Recently, Dori and I talked by phone with Breaking the Chains Through Education (BTCTE) founder Evan Robbins. He was about to leave for
Ghana for nine days. He told us that currently BTCTE is tracking and helping to
care for 30 Ghana kids they released from slavery.
These 30 kids had been living as slaves in one village,
having been sold by their parents at various ages to fishermen there. The
parents were told by the fishermen that these kids would get an education and
adequate food, something the parents had a hard time providing since they were
so poor. Turns out the kids didn’t get that education and were not fed well, plus
they worked many hours a day and were forced to do dangerous jobs. Read more about it here: http://www.breakingthechainthrougheducation.org/the-problem.html
The released child slaves are now spread out in 19 villages,
living with their families.In order to buy their freedom, BTCTE built a school for the remaining
kids in town, the slave owner/fishermen’s kids. The village is now declared slave
traffic-free, and the government is responsible for employing the teacher.
Here’s how BTCTE explains on its website the rationale for
building a school, and the multi-faceted approach to rehabilitation and
changing the economics there: “By establishing schools in destitute villages,
we provide local fishermen and their children with educational opportunities
and alternatives ways to earn a living. In exchange, the children they
traffic are set free and returned to life with their families. In other
villages and regions, we work to educate parents and create a culture where
trafficking is not acceptable, while providing funds to rescue and rehabilitate
their children. We believe this multifaceted approach, with a special
focus on improving educational opportunities, is the best way to “break the
chain” of child slavery.”
Where do BTCTE donations
go?
The money raised right now goes to pay for the social worker
who visits each of the released kids four times a year. The social worker costs
$30,000 a year, including travel and expenses. They pay the U.N. allotment for
lodging and food. BTCTE works with the nonprofit organization the InternationalOrganization for Migration, “the largest organization you’ve never heard of,”
Robbins said, to be the on-ground support and liaison for the social worker. The
organization deals with displaced people world-wide.
The money raised by BTCTE also provides extra food for the former
slave kids’ families, so the families won’t need to migrate looking for more
food. This way the kids can continue their education in the village and live a
stable life.
Where is Breaking the
Chain going in the future?
Rescuing 30 kids is awesome, but there are still thousands
of child slaves in Ghana, said Robbins. It’s an enormous problem. Funding in
the future will be used to pay for secondary school – boarding school for
the released kids.
BTCTE is volunteer-run with no salaried employees, aside
from the social worker on site in Ghana.
Donations
If you’re interested in donating to BTCTE, you can donate online via this link. BTCTE is a registered 503(c)(3) nonprofit. BTCTE will be opening new donation opportunities, in the form of sponsoring a child or sharing in the sponsorship of a child there. They’re working on details for that.
Dori, as her Bat Mitzvah project, is selling her hand-crafted
beaded jewelry through Etsy and also through personal sales and fairs. We’re
also happy to collect any donations and donate in bulk with the jewelry proceeds
if you prefer to write a check to us.
On February 7, 2014,
BTCTE is holding a fundraising event in New Jersey, where four dance troops will perform for
300-500 people, proceeds benefitting BTCTE. Dori has been invited to sell her jewelry at the event.
You can follow BTCTE’s fundraising efforts, missions to
Ghana and other events on their Facebook page. You can follow Dori's jewelry efforts on her Facebook page.
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