By Damian Avevor and M.E. SNAM
Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Campbell, SVD, Parish Priest of Christ the King Church in Accra, has stated that his most fulfilling goal as a Priest is to give hope and dignity to the Destitute, Marginalised and Under-privileged in society.
He empahsised that being with the people without discrimination, encouraging them, bringing smiles, happiness and joy to them, is the mandate of every Christian including Priests, hence his desire to always care for the poor and needy.
“Taking care of the poor and marginalised is part of the evangelisation mission of the Church, he stressed.”
In an interview with The Catholic Standard, he said his love for the poor since his youthful days in Ireland and as a Missionary Priest in Ghana motivated him to start a Soup Kitchen and Under the Bridge Projects, where the poor and needy are served with meals.
He said the Soup Kitchen and Under the Bridge came about following an idea he suggested as Projects for the 75th Anniversary of the Divine Word Missionary (SVD) in Ghana in 2013. These were officially launched on November 4, 2016 to give support to the poor and needy at the Christ the King Church, its environs and also give food to the homeless.
According to him, the Soup Kitchen Project is open to the hungry every day from 7:00 to 9:00am at the Parish while squatters under the Kanda Bridge are served with food three times a week.
He indicated that hundreds of people are served with sumptuous and balanced meals every day. He noted that since the inception of the Projects in January last year, over 13,909 people had been served and the number kept increasing daily.
He said most of the beneficiaries are below 30 years. Some of them, he noted were drug addicts and School drop-outs.
He said many of them have received medical care through the support of the Projects while he visited those on Hospital admission and paid their medical bills.
He said the Projects were to support the poor and needy in society to find sustainable lifestyle. He decried the social stigma people attached to the homeless, mentally challenged and street beggars.
Fr. Campbell stated that through the Projects, some of the beneficiaries have been re-integrated into their families while some are taught Mathematics and English to enhance their educational skills.
He said the long term goal of the projects was to locate a sizeable land in the Accra Metropolis to put up a structure where Social Workers, Doctors; Nurses; Paramedics; Career, Drug and Alcohol Counselors would visit periodically to support and guide those who needed help in these areas.
Fr. Campbell also has plans for the setting up of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that would continue to give hope and dignity to the Destitute, Marginalised and Under-privileged in society.
Asked what inspired him to start these Projects, he said Pope Francis’ constant closeness to the poor was a real inspiration, quoting him as saying “Sick and disabled people are precious treasures of the Church. They are a spiritual resource, an asset to every Christian Community. Do not be ashamed of being a precious treasure of the Church.”
He pointed out that he was also inspired by the works of St. Teresa of Calcutta and hoped that the needy in the community would be supported with guidance and counseling, medical diagnosis for the sick with assistance to purchase drugs from Doctors’ prescribed medications.
He appealed to Christians to evangelise the people by supporting them, saying that God gave each person two hands-one to support themselves and the other to help others.
He suggested to Priests to set up similar projects in their Parishes with the sole aim of taking care of the Poor and Marginalised in their communities.
Fr. Campbell expressed appreciation to Parishioners of Christ the King, non-Catholics, some past and present government officials who share in his vision and have been contributing to bring hope and meaningful life to the deprived in society.
He commended the efforts of the volunteers who work on the Projects daily.
One of the beneficiaries sharing his meal with Sir Ben Assorow, Managing Editor of The Catholic Standard
When The Catholic Standard visited the Soup Kitchen at Christ the King Parish recently, Togbe Bruno Oscar Bebli, the Project Supervisor; Madam Akorfa Ampofo and Madam Sara Akiwumi, both volunteers, were seen co-ordinating the beneficiaries in an orderly manner, as they went for their food.
According to Togbe Bebli, there were National Service Personnel as well as Seminarians at the Christ the King Parish who also assist the Projects as volunteers.
He noted that the beneficiaries comport themselves during the Soup Kitchen but sometimes fight among themselves when they go back to their destination.
The beneficiaries expressed joy and happiness for the daily meal they have been enjoying since last year through the effort of Fr. Campbell
They were grateful to him for bringing hope to their lives and prayed that more philanthropists would come on board to support Fr. Campbell with their widow’s mite.
