Globally, Ghana’s Lake Volta is known for its fisheries and for being the largest man-made reservoir in the world. Alongside that, it is known for being a job site for child slaves.

There are over 20,000 child slaves working in Lake Volta’s fishing industry. These children’s ages range from 4 to 13 and they can work 15-hour shifts seven days a week, with some starting work as early as 4 a.m.

In order to end child slavery in Ghana, Challenging Heights, an organization which rescues and provides comprehensive rehabilitation and educational support for trafficked children in Lake Volta, is hosting the Rescue Race 5K Run/Walk at Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus Saturday, Sept. 24 at 9 a.m.

“Looking back at the history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade years ago, I think we all wish we could have been a part of the abolition,” said Jessie Teerman, U.S. director of Challenging Heights. “Now, we all have the unfortunate opportunity to be a part of this generation’s slave trade.”

Teerman, a GVSU alumna, said her involvement with the organization began when she met James Kofi Annan, the founder of Challenging Heights, in 2010. He was a victim of the child slavery trade when he was young and has been part of the organization ever since.

Part of her duties as the U.S. director of Challenging Heights is to help forge partnerships with people, organizations and schools that want to be a part of the organization.

Rescue Race was created two years ago by GVSU alumnae Lindsey Crawford and Stephany Zahl. It was based on Zahl’s experience working with Challenging Heights in Winneba, Ghana. The race has established additional support to get more children out of slavery and into school.

Lora Gleghorn, the current director of the Rescue Race campaign, is a nursing alumna from GVSU who previously studied abroad in Ghana as part of her schooling.

Her research on rotavirus gastroenteritis, a common cause of death for children in Ghana, allowed her to see firsthand effects of human trafficking once the children were rescued and brought to the organization’s halfway house.

“While there wasn’t a recent rescue when we arrived, it was especially shocking to see and learn than many of the children we met used to work up to 17 hours a day at Lake Volta,” she said. “It is hard for the kids to really open up after physically and mentally (working so hard).”

The first Rescue Race in October of 2014 raised over $5,000. The goal for this year’s race is to raise over $13,250. Gleghorn said this year’s proceeds will help save 10 children from slavery and would pay for their education for a year.

As of Friday, Sept. 16, over $15,000 was raised on the Rescue Race Grand Rapids website, which was raised by 350 participants and 177 sponsors and donors.

“Having the race be successful would help us battle slavery and empower the community,” Gleghorn said.

Having the support of the West Michigan community is important to the Rescue Race campaign.

“At Challenging Heights, we are ending child slavery in Ghana and creating a generation of young leaders who will value love and justice and disrupt corruption,” Teerman said.

For more information about the Rescue Race campaign or Challenging Heights, visit www.rescueracegr.com.