Students of Mercy High School, Baltimore, will be given a first-hand account of world hunger in India, thanks to Rekha Abel of Catholic Relief Services.
Ms. Abel is one of two representatives from the Baltimore-based relief agency to embark on The Global Hunger Awareness Speaker Tour of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She will speak at the all-girls’ school Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.
The CRS sponsored tour will conclude March 2 at St. John the Evangelist, Columbia, where Thomas Awiapo will inform the audience of all ages about how famine has plagued Ghana, the country he represents for CRS.
“Both Rekha and Thomas are phenomenal presenters – knowledgeable and dynamic,” said Nora E. Collins, program officer for CRS’ Baltimore-based Mid-Atlantic regional office. “They will be touring the archdiocese speaking on global hunger as it connects to our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting and giving.”
In addition to a discussion about the hunger situation in Ghana, Mr. Awiapo will share his account of growing up in the West African nation.
“His story is a remarkable one,” Ms. Collins said. “Orphaned before the age of 10, he was left on his own to struggle for survival.”
Mr. Awiapo attended a CRS-supported school in Ghana that offered a snack and lunch to children who attended classes in his village, she said.
“His hunger for education eventually led him to the U.S. to pursue his education,” Ms. Collins said. “During his studies, he spent his free time telling his story to parishes and schools throughout Northern California.”
Ms. Abel will discuss the need for food aid in India, a nation that’s not always associated with famine.
“Despite the many benefits that India’s privileged classes have secured after a decade of impressive economic growth,” Ms. Collins said, “hundreds of millions of people continue to stagnate in poverty and malnutrition.”
The following is a list of tour stops for the Global Hunger Awareness Speaker Tour:
• Feb. 22, 10 a.m. – Mercy High School, Baltimore
• Feb. 26, 1 p.m. – The Catholic High School of Baltimore
• Feb. 27, 7 p.m. – St. Louis, Clarksville
• Feb. 28, 9 a.m. – St. John’s Catholic Prep, Frederick
• March 2, 7 p.m. – St. John the Evangelist, Columbia