Ghana

Population: 25,904,598
Percent Below Poverty Line: 24%

In 2009, the doors were opened to begin a wonderful partnership lifting some of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Ghana out of physical and spiritual suffering. We began with shipping medical beds to hospitals that did not have enough. When they ran out of beds, nurses would put two people on one and then a third underneath when every bed had two people. Our mission did not stop there, thanks to our generous donors we have helped fund water wells, the construction of medical clinics, evangelization across the country, distribution of Eucharistic monstrances and many other projects.

See your generosity at work in the video here!

Explore the tabs below to learn more about missions in Ghana.

Building with Hope – a Church for Enchi

About

Enchi Needs Your Support!

4,000 Christian families and their children in Enchi, Ghana do not currently have a church. This is because their beloved church was demolished earlier this year due to cracks compromising the structural integrity of the building. The villagers are working tirelessly to rebuild a church home, but they will be stopped in their tracks if they run out of funds.

The blessing of a church, of a spiritual home, is one that many throughout the world do not have. This is true especially for the many children and families in Enchi, Ghana, who have recently had to give up their spiritual home because it was crumbling around them. Now, they are adrift and the growing Catholic community of Enchi has nowhere else to turn but to us, their brothers and sisters in Christ, for assistance.

Now is the time to support the Enchi community.

Join the Build!

Building with Hope

Matching Gift Challenge

Updates

July 2018 – The Church is Finished, and Deacon Rick Visits!

Our brothers and sisters in Enchi, Ghana, are so excited about their new church! They are so happy to have a place to worship God. Deacon Rick Medina, CWM Executive Director, got to visit the new church and was present for its dedication. Three bishops were there, as well as representatives from several tribes and communities in Enchi. The church was filled with joyful singing, dancing, and praise to God for the generosity of so many friends around the world who helped make this church possible, including YOU! Thank you for all you’ve done to build this church and renew hope in Ghana! Check out the photos below, and make sure to scroll to the bottom of this section to click through new photos of the finished church. You can also see progress photos from every stage of construction over the last few years!

February 2018 – Some Finishing Touches in Place

The altar, ambo, tabernacle stand, railings, and a statue of the Blessed Mother have been installed in the church! Click through the carousel below to see photos of the new additions, and past photos of construction progress. Our friends in Ghana will soon need a tabernacle so that the Eucharistic presence of our Lord can be consistently kept in the church once construction is complete and the church has been blessed. To help give a tabernacle, click here.

August 2017 – Bishop Joseph Visits, Roof and Ceiling Installed

Bishop Joseph visited the build site in Enchi this month–what a treat! The roof and ceiling were also installed. The church is beginning to look like a church! See photos below.

March 2017 – Halfway there!

The church structure is halfway done and looking great! Check out the updated photos below.

January 2017

Scaffolding has gone up around the new construction. One of the most encouraging things about this project is the way the whole community comes together to help build–men, women, children, and even Monsignor Simon, the pastor!

June 2016

Pillars and arches are up in the new church building! Progress looks great!

May 2016 – Construction Begins

Earlier this year the old church building was torn down because cracks in the walls and foundation compromised the structural integrity of the whole building. Today the people of Enchi have been working around the clock to reconstruct their church!

The villagers work tirelessly, everyone pitching in their own time and talent, to build a new church for all the families in the community; they want to finish before Easter. They constantly hold onto the hope that the young children and growing families that live there will be able to grow up with the opportunity that many of us have – the opportunity to receive the sacraments, worship, and gather together in their own home parish.

Enchi is a small village; only 15,000 people live there. 4,000 people – over 25% of the village! – are members of this church family. And this number continues to grow! Every year many new people come forward, exuberant to join the church. We want to be the reason why even more people can join the church in the coming years – because they will have a place to worship!

Without your support and generosity the construction will halt as they are coming close to running out of funds.

See photos of the progress that has been made:

How You Can Help

Now is the Time to Support the Enchi Community

The joy of the villagers – even in the wake of this hardship – is infectious. And it is so inspiring the way that the whole community gathers and works for the common good. Even Monsignor Simon, who ministers to the needs of the whole village, also works alongside the villagers as they rebuild their church home.

