Martha Newton, Abena Asare, Patience Quaye, and Pam Cope in Ghana in March 2010.

Mrs. Patience Quaye serves as Director of the Ghana Police Service Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. In recognition of her outstanding anti-trafficking efforts, Mrs. Quaye received public commendation from President Barack Obama in 2009 and received the U.S. Department of State 2007 Award for “Heroes Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery”.

Child labor, forced child labor, and child trafficking still exist in Ghana in the cocoa and fishing sectors. Ghana is a signatory of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, and it passed a national anti-human trafficking law in 2005. In 2009, the Ghanaian Government’s minimal efforts to combat trafficking caused the country to slip to Tier 2 Watch List in the U.S. Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Only a few months later, the U.S. Department of Labor added Lake Volta tilapia to its 2009 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.

Touch A Life Executive Director Martha Newton sat down with Mrs. Quaye in March during the Touch A Life-Journey for Change joint mission to Ghana.

 Q: Why did you join the Touch A Life-Journey for Change “From Captivity to Capitol Hill” trip?

As an African woman, it is an honor to come together with Pam Cope, an American woman, and Malaak Compton-Rock, an African-American woman, to fight the global monster of human trafficking. Even though we are from diverse backgrounds, we all must come together. We all share the same vision.

 Q: What is your biggest challenge in fighting Lake Volta child labor trafficking?

 The number one challenge is securing shelter for rescued children. For example, in one intervention, we assumed we would rescue just a couple of child victims – but in fact, we rescued almost 60 children. That was a wonderful victory – and it was a huge challenge! From the moment of their rescue, the Ghanaian Police Service was responsible for the children’s emergency and ongoing food, shelter, and medical care.

The second biggest challenge is securing up-to-date human trafficking training for law enforcement officers. We want our officers to have the best information about human trafficking criminal networks and trends, so that they can investigate and apprehend the traffickers efficiently and effectively.

Interagency cooperation within the Ghanaian Government is also extremely important. We are grateful for the support of the Ghanaian Immigration Service and other departments, who refer human trafficking tips to our unit. We are looking forward to strengthening that referral mechanism.

Public awareness is another important component. We very much respect the work that our colleagues in Benin have done to educate the public about human trafficking in their own country. We want to do the same here in Ghana, so that all citizens open their eyes and ears to the crime of human trafficking.

Q: What role do NGOs play in supporting the Ghanaian Police Service’s anti-trafficking efforts?

Touch A Life Foundation is able to provide immediate, high-quality care the moment that we rescue child trafficking survivors – which is excellent. Emergency shelter and care is the number one challenge that law enforcement faces, and it is an incredible help that police can call Touch A Life at a moment’s notice for assistance with the children. Also, we find that victim interviews are much more effective when NGOs partner with law enforcement. Child trafficking survivors have suffered terrible abuse, and they are often very frightened of speaking with police officers about the crime. But when a trusted NGO staff member joins the child in his or her law enforcement interview, the police officer and the NGO staff member are able to help the child feel more calm and peaceful – and that helps the child share full information, which helps police mount a full and complete investigation.

 Q: This past July in his address to the Ghanaian Parliament, US President Obama lauded your anti-trafficking efforts. What was your reaction to his commendation?

 I was surprised and grateful! And it was a great help, too, because after President Obama offered his compliments, the Ghanaian Government agreed to sponsor a network of locally based Anti-Human Trafficking Units in each of the Ghana Police Service’s 11 regions. Already we have opened offices in Cape Coast (Central Region), Takoradi (Western Region), Kumasi (Ashanti Region), and Bulga (Upper East Region).

 We are looking forward to opening a Volta Region Human Trafficking Unit by December 2010. The Volta Region unit will collaborate intensively with NGOs that are fighting child labor trafficking on Lake Volta.

 Q: Why does the Ghana Police Service partner with NGOs like Touch A Life Foundation?

