Compassionate Journeys

ending child slavery in Ghana through

educational, medical and economic opportunities

Selena Larson,

Arizona State University

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism

“How wonderful it is that nobody

need wait a single moment

before starting to improve the world.”

- Anne Frank

Compassionate Journeys

• Non-profit organization working in Ghana

– Christ Outreach Orphanage

– HIV Clinics

– Leper Villages

– Maternity clinics

– Clean water

– Educational opportunities

Child Slavery

• Almost 40 percent of children ages 4-14 are slaves in rural Ghana

• Children are bought and sold for $20 so their families can survive

• Children become “apprentices,” to fishermen and farmers

“The level of poverty here is amazing, but the children still smile.”

The need for education

• Few children attend school regularly

– Parents cannot afford the uniforms, supplies, and stipends required to be enrolled

– Most girls do not attend school

• There is 1 teacher for 150 students

• Because many children do not attend school, they are forced into trafficking

• Without school and an education, they end up begging on the streets

What can we do?

• Compassionate Journeys’ child sponsorship program

– $10/month directly to the family

– Requirement for children to be in school

• Stop slavery, start an education

Basic healthcare

• In July, we are bringing 12 volunteers from the Show Low Fire Department to teach basic care.

• There is no doctor in the villages.

This woman has gangrene after clipping her toenails. She will probably not survive.

The documentary

• We will travel to Bakpakope, in the northern part of Lake Volta, just across Kete Krachi in the Brong Ahafo Region

• We want to document the horrors of trafficking, and the difference an education can make in the life of a child

Interviews• Children who were former slaves

• Former owners of child slaves

• People making a difference through education and sustainable programs.

Budget

• $2900.00– $1900.00 airfare to Ghana

– $700.00 camera equipment

– $300.00 for the families who share their homes with us

Compassionate Journeys,

improving life in Rural Ghana,

one child at a time.