Saving Children Sold Into Slavery in Ghana

During this season of Thanksgiving, IOM Ghana is grateful to all donors and sponsors for their support. With this funding, many survivors of child trafficking have been given another opportunity to access their basic rights.  IOM Ghana remembers all those children who continue to dream of the day they will escape the binds of forced labour and we honour the survivors who inspire us to do more, learn more and give more.

Currently, IOM provides direct assistance to 33 reintegrated children, who were rescued from the fishing industry on Lake Volta, with support from our partners USAIM, Breaking the Chain Through Education (BTCTE) and private donors like you. Among the most pressing needs identified by the IOM counter-trafficking team is for these children to access quality health care. Many child trafficking survivors endured years of harsh conditions working on Lake Volta; exposed to the elements, disease, and various injuries from detangling nets at the bottom of the lake .

Past experience has shown that some rescued children face difficulties in accessing health care when they fall sick. To close this gap, IOM enrols all sponsored children into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Holding their new cards the children’s relief is tangible with big smiles and a healthier happier stride.

Many more children await the opportunity to benefit from such assistance. We ask you to consider becoming a sponsor today so we can stop at nothing to ensure quality health care for these children. Tuesday 2 December is #GivingTuesday and is a great opportunity to start supporting children in Ghana.

We invite you to follow our activities on Facebook (International Organization for Migration Ghana & USAIM) or Twitter (@IOM_Ghana & @USAIM) and learn more about our upcoming #GhanaChildRescue 2015.