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Melor Vinyewo
Melor vinyewo means, "I love my children."
What does it mean to be a child slave? In late 2009, while crossing Lake Volta, our director snapped a photo of two little boys in a fishing boat. It was her first chance to look into the eyes of a child slave and see the haunting, hollow plea inside.
There are an estimated 7,000 child slaves working on Lake Volta and in surrounding farm fields. These children, as young as three years old, are sold by poor mothers, sometimes after being promised the children will be put in school, and treated worse than animals. The boys fish. The girls care for infants, fetch water, cook and clean. Girls are often sexually assaulted.
They work difficult schedules, up every few hours, never getting enough sleep.
Almost all sleep outside, on a hard bench or in the mud.
Many are sickly, due to neglect and lack of medical care for malaria, injuries and waterborne illnesses.
They eat one meal a day and often go completely hungry.
They are beaten regularly, sometimes brutally. They fear for their lives.
They are denied love.
Every one of the boys who fishes knows of another boy who has died a terrible death on the lake. Every one of them thinks they may be next.
They are denied education.
They are denied education.
There is nowhere for these children to go. Most of the time, their parents don't want them back because they can't support them. There are only a few homes available for these kids, none of which is government-run. When asked who will help them, they all reply, "No one."
In late 2011, we returned to the lake with volunteers, this time to talk to slave children whose masters are willing to release them if they have a place to go. Some of the masters said the children are a hassle. Others are afraid they will get arrested if the government continues to crack down.
We interviewed nearly 40 children over several days, listening and recording heartbreaking stories. Sometimes the children cried. Sometimes we cried. We knew that, at the end of the day, they would have to go back to their masters.
Included in the group was a little boy who looked familiar. He was very sick with a high fever and symptoms of malaria. He had been beaten that morning because he told his master he was too sick to work. Then he had to work anyway.
It was only after we returned to our
volunteer hut and compared photos that we could confirm that the boy,
Joseph, was the child from the photo snapped nearly two years earlier.
We cried.Then, more miracles started happening. Chiefs in the mountain village of Tafi Atome granted us land to build a children's boarding home and community development center in their village. It is far from the view of the lake, and far from the children's masters. Children will receive a safe place to sleep, three meals a day, psychological care and medical care, education, vocational training, arts education and all of the hugs they need!
We were traveling with another boy, Joshua, who was once a child slave himself. We asked him for name ideas, and together we came up with "Melor Vinyewo," which means, "I love all of my children."
We hope to have Melor Vinyewo open and ready to take the first 16 children by Christmas 2013, but we have a world of hurdles to pass through first. We have already obtained all of the necessary permits required by the Ghanaian government. Now we have to raise approximately $100,000 to build the home and resource center.
Once we have identified the children, we have to trace the history of each one of the children to make sure they don't have a loving mother wanting them back. Then we have to go to court to obtain custody of each child who qualifies for rescue.
Once we have identified the children, we have to trace the history of each one of the children to make sure they don't have a loving mother wanting them back. Then we have to go to court to obtain custody of each child who qualifies for rescue.
But those aren't the only hurdles. We have to find at least one couple with a strong background in raising children and an understanding of traumatized children willing to serve as house parents in the home for a minimum of two years.
We also have to raise an estimated $100,000 to build a house ... a home ... for these very special children.
When we left Joseph and the other children behind, we told each one of them to be patient. We would come back to help them.
And we will.
If you would like to help, we need you. Volunteer. Donate. Spread the word!
Tax-deductible donation checks can be made out to:
Compassionate Journeys
c/o Amanda Christmann Larson
35917 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85086
c/o Amanda Christmann Larson
35917 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85086
We are also available to speak at public events. Please call Amanda at 1(602)708-9664.
Together, we really can make a difference.
Together, we really can make a difference.
"Included in the group was a little boy who looked familiar. ... the boy, Joseph, was the child from the photo snapped nearly two years earlier."
You Can Help!
Please tell your friends and family, volunteer to help us, or make a tax-deductible donation!
Got Questions?
We want to talk!
Call +1(602)708-9664.
Call +1(602)708-9664.