For many years, we have worked and served in several communities along the northern part of Lake Volta. Lake Volta is the largest manmade lake in the world, covering over 3,200 square feet of land and providing hydroelectricity and freshwater fish to several West African Countries.
The dark truth about Lake Volta lies in its inception in the 1960s. Due to the large-scale project of creating such a lake, over 15,000 homes were flooded, and over 700 villages were lost in this massive project. Beyond that, many resettled people were unfamiliar with fishing as they were known as farming communities. Now, besides just resettling those 15,000 homes, the government had to find a way to engage new communities in the work of fishing.
To do this, they brought fishermen from oceanside villages to resettle along the new lake to fish for high-dollar fish like tilapia and other freshwater fish. (See blue circle and arrow below.) These fishermen were unfamiliar with lake fishing. It required long days sitting in boats and canoes, casting out nets, and pulling them back in. As the lake had covered what was previously forest and farmland, large trees remained in the lake bed, catching hold of the nets and making for a difficult day's work.
And so, fishermen returned to their home villages (red circle and arrow) along the oceanside to seek help. They would talk with relatives, single mothers, grandmothers caring for their grandchildren, and those needing assistance in their home villages. They would pay a small amount for the child to come and help them fish and "learn a trade." For many, the opportunity for their children to learn a trade and to have a little bit of extra cash to care for the others in their home was the best they could do. This cycle of moving children from home villages (referred to as "sending communities") to the lakeside villages (referred to as "receiving communities") has continued for generations upon generations. It is not a quickly answered human trafficking problem, with many confusing and complex challenges as so many of the stories are stories of poverty and family supporting family (at the expense of a child).
City of Refuge Ministries has been working on this since its inception in 2006. Founders Johnbull and Stacy Omorefe have worked on the rescue, rehabilitation, and restoration of these children's lives and, if safe family homes can be found, their reintegration back with their families of origin.
While our primary focus has been on the restoration of children through our work at the CORM children's village, we have felt God opening doors for several years to do more restorative work at these "receiving villages" along Lake Volta. Many of these communities have very little knowledge of the saving grace of our Good God. Many are idol-worshipping communities, and the darkness of evil is physically prevalent. Bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to new communities, providing opportunities and education for the community
development in these impoverished communities, and bridging the gap between our campus in the Greater Accra region of Ghana for greater outreach and mission opportunities for our staff, children, and missionaries are all part of the vision of having more presence along Lake Volta.
We have worked with Many of the communities we serve along the lake for years. We have established relationships with the people and their leaders, and that presence requires a space to call home where more "permanent" staffing or missionaries could be based to continue to reach out to these communities. Because of this, during this past year, we have been fundraising and building CORM's first Mission Outreach Center in the Bejamase community.
This past week, we dedicated the Mission Outreach Center with our first short-term missions team to stay in the Center. The team comprised 25 members - 12 volunteers and 13 staff.
Besides praying over and consecrating our Center, the team took multiple trips across the lake to communities we serve, providing medical care to over 200 people and starting one of our other big projects, renovating the school and teacher's housing in the village of Hausa Kope.
Our mission was a success, and we hope for many more in the months and years ahead. God is forever faithful!
While the first phase of the Mission Outreach Center is completed and officially in use, we are continuing to raise funds to help us cover the cost of the second phase of this building project, which will add five additional rooms to the Mission Outreach Center. We are also continuing to raise funds for the renovation of the school and teacher's housing in Hausa Kope. We would be so grateful if you could partner with what God is doing along Lake Volta through City of Refuge Ministries!
We see God's hand at work in these communities and want to continue to be an established presence of His goodness and light in places where such darkness has existed for generations.
Click here to partner with us to complete the second phase of the Mission Outreach Center.
Click here to help us renovate the school building at Hausa Kope and build teacher housing.
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