“[A parish] is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a center of constant missionary outreach.” – Pope Francis

$100 = funds all of the labor (25 skilled workers) on the church construction site for one full day
$32 pays for one worker for one week
$10 = one sack of cement
$25 = twenty-five concrete bricks made by hand on site
$50 = one church window installed from glazing, to caulking
$10 buys one wheelbarrow

Your gift today will give the children a spiritual home! Your best gift to the impoverished people of Enchi, Ghana will ensure all their children and generations of children will grow up knowing the love of Christ Jesus. Give generously, as Christ has called us to do. A generous donor has come forward to match all of the gifts for Enchi, dollar for dollar! Your gift today will DOUBLE in value to help the children and families as they rebuild their church! A gift of $25 dollars will actually cover 50 bricks, imagine what $300 could give! Your gift today builds the Church of Christ in Ghana.

GIVE NOW

Children Wake Up at Dawn to Walk Miles and Collect Disease-Riddled Water

The Mission

More than 840,000 People Die Each Year from a Water-Related Disease

Children are diagnosed with malaria, river blindness, bilharzia, and more from drinking unsafe water. Each one painful and dangerous to their bodies. Not only that, 750 million people currently do not have access to clean water.

Catholic World Mission is partnering with four villages in Ghana to bring more than 8,000 children and their families’ clean water. There is an opportunity for you today to help their plight.

Giving Thanks

Mamme Yaa Adutwiwaa Gives Thanks!

Mamme Yaa Adutwiwaa shared with us that before Catholic World Mission paid for a well to be built at Enchi Catholic School, she would walk two miles for three buckets of drinking water each morning with her children. She shared,

“My children were always tired, they felt sick, they could not concentrate in school. I am lucky to have a little business in town, but often I could not open until late because I spent many hours of the day in search of water.”
“Now with this water system we can get water anytime… it is a miracle for us. My children go to school early and they are no longer tired and feeling sick all the time. They are doing well in school and are so much happier. I can attend Mass in the morning and get to the market early, and my business is doing much better. All of this is because of the water system. I thank all those who help Catholic World Mission who brought clean water to my family. I pray that other communities will benefit from more wells.”

Updates

With Your Generous Donation Four Water Wells Were Built in Enchi

One of the water wells was fully commissioned in Enchi, Ghana at Nana Brentu Senior High School! The water well will be used by over 1000 students and staff from the school, and the community will share it as well. The community celebrated the event with Mass, music, dance, and a benediction before cutting the ribbon!

Please continue keeping your heart open to responding to help more people in Ghana receive clean water.

Testimonies

Letter from Abubakor Hadjaratu

Portable water was a major problem facing this institution (Nana Brentu High School) for the past twenty years. Access to portable water had not been easy at all. Students had to walk miles before getting access to water. Due to this problem the District Assembly provided the school with a bore-hole water that was intended to minimize the situation in a way. Yet students had to journey long leagues before getting water which sometimes resulted in lateness to class. This situation also affected the teachers on campus.

The water situation keeps compounding with the increased number of students yearly. The school authorities appealed to corporate bodies and institutions for help. This caught the attention of Reverend Monsignor Simon Assamoah who came to the aid of the school by constructing the existing bore-hole. The construction of this additional bore-hole by Monsignor Simon Assamoah has helped ease the water problem at the school. The introduction of the bore-hole and taps has helped change the once problem of lateness. Now students go to class easy to join first lessons unlike those days when students normally missed first lessons.

Again, the bore-hole and the taps have helped stop students from walking miles before getting water to drink and bathe. Students were drinking water from streams which is sometimes contaminated and even cause illnesses among the students.

The benefits continue on and on, not forgetting the fact that the introduction of this new source of water has helped students to concentrate on their studies. Students no more think about how to get water for the next day because they know where to get water.

In spite of all these benefits that the water source has brought to the school there are also challenges that need attention. First the infrequent supply of power sometimes makes it difficult to get water since the pump machine uses electricity in the pumping process so if there is no sun light, there is no water to use.

Due to this problem that is facing the modern bore-hope I would want to appeal to you if you could provide us with a stand by water for use always from the national. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Catholic World Mission and give thanks to Reverend Monsignor Simon Assamoah for sure a wonderful project he has provided for the school – we say thank you.