 Touch A Life Foundation and George Achibra, Sr., Touch A Life’s Ghanaian partner, have a real strategy to end human trafficking on Lake Volta. Working on the Lake, George is persistent and patient.  From the time he meets the children in their fishing boats, he is personally connected to each one – he knows their names, their ages, the islands where they are kept by their traffickers. And after they are rescued, he continues to give them love and respect and make sure they receive good care.

And Touch A Life is doing the hardest work of community outreach and education – which is very, very difficult. By going out on the Lake day after day, identifying traffickers, educating them about Ghana’s human trafficking law, and rescuing children, George is transforming the culture.

Another main reason the Ghana Police Service partners with Touch A Life is that the children in their rehabilitation homes are growing in love. When you spend time with them, you can see that their bitterness and sorrow are healing. That is the real work, and that is powerful. Sometimes other NGOs rescue children and send them back to their communities, without ensuring that the children will not be trafficked again. But Touch A Life is committed to the best interest of the child.

Q: Recently, in the company of African-American children descended from slaves, Ghanaian child trafficking survivors, and Ghanaian and U.S. anti-trafficking leaders, you travelled to Cape Coast slave castle, from which thousands of Ghanaians were trafficked into the historic transatlantic slave trade. For you, what was the significance of this trip?

I think it helped us to recollect what really happened in those days. We all know the slave trade was abolished, but now it has come in a different form. And it is a sin that this is being visited on the children of Lake Volta. Seeing what happened in the past gives us the courage and compassion to address what is happening now to the children of Ghana.

At Cape Coast Castle, we saw the Door of No Return. But we showed the children that they are no longer on a journey of no return. They can be rescued today and become someone important tomorrow – they are on the ultimate journey for change.

Photos by Shealah Craighead.

The Touch A Life Foundation makes the cover of a newspaper-- the St. Louis Business Journal!  Please check out the story of volunteers Jennifer and Jason Hackmann and the article is a great overview of the issue of child slavery in Lake Volta.  Pass it on and help spread the important work that TAL is doing and how your donations truly make a difference!  As Jason Hackmann so eloquently states in the article
"...It's 7000 children, not 7 million.  This can be done!"
 
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/11/23/story2.html

Alexandra Borges is a Portuguese journalist whose work has recently been recognized by our foundation. She is a crusader in the campaign against human trafficking, specifically focusing on children who have been rescued out of slavery by Touch A Life. Along with a film crew, she has visited Lake Volta multiple times in order to capture footage of children who are sold into slavery by their parents. Additionally, Alexandra has been a part of rescue missions. She has formed relationships with the children who are now in the care of Touch A Life. She has used her affiliation with the Portuguese media to spotlight the work being done by our foundation. 

Alexandra made a broadcast on the Portuguese news about the work that Touch A Life is doing in Ghana. She exerted her influence and has made the cause known in her country. We applaud her efforts and are thankful for the Portuguese viewers who have reached out to us! 

All,

Arrived home late last evening, but wanted to share a photo of George that he said he would like to have posted on the Web site to show his recovery. He can't smile because of an impacted tooth/jay injury, but he was supposed to have his dental surgery yesterday. The force of the crash impacted a number of teeth into his gum line and he also lost three others, all along the lower left jawline.

Emily and I were very blessed to have an amazing George experience on our last day (Monday, October 6th) in Ghana. He was sitting up just as he is in the photo and shared with us his passion for rescuing children. I was brought to tears by his witness...It was my first time experiencing the full power and presence that is George and the fact that he was doing it from a hospital bed with multiple injuries was amazing!

George has no memory of the accident, only of waking up at the hospital in Tema. Our biggest challenge now will be to make sure that George does not do too much too fast and that he spends time recuperating in Tema before heading back to Kete-Krachi...George, Jr., and Kofi know that it will be in George's best interest to keep him down near Accra upon initial release. 

...I wanted to share this picture with you so you could see for yourself how he is doing. His recovery in one week was nothing short of miraculous--particularly since he only had knee surgery last Thursday!

