Wow!!! Great job guys…I made copies and shared with my co-worker… God Bless
Thank You,
Laurie Clyde
Claims Coordinator
Wolters Kluwer
Corporate Legal Services
111 8th Avenue, 13th Floor,
NewYork, NY10011
phone: (212) 894-8808
fax: (212) 894-8470
e-mail: laurie.clyde@wolterskluwer.com
Wow!!! Great job guys…I made copies and shared with my co-worker… God Bless
Thank You,
Laurie Clyde
Claims Coordinator
Wolters Kluwer
Corporate Legal Services
111 8th Avenue, 13th Floor,
NewYork, NY10011
phone: (212) 894-8808
fax: (212) 894-8470
e-mail: laurie.clyde@wolterskluwer.com
Wow!!! Great job guys…I made copies and shared with my co-worker… God Bless
Thank You,
Laurie Clyde
Claims Coordinator
Wolters Kluwer
Corporate Legal Services
111 8th Avenue, 13th Floor,
NewYork, NY10011
phone: (212) 894-8808
fax: (212) 894-8470
e-mail: laurie.clyde@wolterskluwer.com
Good Day Everyone!
Journey for Change is once again featured in Essence Magazine -August Edition! As you know Benjamin Goode, Jasmine Figueroa, Latoya Massie, Joshua Hall and Sydney Smart went on a fact finding mission to Ghana, West Africa about child slavery and to advocate for the eradication of child slavery in the world.
We are all proud of what these five young people have accomplished while in Ghana and also to be included in such an important article. The link to the article is below; however, please pick up a copy of Essence Magazine on a newsstand near you.
http://www.angelrockproject.com/arp/news/profiles/Essence_sold_into_slavery.pdf
Thanks.
In Christ Service
Sergo Lalanne
Journey for Change Liaison
The Salvation Army – Greater New York
Office: (718) 455-4102 Ext. 104
Cell: (347) 624-9479
Visit us on the web at http://www.angelrockproject.com/arp/projects/journey_for_change.asp
And www.youtube.com/angelrockproject
Good Day Everyone!
Journey for Change is once again featured in Essence Magazine -August Edition! As you know Benjamin Goode, Jasmine Figueroa, Latoya Massie, Joshua Hall and Sydney Smart went on a fact finding mission to Ghana, West Africa about child slavery and to advocate for the eradication of child slavery in the world.
We are all proud of what these five young people have accomplished while in Ghana and also to be included in such an important article. The link to the article is below; however, please pick up a copy of Essence Magazine on a newsstand near you.
http://www.angelrockproject.com/arp/news/profiles/Essence_sold_into_slavery.pdf
Thanks.
In Christ Service
Sergo Lalanne
Journey for Change Liaison
The Salvation Army – Greater New York
Office: (718) 455-4102 Ext. 104
Cell: (347) 624-9479
Visit us on the web at http://www.angelrockproject.com/arp/projects/journey_for_change.asp
And www.youtube.com/angelrockproject
Good Day Everyone!
Journey for Change is once again featured in Essence Magazine -August Edition! As you know Benjamin Goode, Jasmine Figueroa, Latoya Massie, Joshua Hall and Sydney Smart went on a fact finding mission to Ghana, West Africa about child slavery and to advocate for the eradication of child slavery in the world.
We are all proud of what these five young people have accomplished while in Ghana and also to be included in such an important article. The link to the article is below; however, please pick up a copy of Essence Magazine on a newsstand near you.
http://www.angelrockproject.com/arp/news/profiles/Essence_sold_into_slavery.pdf
Thanks.
In Christ Service
Sergo Lalanne
Journey for Change Liaison
The Salvation Army – Greater New York
Office: (718) 455-4102 Ext. 104
Cell: (347) 624-9479
Visit us on the web at http://www.angelrockproject.com/arp/projects/journey_for_change.asp
And www.youtube.com/angelrockproject
Journey for Change, Ghana Blog- Day 6
Jasmine Figueroa, Age 15
Before I went on the trip to Ghana, I visualized and thought of what the food was going to taste like and how Ghanaian people live. Now that I have experienced the culture, I think that the Ghanaian people have a lot of pride in their homes. They take good care of them no matter how poor they might be. When I first met my Ghanaian partner, who is a former child slave, I thought she was very beautiful with a big smile on her face. She is 13 years old and I knew we were going to have a loving and beautiful relationship toward each other. I began to talk to her and she was very polite and outgoing. She told me about when she was a slave and told me all of the things that she had to do when she worked. She had to get the nets for the fishing boots, cook for the fisherman and his family, and clean the fish. She slept outside on rocks or on the hard ground or with the animals. And she was treated like an animal too. I shared a little about my life too. I told her that in my life I have problems at home and in my life and she was shocked. She thought everyone and everything in America was perfect. But when I heard about her life as a slave, it was sometimes too hard to bear and to hear. There were a lot of tears, but also a lot of laughs.
