Touch A Life Foundation: Ghana: March 16.

Sweet Moses, moments after he was rescued.

On Monday, George led our group out to Lake Volta. We boarded the Krachi Queen and set out for an eventful morning on the water. We were able to witness the severity and the gravity of the child trafficking issue firsthand. So many children were working on the lake and it was shocking to see how small they were. They had such serious looks in their eyes, as if they were seasoned fishing veterans. Some of them looked as young as 3 or 4.

It was difficult to navigate our boat away from the children, knowing that we couldn't simply scoop them up and bring them with us. However, we were incredibly blessed with the opportunity to rescue Moses, a boy that George had tracked for nearly 8 months. Touch A Life was originally supposed to rescue Moses in the fall of 2008 but when George arrived at his island to pick him up, Moses's master had taken his children and fled. It took 6 months to find the master and his clan. The master had called George just a few days before our arrival and said that we could bring Moses home.

We pulled up to Moses's island and weren't surprised to see that his community was extremely small. A group of five or six adults sat mending nets. George interacted with the master and asked for Moses. The shy 12-year-old (with a severely protruding hernia) peeked out from around a tree, and George enveloped him in a hug. After a few minutes of discussion and deliberation, Moses was brought to his room (an incredibly tiny space in a mud hut that was probably shared by at least 3 slave children, none of whom were present) to gather his belongings. He managed to fit all of his earthly possessions into a small red backpack. Since Moses was so accustomed to this lifestyle (he was sold into slavery when he was 8), and because he was so overwhelmed by all the changes happening at once, he cried when we left the island. The moment he settled in on the Krachi Queen, though, Moses was all smiles. The transformation was incredible.

Moses was instantly at ease when he arrived at the Village of Life. The teenagers there were so welcoming. He was given fresh clothes and good food to eat. He enjoyed playing soccer, taking pictures with Rachael and my cameras and observing all that was going on at the Village of Life. He was quiet but content.

That evening, George invited local community members, including government officials, over to the Village of Life for a party. He honored Pam by praising her efforts in Ghana, and introduced us to numerous members of the community, many of whom are extremely influential. We watched the Touch A Life documentary, created by Patrick Cone of C1 Entertainment. Moses is actually in it, and his face lit up when he saw himself on screen.

As the party wound down, I looked around at the amazing people gathered together to celebrate this momentous occasion. Another sweet child had been saved from a life spent eternally on the lake. It was an incredible day.

George, Jr., helping Moses board the Krachi Queen. Time to go home.

George Achibra, the leader of the rescue missions, with Moses when we learned we could take him home with us.

Three slave children on Lake Volta. The boy in the foreground most likely has that scar on his face due to a beating from his master.

These children are so young and so little.

Join the crusade to free the trafficked child.

The Day Two lake group: George, Rachel, Rachael, Emily and our driver. See the Ghana: March 17 entry for more details about the time spent on the lake.