1. A Vision to End Child Labor in Ghana
CHALLENGING HEIGHTS
A Vision to End Child Labor in Ghana

2. Introduction
21,000 children are engaged in illegal and dangerous child labor activities on Ghana's Lake Volta. Most children are aged 5 and 12 years old. Traffickers exploit Ghanaian socio- economic instability to obtain victims. Children work 14+ hours a day performing grueling physical labor while enduring physical and psychological abuse. Challenging Heights is a Ghanaian NGO that works to combat child labor and trafficking in Ghana’s fishing industry.

3. Labor
Coercion and manipulation, achieved by routinely exposing children to violence and perilous environments, allow fishermen to maintain control. Young boys spend their days on fishing boats, bailing water, pulling and untangling nets, and cleaning fish. Girls are sometimes trafficked to the lake for domestic or sexual exploitation. Effects include physical deformities, health problems, psychological scarring, developmental regression, and death.

4. Ghanaian Life & Culture
Ghana celebrates a rich cultural history, beautiful landscapes, delicious cuisine, and a society centered on inclusion and hospitality.
Home to 75 ethnic groups
Family and kinship is heart of culture
Kinship bonds woven into social fabric of Ghanaian life
The presence of child trafficking and labor in Ghana contrasts with the country’s inviting and familial culture.
Many impoverished, but kinship indicates rich life
Traffickers manipulate poverty and tradition of trust to recruit children for labor
Promises of “a better life”
Children may go on own or be sold to trafficker by family

5. Challenging Heights
Challenging Heights was established in 2005 as an organization dedicated to ending child labor in Ghana. The organization’s founder, James Kofi Annan, was himself enslaved as a child laborer on Lake Volta from age 6 to 13. Annan’s experiences on the lake profoundly impacted him during his adult life and encouraged him to promote the right to a free and happy life for all children. Others in Ghana shared Annan’s vision and joined him in establishing and building Challenging Heights into a successful NGO. The organization’s daily operations reflect its motto: “To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected.” Today, Challenging Heights is an internationally recognized organization celebrated for its work in four key areas: Rescue, Rehabilitation, Education, and Advocacy.

6. Rescue
Removing children trafficked onto Lake Volta is one of the most difficult but rewarding projects that Challenging Heights undertakes.
Over 1,200 rescued
Rescue missions 3 times a year, each with goal to rescue children
Family or community members report identities of trafficked children to CH
CH field team works with police and local chiefs to organize rescues
Children extracted from lake and taken to temporary safe house

7. Rehabilitation
Challenging Heights provides rehabilitative services for victims of child trafficking and labor.
Hovde House: transitional home owned and operated by CH which provides a safe space for recovery
Services include medical and psychological examinations, therapy, schooling, and social reintegration programs
Children spend 3 to 6 months at Hovde House
CH oversees each child’s reintegration into his or her family and community, as well as provides financial assistance and monitoring

8. Education
Education is an important part of Challenging Heights’ mission.
CH’s operational motto: “Keeping Children in School is Our Business,”
Challenging Heights School opened in 2007 in Winneba, home to CH’s headquarters
Free education to 700 students every year
Library and integrated computer technology (ICT) learning center open to students and public
By providing both children and adults in the community with access to education and skill building tools, Challenging Heights hopes to promote alternatives to trafficking and child labor

9. Advocacy
Since its founding, Challenging Heights has worked to increase local awareness about child labor on Lake Volta and combat the causes that often lead to trafficking.
Sensitization programs and policing campaigns
Livelihood programs aimed at improving the economic conditions of youth and women in the community
James Kofi Annan acts as a national and international spokesman

10. Challenging Heights & GVSU
Challenging Heights and Grand Valley share a close relationship.
Study abroad programs allow students to work with CH staff, visit the Hovde House, and tutor at the Challenging Heights School. The lasting impact of these interactions is visible at Grand Valley.
5K race to fundraise for Challenging Heights
Friends of Challenging Heights
James Kofi Annan awarded honorary doctorate
Experiences have allowed students to think about trafficking in our own community and aspire to carry forth Challenging Heights’ mission to provide every child with access to a free and happy life

11. Get Involved Connect with Challenging Heights Study Abroad
Online:
Children’s Rescue Race
Study Abroad
Ghana: Honors Cultural Exchange and Service Learning
Trafficking in West Michigan
International Justice Mission (IJM) at GVSU
Manasseh Project
Michigan Abolitionist Project