My experience in Ghana was sad, happy, and emotional. I liked the entire trip, but the part that meant the most to me was being on the Lake Volta meeting the trafficked kids either on the islands or rowing to the sides of their boats. It just tore me apart when I first started to experience the reality of child slavery. The kids were as young as 2 years old that were sold into slavery and forced to work the waters of Lake Volta. And the slave’s masters, who were fisherman, did not care about them at all. Some of the children only ate once a day and did not have proper places to sleep. They were tied to trees and beat if they did anything wrong.
The other part of the trip that touched me was going to Elmina Slave Castle. This is a place that our ancestors were held hostage and ripped away from their homeland. 60 million people were brought to Elmina. 20 million dies while being held there, 20 million died on the ways to the Americas, and 20 million were sold into slavery. I felt insecure going through the castle. It scared me to think of what they had to go through. It was such a painful, disturbing situation. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about it.
If there was one thing that I would change in this world it would be to end trafficking of children worldwide. So, I will speak out to my community and the world to try to make it a better place for the children sold into slavery and all children.
To view photos of the mission to Ghana, please go to: http://angelrockproject.com/arp/photos/default.asp?fol=809
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service uplifts the lives of inner-city youth through global travel, volunteerism and advocacy work. More information on the program can be found at www.angelrockproject.com.
Journey for Change Ambassador Jasmine Figueroa, Age 15
Q&A with Touch A Life Rescued Child Slave Hillary, Age 11
Q. What did you think about the Journey for Change/Touch A Life “From Captivity to Captiol Hill” mission trip?
A. I feel happy about it. I am happy because we went out on the lake three days in a row to rescue some children.
Q. When were you sold into slavery and how long were you a slave?
A. I was sold when I was small child around 5 years old. I was enslaved for about three years before I went to Village of Hope in 2007.
Q. What was your life like as a slave?
A. Life was very bad. I was treated bad. The masters beat me often. I had to sleep outside on the ground. If it rained you go inside a small house with plenty of other children.
Q. How have you been able to overcome the past?
A. Education and learning is the way that I have overcome my past. I know that if I get an education, I will have a good future.
Q. How is your life like now that you have been rescued by Touch A Life Foundation?
A. My life has been good. I have lots of friends and we share. I like living at Village of Hope. And my life has changed because I get to read. I love reading.
Jasmine and Hillary were partnered together for “From Captivity to Capitol Hill,” a partnership between Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service and Touch A Life Foundation to raise awareness and advocate for the eradication of child slavery with a particular focus on child slavery on Lake Volta.
To view photos of the mission to Ghana, please go to: http://angelrockproject.com/arp/photos/default.asp?fol=809
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service uplifts the lives of inner-city youth through global travel, volunteerism and advocacy work. More information on the program can be found at www.angelrockproject.com
Ghana Haiku by Jasmine Figueroa—15 years old
Loving each other/You making the right choices/No more pain and tears.
Like a star you shine/Trapped into many places/The lock is unlocked.
Meeting the new world/No more locked in dirty dungeons/Can’t we make a change?
To view photos of the mission to Ghana, please go to: http://angelrockproject.com/arp/photos/default.asp?fol=809
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service uplifts the lives of inner-city youth through global travel, volunteerism and advocacy work. More information on the program can be found at www.angelrockproject.com.
Blood
A poem by Jasmine Figueroa, Age 15
My people had to shed blood
Unfairly. Getting whipped angry but still standing tall.
Lost a lot of flesh. Getting brutally whipped angry.
But my people are still standing strong. You my love one
that I lost but never forgotten.
I came to rescue our relationship
and share it with others.
To view photos of the mission to Ghana, please go to: http://angelrockproject.com/arp/photos/default.asp?fol=809
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service uplifts the lives of inner-city youth through global travel, volunteerism and advocacy work. More information on the program can be found at www.angelrockproject.com.
Jasmine and 4 JFC participants at Elmina Castle in Ghana