Martha

Again, our thanks is to you for following the updates on George's condition.

We received this e-mail from Touch A Life Consultant, Emily George, today. In it, she provides us with an update on George Achibra's condition.

Hey guys,

We arrived yesterday and went to the hospital to see George. He is pretty banged up, lost several teeth, and will undergo a total knee replacement tomorrow. We prayed with him and stayed several hours with the family. It was difficult to see the Secret President of Ghana [our nickname for George because even though he doesn't hold a government position, he is one of the most well-known people in the country] lying down. I've never seen him in more than one place for over a few minutes.

The hospital where he is staying is the best in Ghana. He seems to be taken care of well, and he even has a policeman in full uniform standing watch outside of his door. 

This afternoon when we arrived, George looked like a new man, thanks to everyone's faithful thoughts and prayers. He was sitting up and the swelling in his face had gone down. He was talking and seemed much more alert and well-rested. He was definitely well enough to ensure that all of his visitors' needs were met. When we left, he called out to Erica, his daughter, and said, "Erica, have you eaten today? Does Naomi [a house cook] need any money?" George...taking care of everyone else while he lies in a hospital bed awaiting surgery.

Thank you for all the prayers. He will have surgery tomorrow, so keep them coming!

Emily.

Again, feel free to contact us directly if you have any specific questions. 

Greetings.

I was at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra with Mama Gladys to visit George this morning. We met Kofi and George's brother at the ward. We also met two ladies from TAL who arrived in Ghana this morning at the hospital.

The information you have concerning George is accurate. He is not in a life-threatening state, for which we are all grateful. However, he is not in good shape.

I talked with the orthopaedic surgeon in charge of George's case. He informed me that George has at least two fractures in his thigh bone and knee cap. He will need major surgery. They may have to graft some bones from his hip to replace his knee cap as it seems that his knee cap is crushed. They will have to insert a metal plate and metal pins to hold the fractured bones together. I have requested for expedited surgery for George. The surgery is likely to take place on Thursday if the orthopaedic surgeon is able to put together a team of two other surgeons, an anaesthetist, an assistant anaesthetist, and theatre nurses tomorrow.

When I was leaving the hospital, Kofi was about to make a deposit of the equivalent of $500 for the plate needed for the surgery. The surgery itself will cost in the range of $5,000 when all expenses are put together. We will have to make a deposit of the equivalent of $2,500 by tomorrow if the surgery is to be done on Thursday. I am working with Kofi on that.

George also has some head injuries that the doctors are looking at. They are conducting investigations into that. 

I am in constant communication with the surgeon. In fact, I just spoke with him this evening. He was on his last ward rounds for the day and would be seeing George one more time tonight. George is in good hands at the best hospital in Ghana.  He will be well. Please keep praying for him, as I know you will.

God bless,

Fred.

Please contact us if you need any further information regarding this e-mail. 

Yesterday, George Achibra (the Executive Director of our Ghana programs) was in a serious car accident. He was on his way from Kete-Krachi, in northern Ghana, to Tema, in southern Ghana. George was traveling in a 15-passenger van, which is a popular form of public transportation in Ghana. The driver of the van fell asleep at the wheel, and the van collided with a large truck. The impact of the accident killed six passengers; the rest were sent to a local hospital in Tema. George's life was spared, fortunately, and he was taken with the remaining passengers to be checked out by a physician.

George was in a significant amount of pain, complaining of discomfort in his chest and his knee. He will have surgery on Thursday to repair his dislocated knee. George's jaw is also broken, and he will likely be undergoing surgery for those repairs as well. His heart is being monitored closely, and physicians will be constantly checking for any signs of internal bleeding. 

George is surrounded by people who love him, including Martha Newton (our Executive Director in the States) and Emily George (our consultant), who arrived in Ghana today. Please keep George Achibra and our Ghanaian staff in your thoughts.

