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The majority of the children working on Lake Volta are 10 years old or younger, and this is reflected in the demographics of the children we rescue and rehabilitate at our shelter. However, there are a number of children who are teenagers, who were trafficked at a very young age and have never been to school. While they are at the Challenging Heights Hovde House, they are enrolled in school to gain basic literacy and numeracy skills, however it is often a struggle for them to catch up academically. This is why the older children, upon reintegration, are given the option to choose an apprenticeship rather than enrolling in school.

There are a variety of trades and jobs in Ghana that are taught by a master to an apprentice, but the two most common that our children choose are mechanic and tailor. We’re very luck to have strong relationships with an excellent master mechanic and master tailor. These men are extremely understanding of the lives these children have led and the difficulties they face in returning to their communities; they have each taken on a number of our reintegrated children as apprentices and under their tutelage, the children have excelled.

Our reintegration officers spent this week paying the fees for the apprentices and providing the necessary supplies and materials. The taxi was loaded up with sewing machines, thread, needles, scissors and tool sets to ensure that the boys and girls are prepared to put their best foot forward in their new learning environments.

We also checked in with the masters to find out how the children were performing, and they only had good things to report about their progress. We’re looking forward to the days where we can get our cars repaired and clothes made by these young people, and knowing that we are contributing to their continued success.

Further Reading: That’s better, turbo or supercharger?