Above: A young boy working on Lake Volta, name’s have been changed to protect identity.
Qasim finds freedom with Challenging Heights
When Qasim was six years old, his mother told him he was going to visit relatives. A man came to pick him up, but instead of going to meet family he was trafficked to work on fishing boats on Lake Volta, the centre of Ghana’s commercial fishing industry. That day, Qasim joined thousands of other children trafficked on the world’s biggest man-made lake – most of whom are under the age of ten.
Nine years later, Qasim was still forced to work on the lake. He never went to school; he was physically abused, underfed, and beaten with boat paddles. His job was to dive deep into the lake to retrieve fishing nets, causing him permanent hearing damage. Sometimes the nets would get tangled under the water, leaving Qasim unsure if he would make it to the surface before running out of oxygen. He still has recurring nightmares about drowning.
At 15, Qasim was rescued by Challenging Heights, a member of Family for Every Child. The years of neglect had led to malnourishment, and his body was covered with open wounds. He was given immediate medical care upon arrival at Challenging Heights’ shelter. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with PTSD and began therapy.
After some recovery time, Qasim was ready to start school in the first grade. Wanting to catch up with his peers, he takes extra classes in the evenings. He is now physically healthy, and receives counselling several times a week to support his mental health, too. He loves to play football and to draw, and the staff at the safe house say he is always the first to raise his hand and help out.
There are still thousands of children like Qasim who have been trafficked into hard labour. Your generous support is helping our member organisations like Challenging Heights fight for a better world. Our giving community helped give Qasim his freedom back and the opportunity for a new life.
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Family For Every Child’s impactful work supports the lives of over 23,000 children annually. By joining our global network of changemakers together, we are continuing to foster meaningful change led from the ground up.