Newton began working for the foundation two weeks ago. She and her family currently live in Washington, D.C. Newton has worked extensively for the U.S. government, especially focusing on international labor affairs. She has been dedicated to refugee resettlement and anti-trafficking programs for years, which will make her a valuable asset to the Touch A Life Foundation. One of her projects, orchestrated in 2006, included the repatriation of U.S. citizens during times of crisis. For Newton's entire biography, visit the "About Us" section of our site.

We gave the pre-schoolers some crafts to work on but they were slightly distracted by the dance lessons going on in the next building. We brought them over to the church, where our Ghanaian volunteer, Peace, was teaching the older children a dance routine. The little ones loved watching their older counterparts learning fun, new dance moves. Peace invited the pre-schoolers to join in with the teenagers, and they loved rockin' out to tribal African jams together. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent reconnecting with the kids. Touch A Life children like Richard, Mark, Famous, and Gabriel. One volunteer brought bubbles, which were definitely a hit. The kids loved running around the lawn, chasing each other and taking turns blowing bubbles. 

The majority of the volunteer team spent the last remaining hours of the afternoon soaking up the sun on the beach. The coast is located about one mile from the Village of Hope, and the group trekked through Gomoa-Fetteh on the way to the water. The local townspeople waved and yelled at us as we walked, shrieking "Abroni!" (the Ghanaian word for "white man") as we passed. We were struck by the state of the community; most people lived in mud huts with thatched roofs, didn't have electricity, and had goats and chickens constantly running through their homes. The people's dispositions, though, were not based on their circumstances; rather, they were clearly content with and blessed by their lives. It was certainly an important trip for most of us to witness, as it served to remind us of the lives we lead and of our responsibility to give back to others.

We arrived in Ghana on Saturday, August 8, with 38 other American volunteers. The intent of the week was to participate in an art, music, and dance camp sponsored by the Children's Art Village. Included in the group were Pam's children, Van Cope, Tatum Cope, and Crista Cope Austin; Pam's son-in-law, Zach Austin; my mother, Beth Johnson; Touch A Life supporters Jennifer Hackmann, Jason Hackmann, Eric Cope, and Chris Field; and members from our partner organization, One is Greater Than None, Sharon Genden, Chelsea Genden, and Tyler Genden. 

After being picked up at the Accra International Airport, the group headed to the Village of Hope Orphanage in Gomoa-Fetteh, a rural area in southern Ghana. The orphanage is mainly supported by a church in Memphis, TN, and is funded by donations from both the United States and from Ghana. There are 21 Touch A Life children living at the orphanage. 

The children were so excited to greet their new visitors. They were swarming around us as we unloaded our vans. We were warmly welcomed by the house parents and other Village of Hope staff members, and we excitedly unpacked our belongings in the guest houses before heading out to the lawn to relax with the kids. Children like Mark (the first boy rescued by Touch A Life), Hagar (Mark's sister), and Kofi (Mark's brother) continually showered us with love as they gave us hugs, encouraged us to play soccer, and held our hands. After eating dinner together, everyone made their way to bed. Exhausted and overwhelmed, we fell into a dreamless sleep, excited for the possibilities of the week ahead.

During the week, Touch A Life volunteers Eric Cope, Chris Field, and Jason Hackmann joined George Achibra and his rescue team to save three sweet boys from Lake Volta. They are adjusting very well; two of them even joined the rest at the art camp. Pam and I are heading to Kete-Krachi tomorrow. We are hoping to rescue 10 children off of the lake during the next week.

As always, your prayers and encouragement are so greatly appreciated. More updates and photos will come when we return from Ghana on August 22nd.

We probably won't be able to update the blog much while we're gone but we hope to make a post here or there when we have Internet capabilities. In the meantime, be looking forward to future posts regarding the following:

• An update on Bruce and Penny Sullivan's (the directors of the Southeast Asia programs) trip to Vietnam.
• A word from Touch A Life consultant Emily George, as posted on her personal blog.
• Accounts from the Children's Art Village and lake trips.  
• A preview of the U.S. trip some of the children in our Ghana programs will be making in October.