Letter from Endoi Safomey

The school (Nana Brentu High School) is very pleased to have a well pipe donated by Catholic World Mission. Previously, the major problem faced in the school was lack of access to water. Students had to walk about ten miles a day from the school before they could get water to use, which sometimes delayed students and teachers from going to class.

On the later part of the year 2015 Reverend Monsignor Simon Assamoah decided to solve the (water) problem for the school. With the good decision made (to install a water well) the following are the benefits the school has derived from:

Due to the good decision taken on our water problem, it has helped to provide clean and safe water for students and teachers on campus, which has therefore made the life of students and even teachers comfortable. This is because students and teachers on campus find it easier now to get clean and safe water to use. Clean water is used for cooking, bathing, washing and many more.

The mechanized bore-hole has helped save the time of students and teachers. This is because the steps of which students had to take before they could get water is now slashed, and this helps to be able to attend class early and even attend social meetings.

Aside the benefits mentioned there are some few problems as far as the pipe is concerned. The solar panel lighting system is one of the major factors that contributes to our problem with the pipe. This is because when the sun sets the pipe also turns off due to the mechanized process of the pipe. We hope you can help solve the problem above by taking the following measures:

The water pump shutting off at sunset could be solved by donating enough funds for additional water tanks to store enough water for students and even teachers when the lights are off. This can help restore the pressure on the pipe since the population of the school keeps on increasing. Another idea if you cannot help us purchase a water tank, is the donation of a generator, so the water pump can remain on always.

How You Can Help

Open Your Heart to Help More People in Ghana Receive Clean Water!

When a family does not have access to clean water in their village they often have to walk many miles to the nearest source, often times a dirty river. They have to wake up before dawn and walk miles and hours and then carry the water home with them. It leaves everyone’s bodies tired and more susceptible to illness.

When there is clean water for a village, mothers don’t have to risk waking up at four o’clock in the morning to walk in the dark with their children in search of water before they go off to school.

With your help Catholic World Mission can fund four more water wells in the villages around Enchi, Ghana to improve the lives of men, women and children, reduce sickness and hunger, improve nutrition and improve the well-being of the communities.

Spreading the Gift of Eucharistic Adoration

Global Evangelization

See How the Donation of Monstrances Spreads the Gospel

Catholic World Mission strongly emphasizes evangelistic revival and spiritual development in its core values. Thanks to generous CWM donors Eucharistic Adoration monstrances have been provided to underprivileged parishes in Ghana to foster increased devotion to the life-giving power of the Eucharist. Through the donation of a monstrance, we hope to increase opportunity for individuals to strengthen their relationship with God and for community devotion. The key mission is to let the power of the Eucharist change the world.

The first areas of emphasis are 20 dioceses in Ghana, Africa. Through the humble assistance of Msgr. Simon (pictured above) one monstrance, pictured here, will be delivered to each diocese to greater encourage community gatherings for Eucharistic Adoration from the many parishes and even greater number of outstations in Ghana. With God’s grace, communities around the world will be lifted up through the power of the Eucharist one monstrance at a time.

What is Adoration?

“The spiritual lives of our families are strengthened through our Holy Hour.” -St. John Paul II

Eucharistic Adoration is a Catholic tradition in which one is in the presence of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. Held in a monstrance, the Body of Christ is stationed in a space, usually the altar or chapel, that allows one to have personal, tranquil, and uninterrupted time with Jesus. The Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament serves as an extension of the adoration and praise given towards the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass. Humbling ourselves before God, Eucharistic Adoration allows one to acknowledge the strength and almighty power of our Lord and Savior.

During this time of reverence, visitors may pray, recite the rosary, read scripture, offer intentions, or simply sit and be in the presence of the Lord. Open to anyone, God makes his grace available to all his children. From individuals to groups to entire parishes, Eucharistic Adoration is offered to all for petitions and thanksgiving. With the presence of the exposed and physical being of Christ, God reveals his tenderness to us in the silence. Eucharistic Adoration blesses one with a temporary escape from the secular world to bring our struggles before God. Away from the noise and distractions, adoration opens opportunity for healing, guidance, enlightenment, forgiveness, and peace.

