Breaking the Chain Through Education
Posted
on Nov 22, 2015
Fair Lawn Rotarian Michael Baer is an attorney based out of Teaneck and a resident of Fair Lawn. Michael is very involved in several philanthropic endeavors; not only is he an active Rotarian, he also volunteers his time with Pony Power Therapies and an organization called Breaking The Chain Through Education (BTCTE). Michael and his family when to Ghana this past summer and he shared his experiences with BTCTE and the children rescued from child slavery.
Due to the fact that there is no birth control the people of the various villages have numerous children which they are unable to take care of. Poverty is unbelievable. Fisherman approach the family and say I will take your child (generally boys) and feed them, educate them and teach them a trade while they live with him. The families think this is wonderful but in reality they are given one meal a day, they do not go to school, they are tortured if they do not bring in enough fish. There is only one place where they fish Lake Volta which is like a big basin with dead trees growing out of it so it is dangerous to fish. They use the children to go down into the water to untangle the fishing nets.
Breaking The Chain Through Education is a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating child slavery in Ghana, Africa. BTCTE has rescued 70 children since its inception, reuniting them with their families and some are attending school for the first time. Children taken into slavery are generally very young - 6 or 7 years old. BTCTE believes that by establishing schools in destitute villages, and providing local fishermen and their children with educational opportunities and alternative ways of earning their living; in exchange the trafficked children they employ are set free and returned to life with their families. In other villages and regions in Ghana, volunteers work to educate parents and create a culture where trafficking is not acceptable, while providing funds to rescue and rehabilitate their children. BTCTE believes that all children have the right to freedom and to be educated. In the hopes of diminishing the reach of child trafficking and helping to eliminate some of its root causes, funds raised are dedicated to: the building and maintenance of local schools; the rescue, rehabilitation and education of formerly trafficked children; ensuring the continued safety and security of our rescued children and their access to secondary education; providing seed money and microloans to the children’s families to lessen the grip of poverty and the cycle of trafficking.
Breaking The Chain Through education believes this multifaceted approach is the best way to ensure the continued freedom and education of these children.
For more information, Breaking The Chain Through Education can be found at www.btcte.org.