Thanks for following our blog. Your readership is so important to us.

--Rachel

As the staff blogger, I rarely struggle to find topics about which to write. Today, though, I have been suffering through some pretty severe writer's block. In an attempt to clear my mind, I turned to the Touch A Life video page in search of inspiration. I have seen Patrick Cone's documentary about Lake Volta a hundred times but I was particularly struck by the video today as I focused my attention on Richard, a sweet, articulate 10-year-old boy who was rescued off of the lake in December 2006. The line that impacted me the most was the following, a comment made when discussing what Richard wants to be when he grows up:

• "I want to be a bus driver because if some of my friends are at my hometown, then I will go and take them."

Take a look at the article here.

"In northern Cambodia a few years ago, there were several churches who had each taken a few orphans. The hearts of the believers were responding to the needs of these children but because of their own poverty, it was very difficult for them to find the resources to care for them. Soon the number of children requiring assistance from these church groups rose to 45. A volunteer gathered them together into one central place, rented a piece of property, and built two shelters for them. The shelters were made of bamboo, thatch, and tar paper, and were very inadequate. A toilet block was built and someone else provided a well for drinking water. The children bathed beside the pond that was on the property, boys on one side and girls on the other. Food was scarce and became scarcer as the number of children rose to 60. The were lovingly cared for by caregivers who served for months as volunteers because there was no money to pay them. 

In October 2008, Place of Rescue responded to the need and went in to investigate. We found a well-organized group of people under the leadership of a Bunchhouy, a man who said that he had longed to run an orphanage for many years. The day we were there, the children and caregivers shared a soupy topping for their rice. It was made of chickens, green papaya, and fish sauce. We saw that the children had no mats, nets or pillows, and were additionally lacking other essentials. Providing new supplies was our first gift. We also provided a little money for food. We met with the orphanage's committee and discussed the possibility of Rescue taking over the orphanage if we could raise the funds. The children even offered to pray over us as we worked on making this dream become a reality.

By January 2009, we decided to provide all the money the orphanage would need for food, which came out to about one dollar per day per person. I also began seeking funds for the purchase of property and for the houses we wanted to build for them. We envisioned building ten houses for 100 children, which is how we began with Place of Rescue.

Soon we had enough to start the process and then one donor offered to give us all we needed to finish the purchase of the land and buildings. As if this were not amazing enough, Pam Cope called to tell me that a donor was offering a large enough sum of money which, along with some sponsorship, would provide the operating costs for Place of Rescue II for an entire year."

Some readers responded to the piece honestly, claiming that while they believed that Bono's words were kind, he skimmed over the issue of slavery altogether. It's true that the article doesn't discuss the issue of trafficking on Lake Volta, or the issue of slavery at all. What the piece does do, though, is highlight the positive things about the country, allowing readers to optimistically view the strides Ghanaians have made in transforming their homeland. This, in turn, permits readers to want to invest in the country, seeing that its residents are making positive changes to improve their lives. 

The critics do have a point that the issue of slavery does need to be addressed. Fortunately for them and for Touch A Life, President Obama visited the Elmina Slave Castle on the Cape Coast and acknowledged in this CNN article that "the capacity for slavery still exists." Though the article, again, doesn't address the issue of trafficking on Lake Volta specifically, it indicates that the President is not naive to the fact that injustices continue to occur on a daily basis. Visiting the slave castle gave him the opportunity to remind American and Ghanaian citizens alike that humanity is still capable of treating one another poorly, and that is something that must be stopped. 

Ultimately, it's wise for the critics to observe that the key components of slavery are missing in Bono's piece. Trafficking clearly is a huge issue in Ghana, and especially on Lake Volta. But where we must start is from a place of positivity. We must first align with the Ghanaians themselves, allying with them and earning their trust. We must praise and acknowledge the work they've done and the progress they've made thus far. Then, and only then, will we be permitted to point out the flaws in their governmental systems that allow human trafficking to persist. Then, and only then, will their eyes be opened to the injustices occurring within their country. If we never praise the positive and only focus on the negative, we will never be permitted the opportunity to confront the Ghanaians on the issues present in their country. Our cries will fall on deaf ears.

