"It appeared like a dream," recalls Kwaku Manu. But the flood and fire he witnessed on June 3 in the Odawna community of Accra, Ghana were no dream; together they were a calamity that robbed Kwaku of everything but his life.
According to Lutheran Hour Ministries—Ghana Director Justice Oman, Kwaku had finished his work day as a street vendor and was in line to buy dinner at a neighborhood food stand. When a hard rain began to fall, he and two friends sought shelter with a large number of others under a gas station awning. As they watched the water rise, they also caught the smell of gasoline; then they saw flames on the water's surface. Next there was an explosion, then chaos.
More than 160 people perished in the dual flood-fire disaster, which also caused an estimated US$100 million in damage. One of Kwaku's friends is among a large number of people who have not been accounted for; the other suffered severe burns and was taken to the hospital; Kwaku escaped unharmed but lost the entire stock of items he sells on the streets, together with the simple wooden structure in which he and his two friends slept at night.
On June 7, four days after the disaster, Lutheran Hour Ministries—Ghana reached out to the survivors in the Odawna community. In partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana and a local radio station, the ministry distributed roughly 2,000 packs of food and supplies to people—many of whom had gone without food or water since the fire. One was Kwaku.
"He was very happy to receive help and Christ's message of hope from us," says Justice, who also expresses ongoing concern about Kwaku: "Currently he spends the night in a bus terminal."
The gifts of donors make it possible for ministries like LHM—Ghana to respond to urgent needs of body and soul; thank you for continuing to support them with your donations to Lutheran Hour Ministries. To learn more about the dynamic outreach of LHM—Ghana, visit the Lutheran Media Ministry Ghana Facebook page and lmmgh.wordpress.com.