'Oprah' Today: The Freeing of Ghanaian "Slaves"

This slavery (in Ghana) needs to stop
American Pam Cope took a seat on the couch of the Oprah Winfrey Show Tuesday to share her experiences of helping seven former child slaves in Ghana get a new lease on life and a safe haven at the Village of Hope orphanage.

Cope, who along with husband, Randy, began their ministry, Touch A Life, in 2000 after the death of their teen-age son, Jantsen. While Pam shared the stage with Oprah, Randy and their daughter, Crista, showed their support by sitting in the front row during taping.

In October 2006, the New York Times carried an article on seven children in Ghana who were sold into slavery by their impoverished parents. The front-page article featured a photograph of a 6-year-old Ghana boy named Mark Kwadwo, who was scooping water in a canoe that his owner used to fish on Lake Volta.
The Copes happened to be in New York City the weekend the story was published and were deeply moved by the situation.

That's where the story of the “Magnificent Seven” began.

Two months later, seven children - Mark, 6; Hagar, 9; Kofi, 11; Richard, 11; Kojo, 9; Sara, 9; and John, 12 - were rescued from the chains of slavery a week before Christmas, and given a new life at the Village of Hope orphanage.
The show featuring Cope will be aired at 4 p.m. Friday on the local ABC station, KODE Action 12.
“We had so much fun,” Pam said of her time spent on Oprah's couch. “Her whole staff makes you feel so comfortable. It was very relaxing. Oprah is the real deal. She has a great heart.”
The same can be said for Pam, who has dedicated her life to Touch A Life for the past seven years in an effort to keep the memory of her son alive.
“Oprah loved the whole message,” Pam said.
Pam shared the couch with Oprah and reporter Lisa Ling, who went to Africa to cover the story of child slaves in Ghana.
Pam said having a national audience to hear the mission of Touch A Life and to shed light on the plight of these child slaves in Ghana can take her mission to the next level.
“It was neat to have this opportunity to have this platform,” Pam said during a telephone interview from Chicago, where the Oprah Winfrey Show is taped. “This is a message to parents who have lost children to build a legacy and keep that child alive.”
Pam said awareness of the mission of Touch A Life should increase after the show airs.
“This slavery (in Ghana) needs to stop,” she said. “We have to save these kids in crisis. Touch A Life has been growing these past seven years. (Being on Oprah) could definitely open some opportunities for projects we have visions for, but never had the opportunity to do them.”
Pam said $50 a month is all it takes to support one child at Village of Hope, the orphanage in Ghana that cares for the “Magnificent Seven.” That money clothes, feeds, and educates the child. For more information on Village of Hope, see its Web site at www.thevillageofhope.com, and for more information on Touch A Life, see its Web site at www.touchalifekids.org.