After researching numerous organizations that supported orphaned children, Bruce turned to his wife, Penny, for input. Penny connected Bruce with Pam Cope and Touch A Life. Not only was there a personal connection between Penny and Pam but there were so many logistical elements that fell into place for the Sullivans as well. They found Touch A Life to be fiscally sound and professionally run. After a few weeks of discussion, the Sullivans decided that they wanted to devote their time, energy and funds to supporting the work Touch A Life was doing for orphans and former child slaves. 

The Sullivans deliberated for some time over how they were going to spend the money they donated to Touch A Life. To pay homage to Bruce's childhood, they wanted to do something substantial, something that would prove to the children that they are worthy of being loved, adored and admired. Their hearts were drawn to the Vietnam program and when they learned that the program was in need of more housing projects, the Sullivans knew that providing the funds for a new building was up to them. They committed to raising the money to provide new, improved housing for the children in Vietnam. After settling on a plot of land that was home to a dilapidated building, construction began to renovate the structure so that it could be a beautiful place for the Touch A Life children to live. 

The Sullivan House was completed at the beginning of 2009 and is home to 15 children and their houseparents. The appliances are new, the ambiance is peaceful and the space is, overall, just perfect. The children in Vietnam are ecstatic about their new living situation, and all thanks goes to the Bruce and Penny Sullivan for their generous hearts. 

The interior of the house. The children working on their studies.

It would be easy to simply share a link with all of you Web-perusers but to ensure that you read this excellent piece, the article has been re-posted on our blog from The New York Times Web site. 

REBRANDING AFRICA

By Bono

DATELINE: Imminent. About now, actually.

Soon, Air Force One will touch down in Accra, Ghana; Africans will be welcoming the first African-American president. Press coverage on the continent is placing equal weight on both sides of the hyphen.

And we thought it was big when President Kennedy visited Ireland in 1963. (It was big, though I was small. Where I come from, J.F.K. is remembered as a local boy made very, very good.)

But President Obama's African-ness is only part (a thrilling part) of the story today. Cable news may think it's all about him--but my guess is that he doesn't. If he was in it for a sentimental journey he'd have gone to Kenya, chased down some of those dreams from his father.

He's made a different choice, and he's been quite straight about the reason. Despite Kenya's unspeakable beauty and its recent victories against the anopheles mosquito, the country's still-stinging corruption and political unrest confirms too many of the headlines we in the West read about Africa. Ghana confounds them.

Not defiantly or angrily, but in that cool, offhand Ghanaian way. This is a country whose music of choice is jazz; a country that long ago invented a genre called highlife that spread across Africa--and, more recently, hiplife, which is what happens when hip-hop meets reggaeton meets rhythm and blues meets Ghanaian melody, if you're keeping track (and you really should be). On a visit there, I met the minister for tourism and pitched the idea of marketing the country as the "birthplace of cool." (Just think, the music of Miles, the conversation of Kofi.) He demurred...too cool, I guess.

Quietly, modestly--but also heroically--Ghana's going about the business of rebranding a continent. New face of America, meet the new face of Africa.

Ghana is well governed. After a close election, power changed hands peacefully. Civil society is becoming stronger. The country's economy was growing at a good clip even before oil was found off the coast a few years ago. Though it has been a little battered by the global economic meltdown, Ghana appears to be weathering the storm. I don't normally give investment tips--sound the alarm at Times headquarters--but here is one: buy Ghanaian. 

So it's not a coincidence that Ghana's making steady progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Right now it's one of the few African nations that has a shot at getting there by 2015.

