Mission to Rescue Children from Slavery in Ghana

It all began during a school break in April 2007, when eight fourteen-year-old friends from Long Island, NY saw an Oprah episode titled "The Little Boy Oprah Couldn't Forget" featuring a story about enslaved children in Ghana, Africa.

In Ghana, hundreds of children are being sold for as little as $20 into a life of servitude in the fishing trade. They are forced to labor over 15 hours a day rowing huge boats and retrieving miles of filthy fishing nets from the deep waters. Alone, they must endure harsh, dangerous conditions. The children are lucky if they are fed one meal a day and they have no possessions, not even themselves. Their lives consist of excruciating work, fear and isolation.

After watching this moving Oprah episode, the girls were heartbroken knowing this kind of thing was happening, so they decided to raise money to help with the rescue efforts to free enslaved children. Even though they had limited financial and material resources, they were determined to make a difference. For months, the girls talked about starting a charity, but they couldn't answer all of the "who, what, when, where and how" questions. However, each one of them deeply understood the most important question, "Why?"

The girls learned about the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that established a program for people to sponsor the effort of rescuing trafficked children. The girls discovered that they would have to come up with $4,300 to save just one child. The $4,300 is used for initially rescuing one child from brutally dangerous and inhumane conditions. Any remaining money goes towards providing him/her with 2-1/2 years of safe shelter, food, warmth and invaluable education. Even so, it seemed like an insurmountable amount to the teenage girls, but they were determined to succeed.

As the girls worked together, they asked themselves, "What if we can only raise enough to save one child?" That was when they all agreed, "If all our efforts can only save one child, then one is better than none." This simple statement was the beginning of their name, One is Greater than None™ (1>0).



The 1>0 girls decided that the best way to raise money and awareness was by using their jewelry-making skills to make bracelets and necklaces to sell. With every sale, they would not only educate people on what is going on in fishing villages of Ghana, but they would also start to build the amount necessary to save that one child. Their necklace design features eight wooden beads, representing each girl in the 1>0 group, and a single recycled glass bead; made in Ghana; that sits in the center representing a child the 1>0 girls are working to set free.

Jewelry-making supplies can be expensive, and the large scope of raising $4,300 to save just one child made it hard to part with any money they had to buy beads and cord for making jewelry to sell. That was when the girls approached Fire Mountain Gems and Beads to help in any way they could. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads heartily responded to the 1>0 girls' cause by donating gemstone beads and stringing materials to get the girls started on their mission to save children.

All eight of the 1>0 girls committed themselves to making thousands of handmade bracelets and necklaces after school. Their jewelry was packaged on simple cards that shared the story behind their cause and directed people to their website, www.oneisgreaterthannone.org where more information could be found about their mission and why they were doing it.



So many great things have come from what the 1>0 girls have started. A fantastic website was generously donated, which increased their ability to sell handmade jewelry and 1>0 clothing that tells the story of the enslaved children of Ghana. Other donations that helped them succeed in raising money included printing, legal consultation and photography by people wanting to contribute in any way they can to help save the trafficked children in Ghana.

Through overwhelming nationwide support, the girls were quickly able to raise enough money to save one child, then a second. Their cause was soon discovered and published by Teen Vogue, CBS News, ABC News and The Martha Stewart Show. After such support from the press, the 1>0 girls' proceeds were enough to save an amazing total of eight more children! Of the 36 children freed in the rescue mission in January of 2008, eight of them were sponsored by the effort spearheaded by the 1>0 girls. Shortly after that, they earned enough to return for two more children. Within six months, 1>0 raised enough money to save 10 more children, and the girls hope to sponsor a full rescue mission, a minimum of 25 children, soon.



There are still over 424 children working for 800 fishermen on five islands in Ghana. Through the sale of jewelry, 1>0 clothing and donations, they hope to be able to sponsor more rescues in the near future.

Throughout their website and in interviews, the girls say over and over, "Your support, whether it's a donation or a purchase, is telling these children that they have not been forgotten. It's because of YOU that a child will receive that soft tap on the shoulder by a rescuer telling them 'It's over. Your nightmare is over and we have come to take you home.' That $1 donation, that 1 bracelet or necklace, that 1 article of clothing from the apparel line is giving a child their life back."

The girls won't quit until every child is set free. You can help. A purchase of one bracelet can make a difference to these children. The 1>0 girls have proven that. They encourage each person to be a part of the equation. If you would like more information, updates or want to take part in the 1>0 efforts to free children in Ghana, visit their website at www.oneisgreaterthannone.org. The website has a link to a video on YouTube of the girls' first year, showing how the simple task of making jewelry turned into an amazing year of thousands of people becoming "part of the equation."



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