Ghana

Children Free from Slavery in Ghana

Children Free from Slavery in Ghana

Twenty victims of human trafficking finally got to taste freedom in the remote regions of Ghana. Free the Slaves, and our partners in Ghana removed them from modern slavery in the districts of Pru East, Sene East, Krachi West, and East Gonja, located in the country’s...

read more

Road Map to Freedom

Aspiring for a better livelihood, migrants from Cote d’Ivoire frequently cross the border to Ghana in search of greener and more fertile lands. Due to financial hardship, they were deceived into taking jobs without reviewing their authenticity and even gave out their...

read more

Four Letters that Spell Freedom

It takes organization to free a village from modern slavery. In Ghana, that organization has a long name with a short acronym: a Community Child Protection Committee, or CCPC. Helping villagers form these committees is a fundamental element of our community-based...

read more

Rebuilding Young Lives Scarred by Slavery

The Village of Life shelter is exactly what modern slavery survivors need. It’s a vibrant and supportive place – far from the hardships and exploitation that children experience when enslaved in remote fishing villages along Lake Volta in Ghana. My visit to this...

read more

Child Rights Begin with Children

The village school in Kobiri Nsuoano is a beacon of hope. It’s a simple building down a bumpy narrow road. But what happens inside is revolutionary. Children are learning about their rights as part of a Free the Slaves program to prevent them from being trafficked...

read more

We Won’t Botch Afryea’s Freedom

America botched the abolition of slavery in the 1860s, a mistake that has consequences for descendants of enslaved African Americans even today. Slavery was outlawed, but millions of liberated slaves weren’t allowed to build prosperous lives in freedom. This is why...

read more

Can You Envision a World Free from Slavery?

This has been a challenging year, but we know that 2021 holds the promise of renewal. While the COVID-19 pandemic has made racial inequality and modern slavery worse, the recovery will provide an opportunity for a global reset. We do not need to repeat the inequities...

read more

Why We Have Hope

I have hope as we approach the year-end holidays, and I hope that you do, too. With the many challenges we face in promoting equality and universal freedom in the world today, what brings me hope is the optimism I hear from slavery survivors and their families around...

read more

Leave No One Behind on Human Rights Day

It’s Human Rights Day, when the world commemorates the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to be free from slavery. Human rights are supposed to apply to everyone, everywhere, without regard to sex or race or age. But in Ghana, three...

read more

Can You Help Stop Child Slavery?

Did you know that 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children?   At 7 years old, Kwezi left his childhood home with expectations of a better life and more opportunities. But that was far from his reality. Instead, he was tricked by traffickers and was forced to work...

read more

Ghana Program Called a Model for the World

The first-ever Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership to end child trafficking is wrapping up its fifth year in Ghana, and officials say it has been a terrific success that other countries should follow. That assessment comes this week by officials from the...

read more

Child Labor is Child Abuse

June 12 is World Day Against Child Labor, a time to reflect on the fact that millions of children toil in harmful and hazardous jobs. Many are forced to work by their families or by traffickers. Many are beaten and whipped into submission.   That is what happened to...

read more

The Enslaved Need Your Help on #GivingTuesdayNow

Your generosity has changed lives around the world. The programs you support at Free the Slaves help people learn new skills and start microenterprises that build financial resiliency. Your contributions mean that slavery survivors are less likely to be re-enslaved,...

read more

COVID-19 Impact on Communities Plagued by Slavery

I hope that you and your family are healthy and safe during these difficult times. I am reaching out to you today to share about how the Covid-19 global pandemic is affecting communities where slavery makes people especially vulnerable to disasters and financial...

read more

Global Freedom One Community at a Time

Dear Friends and Supporters, I write this letter as I shelter in place amidst the spreading of the coronavirus pandemic. The close tethering to our homes underscores the importance of communities even in today’s hyperconnected world. Likewise, eliminating slavery...

