Discus Awards

Over twenty-seven million people suffer from modern day slavery, this includes over two-hundred thousand child slaves in just western to central Africa. On Ghana’s Lake Volta live seven thousand of those children. Slaves as young as four years old are malnourished and forced to work seventeen hours daily. Hearing of their plight, I had the responsibility to act. I was given the opportunity to visit Lake Volta and help rescue eight young boys from a life of bondage and enter into a life of freedom. These statistics compelled me to action, but seeing lives treated as property ignited a passion that would not be forgotten.

Jesus tells us faith without work is dead, and I believe God provides us opportunities to live out this call. My call was Ghana Rock, a night of praise and worship to bring funds and awareness of the child slavery epidemic on Lake Volta. It started as a question, “Can a sixteen year old with no experience, plan and organize a concert from start to finish to end child slavery?” Together with a team of eight teenagers and God’s constant faithfulness, the answer was clearly, “Yes!” The event was an enormous success; we were able to raise over forty-thousand dollars, bring three nationally recognized Christian artists, and unite the community for a common cause.

With any endeavor one encounters letdowns and heartbreaks; Ghana Rock was no exception. As my head filled with the details of the event, I had to learn how to manage my time efficiently. In the course of the nine months of planning, I often had to choose between my social life, and my Ghana Rock and school responsibilities. From the beginning of Ghana Rock when the first artist took the stage until the final guest left the auditorium the hope that filled the room to help end child slavery was undeniable. Suddenly every missed Friday night seemed so mundane compared to what I had just witnessed; lives being changed and a step closer to slavery being abolished.

The sacrifices I made were not always acknowledged or even appreciated, but the eight boys we were able to radically impact with funds were more important than any glory of mine. I learned through Ghana Rock I could make choices that led me to instant happiness or I could make tougher ones that led to something bigger. Ghana Rock was about ending child slavery, rescuing the oppressed, and bringing attention to injustice. If you could change the morally wrong by giving up something small, would you?

Filed under: Madison Vincent • All-Around High School Students • Meet the Winner