kangkpi, the Business Development Officer of Caritas Ghana donated some relief items to Keta-Akatsi and Navrongo-Bolgatanga Dioceses. At Bolgatanga, Mr. Awiapo donated a cheque of GHS30,000.00 to Very Rev. Fr. Lawrence Azure, the Vicar-General, who received it on behalf of the Bishop, to provide support to the refugees from Burkina Faso, the victims of the perennial floods and the internal land and chieftaincy disputes which have exposed many vulnerable communities to an extreme humanitarian crisis. As of now, there are three thousand and over refugees seeking economic asylum in some districts of the Upper East Region.

At Akatsi, the team met with the Bishop of Keta-Akatsi Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji, SVD, the Diocesan Development Director, Rev. Fr. James Dzinyakpor,  and Rev. Fr. Simon Amenuku, the Bishop’s Secretary, and a cheque amount of GHS40,000.00 was donated to the diocese.

Thus, in recent times, some of the residents living in these coastal communities in the Keta Municipality and Ketu South District have been forced to seek shelter

in other communities which are not close to the coast due to the surge of tidal waves, rendering some of them homeless, as well as robbing them of their livelihoods. In solidarity with the diocese, the team presented in addition to the cheque, food items, and three bales of clothing to augment the diocese’s efforts to meet some of the needs of these victims.

Caritas Ghana is grateful to Mr. Eric Harr, Co-Founder & CEO of Laudato Si Challenge and his Team, as well as to Madam Gloria Asare and Friends who supported us to make these donations possible. We wish you all God’s blessings.