Touchdown, Accra!

Hello Ghana!

We arrived safely and have become situated at our little hotel here in Accra now, where it is 9PM Friday night.  We got in about 4 hours late after leaving DC at 2:30AM Friday.  However, our travel partners had it much worse.  Their flight from SF to DC was delayed for 6-7 hours so were re-routed through London and won't be here for another hour.  But they are a resilient crew...though may not be feeling very resilient right this second.

It is amazing to be here and feels great.  The people here are amazingly warm and friendly.  We had dinner tonight at the hotel with Eric, the local social worker from IOM who will be leading us on the rescue mission next week.  What a positive and dedicated man!  He told us background stories about his work here and told us a little of what to expect next week. 

Eric shared his basic philosophy: "Every child needs to be raised in a family."

The rescue and rehabilitation effort here is based on this beautiful philosophy. It is not always possible to reunite these children with their families but every effort is made to do place them into a family situation whereby they can grow and learn to be responsible, productive, "normal" kids on their way to being great adults and parents.

I am already impressed with how much education is required to teach the parents the consequences of their choices to sell their children into trafficking and how hard Eric and his team try to ensure the children are kept from being enslaved ever again.

One thing that is admirable is the obvious care and thought that goes into these children AFTER they are rescued.  Eric told us that the rehab center is deliberately NOT comfortable so that the children will have an easier time adjusting to their life back with family in the villages.  The thinking is that they don't want the children to become accustomed to comforts (toothpaste, for example) that their parents/family may be unable to provide once they are reunited for fear that this makes things harder on the parents and they may be inclined to traffic the kids again.

Much more to learn and see, of course, but so far so good.  It will be exciting to get out tomorrow and see this country and meet more of the people before the real work begins Monday.