You have read some of what we are dealing with regarding human trafficking. It’s a big problem in Ghana, West Africa where our ministry is headquartered. Pastor William Agbeti writes: “This is the case of another beautiful girl, we’ll call her Ann, gradually drifting into a possible quagmire of child trafficking. Originally from the southern coast of Ghana, we first met Ann when she came to fetch clean water from the Ministry’s faucet, set up for needy parents and households. New to the area, she had been fetching water, during school hours. We asked her why she was not going to school. She told us a story that reflects the circumstances surrounding vulnerable girls who easily fall prey to child traffickers.
“Ann dropped out of school, in the second year of a 3-year vocational training institute. For a full year, the parents, who are peasant farmers, could not pay her first year’s tuition. Even for her admission fees, the parents had to take a loan which they could not pay back. The first year’s tuition, according to Ann, was the equivalent of $50. Fortunately, the school allowed Ann to finish her first year. In year two, she was given the first year’s bill plus the second year’s tuition and a practical materials list costing a total of $250.Long story short, Ann dropped out of school and headed to the nation’s capital in search of a job, to help her raise the much-needed funds for her education.
“She found a job fetching water in big bowls that she had to carry on her head several times in a day, over a distance of ten minute’s walk, to serve a lady who deals in the sale of porridge. Besides fetching water, Ann also had to transport the porridge by head in big aluminium bowls to town and sell them for her mistress. Her daily wage was $2. It was during her visits to the Redeemer House to fetch water that we first discovered Ann. Following a brief interview, we learned she was staying in town with her brother. We met with Ann and her brother, and asked them to tell their parents we would like to assist Ann to continue schooling. They were elated and quickly informed their parents.”
These are the circumstances that lead to human trafficking. A promise of a better life for the young lady and her family through marriage, or a well-paying job that never materializes. Fortunately, we intervened and are assisting Ann so that she can resume classes, finish her schooling and be hired by a reputable company. When you support The Daily Jot, this is one of the ways that your money is spent, how your prayers are answered, how the Word is preached, how disciples are made, how people are clothed, fed, and loved. Christ said in Luke 17:2, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” “Offend” can mean to set in a snare. We are doing what we can to prevent that horrible outcome.
