An inside look at Operation Rice Bowl's benefits

CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec

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Ghanaian Thomas Awiapo, a Catholic Relief Services worker, says most people have no idea the power a little food can have for a hungry child. He is pictured at the CRS office in Accra, Ghana, in 2010.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Ghana orphan who grew into a college graduate with the help of Catholic Relief Services is coming to Salt Lake City to tell his story.

Thomas Awiapo, now global solidarity coordinator of CRS in Ghana, will speak to high school students and the public about his own experiences.

Orphaned before the age of 10, Awiapo was left on his own. His youngest two brothers had died of malnutrition and lack of care. He had never gone to school until he started attending a CRS-supported school in Ghana that used to offer snacks and lunches to the children, but his hunger for education led him to graduate from the University of Ghana. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from the California State University at Hayward. Now married, Awiapo has five children and lives in Ghana.

Awiapo’s village received help from CRS through Operation Rice Bowl, the Lenten program that collects money to be distributed to needy communities around the world. Awiapo’s visits to the United States are sponsored by CRS as a way to thank Catholic communities for their support and, at the same time, raise awareness about hunger, relief, development and Operation Rice Bowl. Seventy-five percent of Operation Rice Bowl donations help fund CRS development programs designed to increase food security, while 25 percent support efforts to relieve hunger and poverty in the United States.

"I think it’s important for Catholics to have a chance to hear him; his life was changed when he was quite young through Operation Rice Bowl," said Anna Huth, CRS area relationship manager. "He explains and helps people understand the importance that cooperating with one another around the world has."

The visits are intended to help Catholics in Utah become more aware of the significance of how they can work in global solidarity through CRS, she added.

During his visit, Awiapo will visit all three of Utah’s Catholic high schools.

"We’re trying to give the students motivation for their community service, to show that their service does matter," said Holy Cross Sister Catherine Kamphaus, superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools. "Also, this is a good example of systemic change, which is something the high schools are emphasizing, and although this may not be the students’ cause, it may encourage them to reach beyond their borders."

In addition to his presentations at the high schools, Awiapo will speak at the Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 670 South 1100 East in Salt Lake City, on the weekend of Oct. 22-23.