Trafficked 2 School
The Problem: An estimated 50,000 children are trafficked and enslaved on the Volta lake in Ghana each year.
In the Ada district an average of 60% of households engage in trafficking at least one of their children. Children are being trafficked through a contractual agreement between the child’s guardians and the traffickers. Traffickers often lie to parents to the point that they believe trafficking will be better for the child. Children between the ages of 4 and 15 are being enslaved in the fishing industry around the Volta lake for periods between 3 to 15 years. Abuse while enslaved is widespread and includes physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse. The impacts are mental and physical disabilities, PTSD, and death by drowning in the Volta lake or through untreated illnesses.
Through our student sponsorship program, the Volta Revival Foundation partners with
donors and sponsors to provide life-changing opportunities to child survivors of fishing
and domestic slavery in and around Ada, Ghana, West Africa. Sponsored students are
enrolled in the highest performing school in the district with not only excellent academic
instruction, but also music lessons, extra tutorials, art courses, and one-on-one mentorship.
Additionally, we provide health care, hygiene kits, two meals a day, food help, clothing
and shoes, family support, all books and school supplies, transportation for students living
far from the school, living stipends when necessary and much more. We believe that due
to the traumatic life experience of being enslaved our children need therapy and the ability
to express themselves freely in order to heal. Our team is qualified to help our students
with their trauma as we have a psychologist, and child development specialist, as well as
multiple mothers on staff to provide them with the support they need. The program is
coupled with our community and school monitoring program to keep data on child
disappearances in the district, and our intervention program to bring and keep children out
of the fishing industry.
Breaking the Cycle
Altering the System to End the Symptom
In addressing child trafficking we recognize that it is a cyclical problem which has many underlying causes. Thus child trafficking, slavery, and abuse (ACTS) is a symptom. In our work we consider communities our partners in development. Through community engagement, education, and development Volta Revival builds trust, ultimately leading to the establishment of child protection groups (CBPs) which work as an arm of Volta Revival to monitor, report, and develop the community.
Our approach is holistic, considering the needs of our community partners and working with them to establish a cycle of positive behavior change towards ending child slavery.
