Stopping Child Slavery in Ghana
James Kofi Annan
Thursday, 08 Oct 2015 at 8:00 pm – Great Hall, Memorial Union
James Kofi Annan is a former child slave and leads West Africa's most prominent children's rights organization, Challenging Heights. The organization has rescued more than 1,400 children from slavery and supported thousands more through education and other empowerment programs. Annan was sold at age six to work in the dangerous fishing industry in Ghana's Lake Volta, where for years he was forced to dive deep into muddy waters to untangle nets, while facing sickness, starvation, and torture. Escaping as a teen, illiterate and without resources, he worked his way through basic schooling and later earned a university degree. In 2007 Annan resigned from a lucrative career in banking to dedicate himself to the mission of Challenging Heights. Part of the World Affairs Series: Redefining Global Security.It's estimated that 21,000 children are openly enslaved on Ghana's Lake Volta. James Kofi Annan's organization, Challenging Heights, uses education, economic empowerment and community mobilization to target the root causes of slavery. It advocates for children's rights to education and freedom among government agencies, civil societies, and national and international policymakers. Annan has received a number of international awards in recognition of his dedication, including the recent World Children's Prize, honoring laureates that have performed outstanding work for children.
Cosponsored By:
- Catholic Student Community
- Central Iowa Service Network
- Chemical and Biological Engineering
- College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Human Sciences
- Collegiate Presbyterian Church
- Dietetic Internship Program
- Engineers Without Borders
- Food Science & Human Nutrition
- ISU Student Network Against Human Trafficking
- Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking
- Rotary Club of Ames
- St Thomas Aquinas Church & Catholic Student Center
- World Affairs
- Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
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