No one's leaked me a copy of the president's copy of the speech in Ghana, but it's pretty clear he's going to focus not on the problems that afflict the continent but on the opportunities of an Africa on the rise. If that's what he does, the biggest cheers will come from members of the growing African middle class, who are fed up with being patronized and hearing the song of their majestic continent in a minor key.

I've played that tune. I've talked of tragedy, of emergency. And it is an emergency when almost 2,000 children in Africa die a day of a mosquito bite; this kind of hemorrhaging of human capital is not something we can accept as normal.

But as the example of Ghana makes clear, that's only one chord. Amid poverty and disease are opportunities for investment and growth--investment and growth that won't eliminate overnight the need for assistance, much as we and Africans yearn for it to end, but that in time can build roads, schools and power grids and propel commerce to the point where aid is replaced by trade pacts, business deals and home-grown income.

President Obama can hasten that day. He knows change won't come easily. Corruption stalks Africa's reformers. "If you fight corruption, it fights you back," a former Nigerian anti-corruption official has said. 

From his bully pulpit, the president can take aim at the bullies. Without accountability--no opportunity. If that's not a maxim, it ought to be. It's a truism, anyway. The work of the American government's Millennium Challenge Corporation is founded on that principle, even if it doesn't put it that bluntly. United States aid dollars increasingly go to countries that use them and don't blow them. Ghana is one. There's a growing number of others. 

That's thanks to Africans like John Githongo, the former anticorruption chief of Kenya--a hero of mine who is pioneering a new brand of bottom-up accountability. Efforts like his, which are taking place across the continent, deserve more support. The presidential kind. Then there's Nigeria's moral and financial fist--Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a managing director of the World Bank and the country's former finance minister--who is on a quest to help aFrican countries recover stolen assets looted by corrupt officials. And the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which is helping countries like Ghana clean up the oil, gas and mining business, to make sure that profits don't wind up in the hands of kleptocrats.

Presidential attention would be a shot in the arm for these efforts--an infusion of moral and political amino acids that, by the way, will make aid dollars go further. That should be welcome news to the Group of 8 leaders gathered in Italy to whom Mr. Obama bids a Hawaii-via-Chicago-inflected "arrivederci," as he leaves for Africa.

This week's summit meeting looks as if it will yield some welcome new G-8 promises on agriculture. (So far, new money: America. Old money: everyone else.) This is hte good news that President Obama will bring from Europe to Ghana.

The not-so-good news--that countries like Italy and France are not meeting their Africa commitments--makes the president's visit all the more essential. The United States is one of the countries on track to keep its promises, and Mr. Obama has already said he'll more than build on the impressive Bush legacy. 

President Obama plans to return to Africa for the World Cup in 2010. Between now and then he's got the chance to lead others in building--from the bottom up--on the successes of recent efforts within Africa and to learn from the failures. There's been plenty of both. We've witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly in our fraught relationship with this dynamic continent.

The president can facilitate the new, the fresh and the different. Many existing promises are expiring in 2010, some of old age and others of chronic neglect. New promises from usual and unusual partners, from the G-8 to the G-20, need to be made--and this time kept. If more African nations (not just Ghana) are going to meet the millennium goals, they are going to need smart partners in business and development. That's Smart as in sustainable, measurable, accountable, responsive and transparent.

Africa is not just Barack Obama's homeland. It's ours, too. The birthplace of humanity. Wherever our journeys have taken us, they all began there. The word Desmond Tutu uses is "ubuntu": I am because we are. As he says, until we accept and appreciate this we cannot be fully whole.

Could it be that all Americans are, in that sense, African-Americans?

Individuals can submit questions and comments via text in many African nations, including Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. Unfortunately, the SMS option isn't available for viewers/listeners in the United States. Facebook, however, is hosting a live chat during the speech. This way, anyone can participate in providing feedback by sharing their ideas and comments with others around the world. Additionally, participants can follow the speech on Twitter and share their feedback by posting reactions.

