James on CNN Sankor, Ghana (CNN) -- A former child slave is rescuing victims of child trafficking in Ghana and has built a school to help give them a better future. Once a child slave himself, James Kofi Annan is turning what would be a crippling experience for many into a drive to stamp out child trafficking. Read more
Hovde Foundation assists Challenging Heights in Ghana Challenging Heights does a lot of work in the coastal fishing village of Winneba, a known source community for child traffickers. Children are often taken from Winneba to Ghana’s Volta Lake to work in the fishing industry. Here they are enslaved and abused. The children who are rescued by Challenging Heights are usually suffering from disease, injuries and emotional scars.
2008 Winner of the Frederick Douglass Purpose Award. 2008 Freedom Awards James Kofi Annan | Ghana Winner of the Frederick Douglass Purpose Award to a former slave helping others find purpose.
James was enslaved most of his childhood in the fishing villages of Ghana.
He almost died in the nets. But his story is one of rebirth and hope as he
escaped slavery and graduated from university.
He was motivated by the belief that other children must not be cheated out of their childhoods as he was.
Every day hundreds of children are helped by his organization, Challenging Heights.
Singer Jason Mraz visit Challenging Heights in Ghana Jason opens up about his visit to Ghana with Free
The Slaves and shares a very special experience at
the Challenging Heights Shelter.
Why Challenging Heights’s work is so important This boy is 12 years old but he has stunted growth. He has no footwear and had to be given a cloth to wrap around his shoulders. He has been in slavery for about 3 years and has been physically and emotionally abused. His right hand is swollen, blistered, and badly bruised. He doesn’t cry, he doesn’t smile, he just stares straight ahead, and reluctantly speaks when asked a question. Survivors of trafficking often are in this condition when rescued. He is an example of why it must stop now.Read more
