After spending nearly 8 years as a trafficked child on Lake Volta, Christopher was rescued by PACODEP and given a chance for a bright future. Now, Chris is a track and cross country runner for Prempeh College. He is also passionate in his faith and is often selected to lead the teaching in chapel for his school.

When Teye Mensah first came to the Village of Life he was only 5 years old. Rescued from fishing on Lake Volta, Teye was living with his mother on the island of Okpalama and at the same time, working for a fisherman he didn’t know. Even at such a young age, he was used for very harsh work such as fetching pales of water from the canoe and pulling heavy nets. He was often beat by his master and refused food.
Now Teye is a vibrant and active young man. He is talented in almost all areas. He is one of the best football players in the school and an incredible dancer. But the best trait about Teye is his confidence and humor. His best quote that we often use is, “We could cry or we can dance, and I would rather dance.”

The two sisters of Afreyda were rescued about a year before she was also finally able to join them at the Village of Life. The 3 of them were used for forced labor and domestic work on the island of Okpalama. They were first found smoking fish in a small room without any clothes on. When Afreyda was first rescued, she was so full of joy she was running, jumping and dancing. Although she has had to work through a lot of trauma, she is a free spirit and full of energy and is now excelling in school.

Yohannes and his brother Willy were rescued urgently after receiving a tip of the severe and life threatening abuse they were enduring. After being nearly starved, Willy stole a fish from the fire to share with his little brother. When the fisherman found out, he removed burning rocks from the fire and used them on the boys bodies. It took a long time to heal physically and the counseling staff at the Village of Life staff are still working diligently to encourage the boys mental healing.
Although Yohannes is still healing, he is now enjoying the chance to enjoy his childhood through schooling, playing football, and playing make believe with his friends.

Delight was given out by her mother to a man to work as a domestic servant. She was only 7 years old when she was rescued and brought to the Village of Life after receiving information of her abuse and poor living conditions under the hand of her master. Now, Delight is incredibly bright and passionate about her schooling. She is now beginning her first year in high school. Delight wants to be an Investigative Journalist in the future and now has the chance to pursue that dream through the help of PACODEP and her State Side sponsor.