Social media is becoming increasingly important in terms of communication, as evidenced by the use of text messaging, Facebook and Twitter to spread the word of Obama's speech in Ghana. To create awareness of the event, participate in these forums. Show your support for Obama's trip to Ghana by posting the news on your own Facebook profile or Twitter account. Acquaint yourself with the various forms of social media that are taking over the world; while they might seem overwhelming at times, these outlets are helping people stay connected no matter how far they are from one another.

While on a recent trip to Ghana, consultant Emily George was able to get an update on how Emmanuel is doing. She wrote the following in an e-mail:

• Emmanuel continues to grow in leaps and bounds, but still does not grow weary of being held, cuddled and carried around like the adorable five-year-old that he is. He is reading and writing English very well. Emmanuel loves to play football (soccer) with his friends when he gets home from school. He most recently stated that he wants to be a soldier when he grows up.

 

It seems that the mission of Kids Caring 4 Kids is catching on. Recently, Touch A Life consultant Emily George was able to educate a class of students on the injustices occurring on Lake Volta. Via Skype, an online communication server, she taught a group of third-graders in Alberta, Canada, about the children who were working as slaves on the lake. Inspired, they decided to hold a popcorn sale to raise money for hygienic products, especially toothbrushes and toothpaste. They managed to raise $60.00, which allowed them to purchase 57 toothbrushes and 62 tubes of toothpaste. 

The point isn't really how much the children raised. Instead, the beauty is in seeing these young hearts come alive with the desire to make a difference in the world. It has been ingrained within them that even the smallest of donations can change lives. The world is theirs for the taking, and we are so proud to be affiliated with children with such generous hearts and giving spirits.

Amazingly, this effort raised $1,600, which is nearly the amount necessary to sponsor a Touch A Life child for an entire year. These women were able to accomplish a huge goal merely by holding a simple event. Their actions have contributed so much to our organization. Thanks, Beth and friends!

This story is the perfect reminder that everything, no matter how great or small, makes a difference.

Here are the names and ages of the beautiful children rescued by our fabulous staff and volunteers:

• Wisdom Abuanor (12 years old)

• Joel Abuanor (8 years old)

• Teiko Addo (7 years old)

• Joseph Goku (11 years old)

• Jacob Goku (11 years old; Joseph's twin)

• Fostina (14 years old)

• Justine (9 years old)

 Wisdom, Joel, Teiko, Joseph and Jacob will call the City of Refuge/Tema Program home, while Fostina and Justine will live at the Village of Life.

We are so excited to welcome these children into the Touch A Life family! 

In Emily's words, here is the account of the rescue and transformation:

• Yesterday, we rescued our first trafficked girl. She cannot be more than six years old and is an orphan. At first, she was very frightened and was crying. Johnbull (the Director of the City of Refuge) was holding her and she was lying listless on his shoulder. She did not understand English, so I stood there touching her arms and tracing her face and kissing her hands and whispering into her ear and I witnessed the miracle of love. She slowly came ALIVE. Her eyes started shining. She started smiling. When I would stop touching her, she would hold out her hand and grab me. If I walked away, she would look at me from afar and beckon me to come back to her. She then started kissing my hands and laughing and playing. Johnbull carried her to the boat and I sat with her as she consumed almost a liter of water in just a few minutes. We drove away as the sun was setting, and by the time we arrived back at the shelter, she was dancing and laughing and playing. It was a MIRACLE...and just like that, another child was free.  

Emily also wrote about lead rescue volunteer, George Achibra, and about the graceful influence and gentle power he exerts in Ghana:

• During these visits [to the island communities], George would have all the community leaders and assemblymen sit in a circle and he would begin his teaching. He would talk to them about trafficking and slavery. He explained the law to them. He explained the work that he is doing--that the children he has rescued are now receiving an education and vocational training. He explained the way trafficking destroys the future of Ghana. He invited them to participate in his alternative livelihood and microlending programs. He honored several of the fishermen who are no longer using children and still doing very well in their business. George is a health and development dream. And my hero.

Thank you for checking in on our updates on Emily's trip.