read more

Telling the Story of Ghana Child Trafficking

Journalists have an important role to play in the effort to address child trafficking in Ghana. They can spread awareness with government officials and the general public that children are forced to work in hazardous conditions. They can explain the difference between...

read more

20 Years of Fighting for Freedom

The year 2020 brings several important anniversaries. It’s the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Palermo Protocol, the landmark treaty to confront modern forms of slavery worldwide. It’s the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the...

read more

Our Rights Make Us Human

Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once observed that “the future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.” At Free the Slaves, we dream of a future where everyone is free from slavery. Roosevelt believed in that dream too. Freedom from slavery is near the top...

read more

He Escaped to Reclaim Hope

Every child has the right to grow up in a safe environment that provides opportunities for a decent future. It’s a fundamental value, self-determination. Unfortunately, thousands of children in Ghana are denied this basic principle of fairness. Instead, they are...

read more

From Fishing Nets to Safety Nets

Emmanuel endured years beneath the blistering sky of Ghana’s Lake Volta. As a child fishing slave, he faced the bare elements in a shoddy open boat. Sharp nets left deep cuts in his fingers. The blurry water left him fearful that he might not survive when forced to...

read more

Double the Number of Rescues

It costs $180 to send our new rescue boat onto Lake Volta to liberate 15 children from fishing slavery in Ghana. If you donate $180 (just $15 a month), we can send the boat twice. A generous foundation will match your contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000...

read more

Three Boys Lose Eight Years to Fishing Slavery

The work wasn’t bad. It was so much worse. Fourteen-hour shifts. One meal a day. No education, no reprieve, no escape. Godwin, Ebenezer and Bright Anyimornu endured these conditions for eight years when their mother couldn’t afford to take care of them and her husband...

read more

Sold into Slavery for $11 and a Cow

Owning livestock can transform a family’s future in rural Ghana. An impoverished farmer can sell the cow’s milk, and use its dung for fertilizer and biofuel. Of course, it’s never right to sell your son to get a cow. But that’s what Felix Kaletsi’s father did. A...

read more

From Stormy Waters to a Sunny Future

When they first arrived at the rescue shelter, you could see in their eyes that these children had endured the unimaginable. “We were tied with ropes and beaten, with no food for the day,” they said. “We slept on the bare floor with no blankets.” For these three kids,...

read more

A Happy Hanukkah for Child Slaves in Ghana

The first day of Hanukkah this year coincides with an important date in the anti-slavery calendar. December 2nd is the United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. That is why we are especially happy this year to spotlight a confluence of observance...

read more

FTS Program “A Blessing” For Ghana Village

Last week brought high praise for our program to combat child trafficking in Ghana. It came directly from the village chief of Lolonya in the Greater Accra Region. He said our “Growing Up Free” project “has been a blessing for this community and for the children.” The...

read more

The Journey to Freedom

Field testing is underway for our latest training initiative. A Free the Slaves team this month debuted our new handbook on the liberation, rehabilitation and reintegration of people who’ve been trapped in modern slavery. The first five-day beta test workshop was...

read more

Rejecting Racism, Strengthening our Bonds

Every day, the staff of Free the Slaves works in solidarity with local partners and communities to help bring about a more just world. We do so in Haiti, in several countries in Africa, and in Asia. Every day, our staff manifests tremendous dedication and skill. Every...

read more

Amazing New Stories of Triumph Over Slavery

FTS is proud to present a special series profiling Ghanaian children who survived fishing slavery on Lake Volta. FTS volunteer Emily Teague traveled to Ghana to photograph them. These young victims were forced to work day and night on dangerous, deadly fishing boats....

read more

Overcoming Child Fishing Slavery in Ghana

A new special FTS series profiles children who have survived slavery on Ghana's Lake Volta. They were forced to work day and night on dangerous, deadly fishing boats. They were abused, held under threat of violence, unable to walk away. Many children enslaved on the...

read more