Mercy Project

Today, I am honored to partner with Mercy Project for this special blog post. My words are large; Mercy Project's words are normal-sized. Please read about something that is near and dear to my heart. ~Laura

There’s an estimated 7,000 children who work in the Ghana fishing industry. Some of
these children are as young as 5 and 6 years old.  All of these children are slaves.

–Mercy Project

As you all know, part of my heart resides in Ghana at the Village of Hope. VOH is the home to orphaned, destitute, and needy children from all over Ghana. Many (including some of my dear "daughters" there) have been rescued from slavery.

Yes, slavery. Did you even know it still exists? As with much of Africa, there is a great deal of poverty in Ghana. Unfortunately, this leaves many mothers in an unimaginable position: sell their children to someone who can take better care of them or watch them starve to death. Most of the mothers are told their children will be given food, housing, and an education. Instead, the kids are often taken to Lake Volta where they become child slaves and their mothers never see them again.  

One of my "daughters" that I have written about on my blog before, was a child slave on Lake Volta. This year, she told me that her job was to wake up very early, bring in the heavy basket of fish from the lake, smoke it, and sell all of it before returning home for her meal of the day. She was rescued by another organization and brought to VOH. 

Thankfully, Mercy Project is working to break the cycles of trafficking around Lake Volta by providing alternate, more efficient, sustainable, fishing methods for villagers – ultimately eliminating the need for child slaves.  Because of the work Mercy Project is doing in Ghana, the first group of children will be freed this month from Lake Volta.

Please watch the above 10 minute documentary about the issues surrounding child labor and trafficking in Ghana and most importantly the hope Mercy Project is bringing to children and entire communities in Africa.  Mercy Project is the only NGO working on Lake Volta addressing the injustice of child labor and child trafficking at its root - by strengthening the Ghanaian economy and eliminating the structures that cause the demand for trafficked children.

Whether these ideas of child labor, child trafficking, and modern-day slavery are new to you or you’re aware of these injustices, but need to hear some good news every once in awhile, we invite you to become a part of what Mercy Project is doing in Ghana.  When Mercy Project frees their first group of children this month, we can all celebrate together.

Learn more and get involved by –

• Watching Mercy Project’s short documentary. 

• Following Mercy Project on Facebook. 

• Connecting with Mercy Project via Twitter.  

• Spending some time on Mercy Project’s website.  

• Sharing about Mercy Project’s work in Ghana with your friends. 

Although child trafficking, child labor, and the unstable economies that result in these injustices are a tragedy, we’re grateful for what Mercy Project is doing to protect the vulnerable and for allowing us to be a part of this story.   While we’re commemorating labor laws and ethical work in our own country today, we invite you to follow along on this journey with Mercy Project to protect and free children in Ghana.