GHANA

This is what I have learned about the area our little one comes from so far 

A Brief History 

(found here)
The ancient and historically significant country of Ghana is one of the five African nations along the northern coastline of the Gulf of Guinea. It is bordered on the west by Cote d'Ivoire, on the north by Burkina Faso, and on the east by Togo. The country consists mostly of low-lying savannah regions, with a central belt of forest.

Ghana's rich history centers on the once-great Ashanti Empire, which rose to power during the late 17th century and continued to prosper as a center of the 18th century slave trade. The Ashanti capital, Kumasi, was one of the finest and most advanced cities in Africa, and the Ashanti state even employed significant numbers of Europeans as advisors and administrators. The European presence in Ghana is also marked by the multitude of colonial forts that dot its coastline--strongholds that anchored the European trade in gold, ivory, and slaves. Although Ghana, then known as the Gold Coast, was largely considered a British territory by the latter half of the 19th century, it wasn't until 1900 that the British succeeded in defeating the Ashanti and the area's other strong kingdoms.

If Ghana was late in coming under European control, it was also the first African nation to win back its independence, in 1957. However, corruption and internal military strife proved to be apparently intractable problems, and Ghana went through an extended period of instability in the 1960s and 1970s marked by military rule. The country has since then been moving steadily toward political and economic stability and is currently one of the most peaceful nations in Africa.  Unfortunately, Ghana’s economy is currently struggling and many of its people live in abject poverty.  Numerous Ghanaian children have been orphaned by the conditions that their families live under, with parents who are unable to feed or clothe their children.

Some Orphan Statistics in Ghana 

(found here and here)

The orphan statistics in Ghana are at a staggering 170,000 who alone have become orphans due to HIV/Aids. Many of these children are taken in by extended family and friends, but the remainder must either live on their own or in orphanages. It is a very sad fact that these children must look after themselves, and those blessed enough to be in an orphanage must always deal with the fact that they are no longer with their parents. 

Two in five children who start primary school in Ghana do not complete fifth grade.

1.1 million children in Ghana are orphans or have lost one parent.

90 percent of children and adults in Ghana lack access to improved sanitation facilities.

Nearly one-third of children and families in Ghana struggle to survive on $1.25 a day or less

In the West African nation of Ghana, lies the largest manmade lake in the world, Lake Volta. The surrounding villages in this region are plagued by poverty, waterborne diseases, malaria, and illiteracy. These misfortunes often lead to an increase in orphans, abandoned children, and even children sold into forced labor. These children are especially vulnerable to exploitation in the fishing communities. Children are not often valued beyond their ability to provide immediate income and, as a result, are not given the opportunity to fulfill their lifelong potential. Trafficked and at-risk children need safety so they may grow into dynamic and caring members of society. They need someone to advocate for them, as they are unable to voice their own right to freedom.  

(found here and here)

Lake Volta 
(found here )
Lake Volta is the largest reservoir by surface area in the world, and the fourth largest one by water volume. It is located completely within the country of Ghana, and it has a surface area of about 8,502 km² (3,275 square miles). 
Many of the fishermen who ply their trade on Lake Volta are known for using child slaves trafficked from both within Ghana and surrounding countries. Challenging Heights, a Ghana-based NGO that helps rescue child slaves, estimates that over 24,000 children in Ghana fall victim to the worst forms of child labour annually, many of whom are forced into dangerous work in the fishing industry.[3] According to the international NGO Free the Slaves, some of the reasons these activities persist despite anti-slavery and anti-trafficking laws is the lack of funding for law enforcement, the lack of a strong social stigma against the practice, and the lucrative nature of the business
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image from (here)

-You can watch a 30 minute documentary on 2 children rescued from Lake Volta here.