Whether attending on a whim, on one’s own schedule, or signing up for a specific guardian time, attending adoration increases one’s involvement in the community of the parish. Furthermore, the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament offers a place in which the community can come together in deep prayer and adoration. Through offering up prayers and intentions, God pours out his love and support to parishes in need. Parishes that become anchored in Christ are able to withstand any challenge, change, or shortcoming. The more we develop this spiritual relationship, the better we get at developing an authentic love of neighbor, thus strengthening the parish family.

Dioceses in Ghana

Diocese, Parishes, and Outstations in Ghana

Accra (Archdiocese): Arch Bishop Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle (65 Parishes and Outstations)
Cape Coast (Archdiocese): Archbishop Matthias Kobena Nketsiah (45 Parishes and 12 other pastoral centers with permanent assistance)
Damongo (Diocese): Bishop Peter Paul Yelezuome Angkyier (11 Parishes as of 2006 and 600,000 people currently)
Donkorkrom (Vicariate Apostolic): Vicar Apostolic Gabriel Edoe Kumordji (11 Parishes and over 75 Outstations)
Goaso (Diocese): Bishop Peter Kwaku Atuahene (20 Parishes and 225 Outstations)
Ho (Diocese): Bishop Francis Kofi Lodonu
Jasikan (Diocese): Bishop Gabriel Akwasi Abiabo Mante
Keta-Akatsi (Diocese): Bishop Anthony Kwami Adanuty (19 Parishes and over 150 Outstations)
Koforidua (Diocese): Bishop Joseph Kwaku Afrifah-Agyekum (33 Parishes)
Konongo-Mampong (Diocese): Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu (29 Parishes and 31 Outstation)
Kumasi (Archdiocese): Archbishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Kwaku Mensah, Archbishop Emeritus Peter KwasiSarpong (35 Parishes and 155 Outstations)
Navrongo-Bolgatanga (Diocese): Bishop Alfred Agyenta (18 Parishes)
Obuasi (Diocese): Archbishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye (28 Parishes)
Sekondi-Takoradi (Diocese): Bishop John Bonaventure Kwofie and Apostolic Administrator Matthias Kobena Nketsiah (40 Parishes)
Sunyani (Diocese): Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi (33 Parishes)
Tamale (Archdiocese): Archbishop Philip Naameh and Archbishop Emeritus Gregory E. Kpiebaya (11 Parishes)
Techiman (Diocese): Bishop Dominic Nyarko Yeboah (19 Parishes)
Wa (Diocese): Bishop Paul Bemile (23 Parishes)
Wiawso (Diocese): Bishop Joesph Francis Kweku Essien (20 Parishes)
Yendi (Diocese): Bishop Vincent Boi-Nai (8 Parishes)

Monstrance Distribution

Read the Journey of the 13 Monstrances Through Ghana

Monsignor Simon initiated spreading Eucharistic Adoration to every diocese in Ghana. Having received donations for 13 monstrances the distribution process has started! Many of the priests did not have anything for Eucharistic Adoration, and the ones that did had extremely humble monstrances. Catholic World Mission is thankful for the generosity of our donors to give such beautiful gifts to such deserving priests and the people of Ghana.

11 of the 13 monstrances have been delivered by Monsignor Simon! Monstrances have been delivered to Bishop Peter Atuahene of the Goaso diocese, Bishop Gyamdi of the Sunyani diocese, sisters of the Infant Jesus Convent, Reverend Fr. Anthony Aful Broni of the University College of Education in Winneba, Fr. Dominic and Bishop Essien in the Diocese of Wiawso, Bishop John Bonaventure Kwofie of Sekondi-Takoradi, Bishop Joseph Kwaku Afrifah-Agyekum of the Diocese Koforidua, Vicar Apostolic Gabriel Edoe Kumordji of Donkorkro, Fr. Bokoe of Bonyere St Paul’s Parish in the Diocese of Kumasi and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Enchi.

