Tema Update.

Emily and the kids in the Tema Program.

Emily George, a member of Touch A Life's volunteer staff, is spending a month in Ghana, conducting research on human trafficking and collecting statistics regarding the problem on Lake Volta.

She has spent the first part of her trip at the City of Refuge in Tema. She's gotten the opportunity to connect with the children, and she even raised enough money for them to take what was, for most, their first-ever field trip to the beach. Here's an excerpt from Emily's e-mail updates, which detail her activity in Ghana:

• The kids continue to amaze me daily. It's beautiful to see how capable they are of giving and receiving love after everything that they have been through on the lake. It's a miracle. Our evenings are filled with singing and dancing and chasing and teasing. I even had the privilege of judging a song and dance contest the other night. It was fantastic!

Keep checking the blog for more posts about Emily's trip!

Ghana: March 18.

Sweet Moses, adjusting to his new life in Tema. Looks at the difference a mere 24 hours can make!

On Wednesday, we woke up to the sound of the children excitedly getting ready for school. Their passion for learning is incredible, and their joy for life is contagious. Half of the children at the City of Refuge are enrolled in school; the other half have only been off of the lake since January and missed the deadline to enroll in the new quarter. The second half of the group receives their education by taking classes with a tutor, and they'll join the others in school when a new term begins in May.

It was a blast to watch the kids who were at the house participate in their studies. They were so happy to write their names, color on their papers and answer questions about the Bible. It was hard to drag ourselves away from watching them but we eventually headed out to a meeting with the Compassion International chapter in Tema. The meeting was productive and interesting. Compassion International has such influence and brand-name recognition in America, and it was interesting to see how they conduct their business abroad. 

Afterwards, we headed over to a bead-making establishment called TK Beads. The owners and their employees make beautiful beads out of recycled glass. Piles of blue, green and brown wine and beer bottles are separated, melted down and formed into beads. Visitors can purchase strands of these beads for as little as $2.00 per strand. George suggested that the owners offer internships/apprenticeships to the teenagers at Lake Volta, which would provide them with another vocational trade to pursue. 

The Touch A Life team, City of Refuge Director Johnbull Omorefe, George and his son, Kofi, all spent the evening enjoying a meal together at a local restaurant. It was nice to connect with each other in a relaxed setting, as opposed to our times on the lake or on the long drive. None of us could believe that the trip was almost over. 

Emmanuel. He was rescued off of the lake in September. What a difference seven months makes. 

The boys, doing some reading before heading out to school.

Off to school!

Felix and Freeman, waving at us while wearing their awesome shades.

Some of the incredible creations from TK Beads.

Products from TK Beads.

Before and after.

Sweet Freeman. I love his name. Now that he's rescued, he can live up to it--he is truly a free man.

Rachel

Ghana: March 17.

Rachael, Rachel and Moses, having a blast on the 10-hour ride back to Tema.

On Tuesday, Rachael, Emily and I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to head out for round two on the lake with George and George, Jr. (See pictures from the Ghana: March 16 entry to see images of the kids we met on the water.) Instead of using the large boat we'd used the day before, we hopped aboard a modest boat that was essentially just a canoe with a motor. Because we were on a much smaller boat, we were able to get closer to the children working on Lake Volta's choppy waters. We were able to interact with them and their masters for extensive periods of time. It was so interesting to observe George's conversations with the masters. Since we do not pay to get the children back (that would technically mean that we, too, would be participating in the cycle of human trafficking), our Ghanaian volunteers must be extremely intentional in the words they choose and the conversations they have. All of the negotiations they do are conversation and relationship-based, so these interactions on the lake are extremely important. It was great to get the chance to see how the negotiations truly work.

When we arrived back at the Village of Life, the rest of the team was packing up their belongings and preparing to head back to Tema (an hour outside of the capital of Accra). Moses was coming with us, as he is too young to remain at the program at the Village of Life. After saying goodbye to the incredible teenagers at the Village of Life site, we embarked on our 10-hour journey to visit the City of Refuge program in Tema. Because the ride up to the lake had been rather traumatic, we had adequately prepared ourselves for the trip south. What made the trip 10 times more enjoyable was the fact that Moses was with us. He had such a sweet, patient disposition. He was so comfortable with us, which was so inspiring. We were worried that it would be difficult for him to leave Kete-Krachi but he was clearly ready for a change.

We received the most perfect welcoming when we arrived at the City of Refuge program in Tema. The houseparents had allowed the children to stay up late and wait for us to arrive. When our van pulled into the front gates, the children all began jumping up and down, so excited that we had finally arrived. They jumped all over us once we got off of the van, desperate for hugs and attention, which we were more than happy to give to them. They sang songs for us and climbed all over us, as if we were human jungle gyms. It was the most perfect greeting. 

The Rach(a)els loving on Moses.

Enjoying the drive.

The sweet kids who greeted us upon our arrival to the City of Refuge.

Singing and dancing.

Moses already had friends at the City of Refuge! These boys were on the lake with him and now they're reunited because of Touch A Life.

Rachel

Tema Program.

I am excited to share about a new program that was launched last week. Touch A Life has partnered with many NGO's in Ghana to network and share visions of how we can best help the children that have been trafficked. Last year Randy and I met an amazing young couple named John Bull and Stacy Omorefe. John and Stacy share the same passion to help the children that are working on Lake Volta.

Together we were able to rescue six more children last week and they will be living in a coastal town called Tema. Tema is a city that is progressive and should have many educational resources to offer these children. John and Stacy have rented a building that will be home to 24 children and houseparents. We are so thrilled to be able to offer a new home to...

• Emafa - 9 yrs old
  
• Mary - 10 yrs old
  
• Gideon - 12 yrs old
  
• Gashon - 7 yrs old
  
• Emmanuel - 4 yrs old
  
• Joseph - 6 yrs old
  

Thank you to Joseph and Teresa who have agreed to take on the job of being parents to these six wounded little souls. Our Ghanian family and vision is growing. Thank you Touch A Life supporters who are making this possible.