Build Dreams and Bring Hope to a Tiny Village in Ghana

Sixteen years ago, the Catholic community in Wassa Wantram, a tiny village in southwestern Ghana, started building a church.

The Catholic faith came to Wassa Wantram in 1959. It grew slowly but steadily over the next many decades. And in the early 2000s, the Catholic faithful decided it was time to have a dedicated church building.

This decision is incredible because, in Wassa Wantram, just 100 people are Catholic, and most of the villagers are small-scale cocoa farmers who harvest just once a year! But these 100 people resolved to build a church, at great personal cost and sacrifice, because they love and treasure their faith. They wanted to build a place where God would always be glorified.

This new church will bless these 100 dedicated people–and many more who would like to worship God too!

And the villagers have made great progress! Today, the church they lovingly call St. Gabriel’s has a foundation, the beginnings of walls, and a basic roof.

But after 16 years of toiling and working to build a church, funds have dried up. Harvests last year were barely enough for the villagers to make ends meet for their families, leaving nothing extra for the completion of St. Gabriel’s.

Some quick stats for St. Gabriel's church in Wassa Wantram, Ghana

This is where you come in.

Because you and caring friends like you are the only ones who can help make this dream come true!

With your help, the villagers of Wassa Wantram will be able to finish the church. Once they receive enough funds, it will only take six months to one year to complete the church. The work that remains includes flooring, plaster works, concrete works, ceiling works, windows and doors, tiling, electricity, painting, and workmanship.

The total cost for the remainder of the project is $19,544.44.

That may seem like a lot, but when we all come together, incredible things happen.

If just 200 friends give $97, St. Gabriel’s will be fully funded and the faithful of Wassa Wantram will finally have a church within the year!

What’s At Stake

Why is it so important to build this church?

Most villagers in Wassa Wantram work as small-scale cocoa farmers or unskilled tradesmen.
Martha, 54

Martha, 54, sells bread to make a living. She tells us that finishing St. Gabriel’s is crucial because people are not coming to church because they lack a proper building. Weddings are being postponed. Sacraments are being delayed or skipped. With a proper church building, these people will come back to church.

So what’s at stake? The salvation of souls!

Furthermore, the Catholic community has graciously offered to open their doors to the whole village and use the church building not only as a worship space but also a place for members of the village to pool resources and lift each other up. This will be especially impactful for the women of the village because they will be able to learn new marketable skills to provide income for themselves and their families.

So what’s at stake? The empowerment of the poor!

Gifty, 12, is a student in 6th grade at the local primary school. Even though she’s so young, she knows how important finishing St. Gabriel’s is: “We need this church to be completed because it is the future of the community.”

So what’s at stake? A hopeful future for poor children throughout Wassa Wantram!

Your gift today will help finish St. Gabriel’s.

You will provide a house of worship for the small but strong Catholic community of Wassa Wantram.

You will give women like Martha a place to learn more valuable skills to improve their economic place in the world.

You will give children like Gifty a place to study and learn and build a bright future for themselves.

You will impact not just a small village in Ghana, but generations to come.

Gifty, 12

Give now to change the world.

We’ve seen time and time again how your generosity changes the world. And we know that this time will be no different. Any amount you give, big or small, will be a tremendous help to our brothers and sisters in Wassa Wantram. Don’t forget: if just 200 people give $97, we will have the project fully funded! Other giving options include:

  • $1,000 helps cover big expenses like windows, electrical works, and tiles for the floor
  • $500 helps provide plaster, paint, and other materials
  • $97 – if just 200 friends like you give $97, we will have fully funded the completion of St. Gabriel’s!
  • $50 provides small building materials like nails

Only God knows how a little church in a tiny village in Ghana will pour graces out on the world. God often comes to us in the smallest ways and in the most ordinary means. And it is through these small, ordinary ways that he brings his salvation to the world. You can be part of it today.

Give right now to reach souls in Ghana!

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#CatholicWorldMission #BuildTheChurch #Ghana

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