In November 2015 Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Enchi, Ghana graciously received a Eucharistic Monstrance for their humble church. This is the eleventh of thirteen monstrance’s to be distributed! To commemorate the feast of Christ the King in November, the parish held a Eucharistic procession around Enchi. The procession with the Blessed Sacrament celebrates the sacrament and signifies the true presence of Christ in our world, and reminds us of our pilgrimage to heaven. Cannon Law 944 states, “When it can be done in the judgment of the diocesan bishop, a procession through the public streets is to be held as a public witness of veneration toward the Most Holy Eucharist, especially on the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.” View the pictures to see the joyful and reverent procession of the Blessed Sacrament!

Ghana - People in prayer at Immaculate Conception Church in Enchi

Every Eucharistic monstrance is received with such joy. We are so thankful for Monsignor Simon’s call to bring Eucharistic Adoration to Ghana and help the people feel the presence of the Lord in an undeniable way. This would not be possible without the contributions of generous benefactors. With your help the goal is to raise money for eight more!

Chalice & Paten

A Gift from the Knights of Columbus

In late March, the Knights of Columbus sent Catholic World Mission a chalice and paten for a priest to use in Ghana in memory of SK Larry Carl Obenstine, given our vast work in Ghana. A friend of Catholic World Mission generously donated his time and efforts to deliver the chalice and paten to Fr. Jeremiah in the community of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Tsito, Ghana. Mike Barry delivered the chalice and paten along with glass pitchers for the water and wine before transubstantiation. Fr. Jeremiah also offered up the Mass for the Obenstine family. We are so thankful to share some of the photos from his trip.

Gabikpo Island School, Lake Volta

About

Children work all day and miss out on an education

Lake Volta is one of the largest fishing conglomerates in Ghana, West Africa. On the lake thousands of children are indentured to fishermen and work day and night in hopes that they will one day receive an education. The children work 19 hour days with few meals between, and rarely do they ever get to attend school. The children here were not always slaves but some families are so poor they will do anything to try and give their children better lives. Often unknowing the harsh realities they have indentured their children into.

There is hope thanks to you.

A Children's Home

The Start of the Mission for the Children’s Home

Missionary, Michael Barry has visited Ghana numerous times, and seen the pressing needs of the people. He has made it his life purpose to help those in need and contribute to bettering the society, especially in Ghana, having seen their struggle first-hand. Michael is starting Pope Francis Children’s Home & School in Ghana. It is serving not only the abandoned orphans in the village Avenui, but the children on the Gabikpo Island, and bringing in jobs for the village. Pope Francis Children’s Home & School hopes to open their doors in 2017, but in the meantime will do everything they can to help those in need now.

Gabikpo Children

Children in Gabikpo Attempt to Break Out of Poverty Through an Education

In the middle of Lake Volta not far from the future site of Pope Francis Children’s Home & School is the Gabikpo Island were 40 young children attend school. The island has 310 residents some are just innocent children who live simply without electricity, or running water. The school the children attend has a dedicated teacher who works tirelessly for them so they are not coerced into the fishermen’s schemes and have greater opportunities because they are receiving an education. Education will save the children from a life of servitude.

Before Catholic World Mission partnered to step in to help, the children had no text books, notebooks, or writing utensils. They sat on the floor of a gazebo while the teacher and class helpers tried to give lessons from their two notebooks and small blackboard. As a child it is extremely hard for information to be retained when you cannot practice reading or writing what you are hearing and you are sitting on rocks and dirt floor.

Their Hope

Desks for the Gabipko Island School were delivered early in October 2015 ahead of schedule. Gabipko Island School assumed when the desks arrived in their classroom overnight that they were from the government. To their surprise missionary Mike Barry, and his team arrived the next day to celebrate the gift from Catholic World Mission. Many missionaries from other organizations have visited the Gabipko Island School in the past promising to return with supplies for the school but no one ever has. For them this blessing from Catholic World Mission was a first. Mike, and his Ewe speaking missionaries gathered the community to give a speech on the importance of education; to let them know they will be coming back every month to check to see that the desks are being put to good use; and if they are being taken care of then they will receive more school supplies. Mike and his missionaries also brought some school supplies with them for the children. They brought crayons, pencils, and notebooks so each child could take charge of his and her own learning.

How You Can Help

Your gift today will help bring these children and children for generations to come opportunities to get off the lake island, and inspire them to help the poor around them.

