GlobeServe Ministries and Westwood Community Church Empower Boat Masters' Wives to Combat Child Labour on Volta Lake

More than 250 stakeholders, community leaders, and residents gathered in Yeji for the 2026 Gospel of Justice Conference, a strategic initiative designed to dismantle the cycles of child trafficking and forced labour along the Volta Lake. Organized by GlobeServe Ministries International in collaboration with Westwood Community Church, the summit focused on mobilizing local fishing communities to protect children and provide alternative economic pathways for families historically dependent on juvenile labour. The event marks a significant escalation in the regional effort to address human rights violations within Ghana's fishing industry.

Central to this year's conference was the targeted empowerment of women within the fishing sector, who often hold pivotal roles in household management. Recognizing that economic desperation frequently fuels the recruitment of children into dangerous work, the initiative provided specialized entrepreneurship training to 100 wives of boat masters. Rev. Dr. Samuel A.K. Dunya, representing GlobeServe Ministries, emphasized that empowering these women is critical to shifting the community's economic structure. By equipping them with sustainable business skills, the program aims to bolster household incomes and reduce the financial pressure that leads to child exploitation.

The conference also highlighted the profound impact of systemic poverty on the prevalence of trafficking in the region. Participants and speakers discussed how the lack of accessible educational resources and financial stability creates a vacuum that traffickers are quick to exploit. Rev. Dr. Dunya asserted that the "Gospel of Justice" serves as a call to action to replace child labour with formal education and community support. The partnership between the Ghanaian ministry and its international partners underscores a growing global commitment to addressing these issues through grassroots empowerment rather than external intervention alone.

As the conference concluded, organizers reiterated that community-led change is the most sustainable method for ending exploitation on the Volta Lake. The 100 newly trained entrepreneurs are expected to serve as advocates and role models within their communities, demonstrating that financial independence and child welfare are mutually beneficial. This initiative represents a broader movement to ensure that children in fishing villages can transition from the dangers of the lake to the safety of the classroom, securing a future defined by opportunity rather than forced labour.