In 2023, Abel became a beneficiary of Breaking the Chain Through Education (BTCTE). Abel’s story is very similar to many other children who have experienced the horrors of trafficking.  Abel was trafficked when he was just 8 years old, soon after his father died. His mother could not care for him and his five siblings, so she sent him to live with a man who promised to care for Abel and send him to school. Instead, the man put Abel to work on his fishing boat in the Volta region of Ghana.

Every day for four years, Abel endured a never-ending cycle of labor, beatings, and verbal abuse. Like so many other children that BTCTE has cared for, he performed dangerous tasks working on a fishing boat. Conditions on the boat were horrible and Abel almost drowned during a storm that capsized the fishing boat. While being forced to work, Abel wasn’t properly fed and he soon became malnourished. The only drink available to him was lake water and the parasites from the water frequently made him ill.

One day, Abel pretended to be sick and he did not go to work. Instead, he left the Volta region and found his way home where he reunited with his mother. At her urging, Abel’s older brother took him in. However, his older brother also lacked the necessary resources to support him and Abel remained malnourished since he was only able to get access to food once a day. After several years of neglect, BTCTE was asked by Social Welfare to place Abel under our care. Despite the gaps in his education, and despite the psychological trauma he experienced, Abel, now 19 years old, is a top student in his high school. He is no longer malnourished, and he has grown 2 inches! . His long-term plan is to become an attorney so he can help people who have been wrongfully arrested.

Even though Abel’s life has greatly improved, his siblings' lives have not. He has three younger siblings, Margaret (13), Mary (12) and Ebenezer (10). They, too, are fishmongers, and are experiencing the same misery and neglect their brother was forced to endure. Although he hasn’t seen them in 5 years, Abel wants them to have the same opportunities he now has and has asked BTCTE to sponsor them. He wants BTCTE to educate them by sending them to a boarding school. He wants BTCTE to feed Margaret, Mary, and Ebenezer nutritious meals three times a day. He wants them to succeed.