Awiapo: From depths of poverty to spiritual bounty of faith
Crystal Frank
Issue date: 3/23/06 Section: News
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His speech was part of a presentation titled "From Hardships to Hope: The Story of Ghana's Thomas Awiapo."
Awiapo was born about 1969; unfortunately, he does not know the exact year he was born in. However, he does recall his parents dying when he was 9 from unknown diseases.
After the death of his parents, Awiapo and his three brothers lived with distant relatives. He recalls going to bed every night worrying about how he was going to get his next meal. He lost two brothers from starvation and his eldest brother went missing.
At the age of 12, Awiapo attended a small school built by the charity organization where he was given a snack and a hot lunch. He finished his education by earning his masters at California State University at Hayward.
"I felt that it was very important that Thomas mentioned to us that it was not his intentions to make us feel guilty by coming and speaking to us, but rather to just let us know what is going on, how CRS is helping the people of Africa and all other places of the world, and how we ourselves can make a difference too," student Marissa Miller said.
It was in America where Awiapo visited a dentist, a hospital and tasted fresh clean waters for the first time. In America, he lived with nuns from the Sacred Heart of Jesus where he stayed for eight months while attending school.
Today, Awiapo is married with three children, all of whom he made sure received a good education. He continues working for the relief service.
The relief service gave Awiapo the opportunity to share his personal experience to high school and college students across the United States.
"I believe that what Thomas spoke about was very important for today's society," Miller said. "I feel that it is very important for people to understand that things like that are still going on in our world, and that there is something we can do about it.
"He spoke on behalf of Catholic Relief Services, and I think that really helped people to realize that there is something they can do to help."