Thanks to a generous donation of funds from Franciscan Mission Association (FMA) benefactor Mrs. Sherry Lewis, the Friars have dug three new wells to provide critical water sources for residents of Ghana, West Africa.
This brings the number of wells dug in Africa by the FMA to 10, over the last several years.
“These most recent wells were made possible through the generosity of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Mrs. Sherry Lewis, SFO, a Secular Franciscan who worked in the Companions of St. Anthony office for many years,” said Joseph Hamilton, Director of Mission Advancement for the Our Lady of the Angels Province.
As coordinator of the Prayer Partners program, Mrs. Lewis was regularly working with the friars and other dedicated lay people to pray for the intentions of the friars’ many friends and benefactors. After her death in 2022, the friars were alerted that Mrs. Lewis had remembered them in her will. Specifically, Mrs. Lewis left funds to dig additional wells in Africa. Through the generosity of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Mrs. Lewis, the friars were able to dig three new wells in the Bongo District of Northern Ghana, a very dry, arid part of the country receiving only a few months of rain during the year. The sites of the new wells are:
- Kunkua Primary School: 1,250 villagers with 300 students
- Gowrie Primary and Junior High School: 700 villagers, with 381 students
- Centre for Child Development: an orphanage serving 32 children
In these locations, the wells will bring fresh, clean water to villages that do not currently have it. This water will be for drinking, cooking, sanitation, and other essential needs. Now, villagers don’t have to catch rain water off the roofs of buildings or collect risky water from area rivers and streams. The schools and orphanages can also promote proper hygiene, reduce the risk of water-borne diseases, and support feeding programs, like the one in Kunkua that feeds all 300 students each day.
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