Catholic World Mission is partnering with Pope Francis Children’s Home & School to monitor the Gabikpo Island School and bring the children vital resources to create a solid foundation for their education. A local carpenter was hired to build desks for the 40 children and for generations to come! Books, pencils, and school supplies will be provided by the local Children’s Home to enhance their learning and bring hope!

St. Joseph School, Enchi

About

Children are our future no matter where they live. It is our duty and our privledge to help children around the world who are trapped in the cycle of poverty. 80,000 children die each year in Ghana due to treatable and preventable diseases. We are blessed by your support to help the children in Ghana by putting a roof over their heads so they aren’t eating on dirt floors, and clothes in their back to protect their skin against the sun.

You can continue supporting the Children in Ghana today.

Uniforms for Ghana

Ghana children thank CWM donors!

Together with the help of St. Helen Catholic School in Vero Beach, FL and all the parents and volunteers we collected uniforms for students to use in Ghana!

Having collected over 600 uniforms, the Burgener family drove from Florida to a local parish in Atlanta to deliver the uniforms so they could be sent to Ghana on a shipping container. Monsignor Simon helped facilitate the donation to the school. He is a crucial ambassador for Catholic World Mission. The uniforms went to a school in Enchi, Ghana called Immaculate Conception school. We are so thankful for their help in embracing the beatitude to “clothe the naked.”

Covered Cafeteria

Villagers Celebrate Construction of the Cafeteria Roof with Mass and Dancing!

Getting a meal shouldn’t be that dangerous. But in many areas of the world it is. For years these children in Ghana have eaten outside rain or shine in a field that is across a busy highway. They had nowhere to wash their hands, or to be covered from the rain and dust storms, and no shade from the blistering sun. They appealed to Catholic World Mission to help alleviate their suffering, and thanks to generous donors the covered canteen project began. When the canteen was finished the whole village came to celebrate it’s opening. The celebration included mass, and a reception with food and dancing. Everyone was happy the children would finally be eating in a safe environment while at school.

How You Can Help

Every gift is important and makes lives better. If you have a large material donation please contact us at 770.828.4966 so we can secure a way for it to get to needy people around the world.

Parish Outreach Ghana

Read The Story Here

Only 2 priests serving 26 outstations

Catholic World Mission donors have provided training and transportation to facilitate the needs of a parish which covers a vast area in the Archdiocese of Waiwso.

The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Enchi has only two priests who serve not only the needs of the parish, but also the needs of people in 26 outstations which feed into the parish.

The Associate Pastor visits these outstations in rotation. The catechists play a critical role in filling the gap: preparing parishioners for sacraments, teaching Church doctrine, and caring for the concerns of the villagers.

Catechists Training

Spreading the Gospel and Catechism throughout Ghana

Most of the catechists are in need of training and a clear understanding of Catholic doctrine in order to better lead the faith formation of parishioners in the 26 outposts.

With help from Catholic World Mission donors, funding was provided for a training course for the catechists in the parish. The first of these took place in late November 2013.

Motorbikes for Mission

Motorbikes are the New Means of Transporting Catechesis

Prior to the training course, the whole parish came together to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, marking the end of the Year of Faith. During the celebration, an apsonic motobike was presented to the Catechists for their use. The head catechist will use it when necessary to send messages to the other catechists and also visit some of the stations to help the priests.

Thirty eight catechists were trained during this first session, covering topics including: the Liturgical year, catechists as agents of the New Evangelization, and notations on conducting Sunday service without a priest.

How You Can Help

You can take action now to support the missionaries in Ghana, and spread the gift of faith through out the country. The missionaries have several outstanding needs that you can address financially now:

Provide bibles and Catechism of the Catholic Faith books for different age groups for the next phase of training, which includes practical faith application and living out of the faith.
Fund two more motorbike’s for the catechists.
Bring the Word of Christ, including sacraments and pastoral care to people in dozens of villages in Ghana

We are thankful for your support and generosity thus far. Without you these missionaries could not fulfill their mission.

