Having never been to school before, Challenging Heights field officers call 11-year-old Kwame the role model to his family. While his brothers may skip school, Kwame is eager to learn, eager to get ahead and achieve more than he could have while working on the lake. Kwame was rescued from slave labour on Lake Volta […]
It was an emotional morning, with expressions ranging from ear-to-ear grins to tears of joy to nervous jitters to a sense of sadness. Ten children would be leaving our Hovde House shelter, where they had been living and recuperating for a least the last six months, to rejoin their families and begin school or apprenticeships. […]
In a partnership with Butterflies India, last week we signed up 80 students to participate in Child Development Khazanas (CDKs) as a way to foster our relationship with the community of Swedru and promote financial literacy and good money management skills among youth. The day began at one school and the afternoon was spend at […]
One of the most important parts of our work with identifying children who are at risk or have been trafficked is our partnerships with community members. We call these groups Community Child Protection Committees, or CCPCs, and they are comprised of important community members, such as assembly men, the chief, pastors, imams, teachers, health workers, […]
We here at Challenging Heights are extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish. From rescuing slaves from Lake Volta to rehabilitating them in our Hovde House shelter; from providing micro-loans to women to training youth in business and ICT skills; from creating Community Child Protection Committees to stickering tro tros and taxis, […]
In order to provide the best care we can to the rescued children in our shelter, our staff continually undergoes professional development and skills training throughout the year. Most recently, a member of the Juconi Foundation, based in Mexico and a fellow member of Family for Every Child, came and did trainings about a variety […]
Rescuing children from slavery on Lake Volta is only the first step in a long, and sometimes difficult, journey to recovery. Here at Challenging Heights, not only do we rescue children, we have an outstanding shelter at the Hovde House where the children are able to begin schooling and have access to therapies and counselling. […]
It’s a service Challenging Heights envisions as a hub for activity, commerce and progress in the Penkye community on Winneba’s Coast. Our Women in Social Enterprise Fish Smoking Site has been up and running for fish mongers to smoke fresh fish for many months now, and soon they will be able to buy the fresh […]
With a line out the front door and people sitting on every seat available, Konastone apologises to his clients and asks for a moment to speak about his time at the Challenging Heights Youth Empowerment Programme. The 30-year-old says he started his own printing shop, Konastone, in 2010, but he didn’t have the capital for […]
Sitting behind a sewing machine in the noisy tailor shop at Nkwantanan, in the middle of the four access roads in Winneba, Kwabena Samuel spreads a dress out under the needle, preparing to stitch. He says he never thought a male could sew female clothing, but under Master Bonney’s supervision, he is an apprentice, and […]
