Our first stop in the community was a visit to cocoa farmer Abdul Razak and his family. Mr. Razak farms more acreage than anyone else in the community, and he was gracious enough to spend over an hour with us answering our many questions.

As we were meeting with the farmers under the shelter of the community center, it began to rain hard. The drops pounded on the corrugated metal roof of the shelter with fierce intensity. We were told that rain is a blessing and that we had brought a blessing to the community.

On a recent trip to Africa I was fortunate to visit a cocoa-growing community in the Asikuma Odoben District of the Central Region of Ghana. It was an incredible day that was the highlight of my three-week trip to Africa and one that will stay with me forever.