Medical Shipments

Enchi Hospital

Dr. Frank Agbemordzi, Medical Director of the Enchi hospital in Ghana

Catholic World Mission donors have made it possible for us to ship millions of dollars in medical gift-in-kind to Ghana- just this past year. Supplying short-term clinics and stocking hospitals with essentials such as ECG machines, patient beds, incubators, respirators, anesthesia machines, exam tables, antibiotics and lab supplies, we feel certain that this program has saved lives.

We want to do more! Treatable and preventable diseases kill over 80,000 people – mostly children – each year in Ghana. A simple infection can lead to a deadly disease without proper antibiotics and care. About 25% of the population in rural villages test positive for malaria. Hepatitis b is prevalent and proven deadly, although very treatable, given the availability of medicines.

Our Hope for Ghana: With your continued support we can fund various missions to fulfill the beatitudes they most need in the most remote parts of Ghana. Click the other tabs to explore our projects.

About

CWM Philanthropists Provide Medical Supplies Directly to the Hospital

Catholic World Mission donors have made it possible for us to ship millions of dollars in medical gift-in-kind to Ghana- just this past year. Supplying short-term clinics and stocking hospitals with essentials such as ECG machines, patient beds, incubators, respirators, anesthesia machines, exam tables, anti-biotics and lab supplies, we feel certain that this program has saved lives.

But there is much more to do!

On a recent trip to Ghana, our missionaries took pictures of the rusty operating table (right) that is being used in the Enchi District Hospital. There is another table in the O.R. room, but the broken hydraulics will not allow the surgeon to move the table up and down.

Hospital Beds

Dr. Frank Agbemordzi in Ghana Reaches Out to CWM for Aid

Our hope is that we can furnish a new operating table in our next shipment of medical supplies to Ghana.

Dr. Frank Agbemordzi, Medical Director of the Enchi Hospital, is counting on our help. He talks here of the urgent need for supplies at his hospital. Dr. Frank also has expressed much gratitude for the supplies sent over the years. “Catholic World Mission donors have changed the way this hospital operates,” the doctor tells us. The Enchi Hospital in Ghana had a critical shortage of hospital beds, for instance. Patients in overflow areas were often placed on the floor, awaiting turnover. Catholic World Mission recently shipped dozens of hospital beds to the Enchi District Hospital, providing for a higher standard of care at the hospital.

The most recent shipment of supplies including five respirators and a much-needed anesthesia machine: essential, life-saving equipment that is used on a daily basis at the hospital.

Treatable and preventable disease kills over 80,000 people- mostly children- each year in Ghana. A simple infection can lead to a deadly disease without proper anti-biotics and care. About 25% of the population in rural villages test positive for malaria. Hepatitis b is prevalent and proven deadly, although very treatable, given the availability of medicines.

Remote Clinics

CWM Donors Spread Clinics Across Ghana!

In addition to hospitals, supplies are used for short-term clinics in remote villages, where residents have virtually no access to medical care. For some villagers, it would require a two-day walk on unpaved roads with no electricity to find a medical center. In times of distress, people stay put and rely on the natural remedies they have on hand: often limited and sometimes dangerous.

Missionary doctors holding short-term clinics provide medicines and transportation to hospitals if needed, potentially saving thousands of lives over the course of time.

In partnership with Father Simon Assamoah of the Archdiocese of Wiawso and like-minded charities, we have been able to implement a coordinated effort to supply short-term clinics, hospitals and medical facilities with necessities to elevate the level of care in Ghana.

Yiwabra Medical Clinic

The Story

Every year in Ghana 80,000 children die from treatable and preventable diseases.

Yiwabra is a tiny village a couple of hours from Enchi, (but people from Yiwabra do not have access to transportation to get to the bigger villages). The village has little infrastructure and no hospital. Our mission for Yiwabra is to build a permanant medical clinic. So far they have a well, septic tank, and roofing materials, but there is more to do! A medical clinic in such a remote area is life saving for a village like Yiwabra.

We partnered with the Diocese of Wiawso to build a Medical Clinic for Yiawbra, Ghana with the anticipation to finish in 2015. We have come a long way from building the foundation to raising the roof. Explore the tabs to learn more about this Medical Clinic in Ghana.

Sanitation

This fresh water well was dug to serve the needs of the village medical clinic.