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Correspondent HOLYOKE In a small Ghanaian town thousands of miles away, close to 30 villagers are putting the final touches on a rescue mission house that will bear the initials CGRH -- in honor of Sister Connie Gemme, MSOLA, who resides at Providence Place at Ingleside. CGRH stands for "Constance Gemme Rescue Home," and Gemme, a member of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA), will soon be departing for the African country to participate in the festivities. The Nov. 24 dedication is being coordinated by Omar Mahamoud, a social worker of Bolgatanga, Ghana, who has worked closely with Gemme for many years in their fight to end human trafficking in that region. Gemme, a vibrant 75 years young and retired from the order, will soon board a flight that will take her back to where her heart lies. "It was a surprise to me and it humbles me very much," she said during an interview with Reminder Publications at Providence Place on Gamelin Street. Providence Place is an independent living retirement community, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence. Gemme explained that since 2005, she and several MSOLA sisters have resided at Providence Place, thanks to the opening arms of the Sisters of Providence. During the interview, Gemme proudly previewed the photos sent to her by Mahamoud of villagers who have been working for almost two years on the 48' long and 40'6" site that will boast a courtyard within the walls of the structure that will serve as a rescue home for victims of trafficking. "Over there we live a lot outside," she said. Gemme added she responds regularly to Mahamoud through e-mail and his one message that always comes through is "we will never let you down" she says with a broad smile. Throughout the interview Gemme noted all the blessings she has received over the years during her missionary work and praised God for guiding her to do his work.Gemme's work has ranged from serving as a nurse midwife in Africa to administrative roles for the Ministry of Health of Ghana under the auspices of the Catholic Church. When she was "retired" by the government of Ghana at the age of 60, she said she looked around and said, "I'm too young to retire." Again, all too soon she found that "the voice of the Holy Spirit" was putting her on a new path this time in the fight against human trafficking through Collaboration With Women In Distress (COLWOOD). COLWOOD's mission is to educate women in developing countries on the possible dangers involved in migrating to northern and western Europe. "From my heart I knew God was telling me my work was not finished in Ghana," she added. Gemme noted that human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, where victims are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims are young children, teenagers, men and women. "I know there is work to be done against human trafficking in Ghana, and I'm happy that local people in Ghana are getting involved to spread the word of what is considered modern-day slavery," she added. Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, and between 14,500 and 17,500 of those victims are trafficked into the United States, according to the U.S. Department of State. Many victims trafficked into this country do not speak and understand English and are, therefore, isolated and unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them. Traffickers are savvy in their recruitment efforts to lure unsuspecting persons into their trafficking networks which includes advertisements in local newspapers of "good jobs, high salaries and exciting cities." Gemme noted that trafficking tends to take place where there is economic and political instability, together with chronic unemployment, widespread poverty and a lack of economic opportunities. Some Ghanaian women are trafficked to work as prostitutes in western Europe, especially Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, according to MSOLA's website. MSOLA also notes that Ghana is known as a transit point for a growing trade in Nigerian women trafficked to Europe for sexual exploitation. Also, Ghanaian children are sent from the poorest regions to work in the fishing industry and most receive insufficient food, no wages and no access to education. Wherever she travels and meets people, she makes a point to create an awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking across the globe. She is also available for speaking engagements to organizations. "I always tell people to keep their eyes and ears open because trafficking is happening in your backyard," she said. Gemme, a native of Worcester, followed in two of her sisters footsteps by joining the order in 1953, and has been energized ever since with its mission to make known the reality of Africa, its Church, its resources, realizations, struggles and challenges. For more information on MSOLA, visit www.smnda.org. Gemme also stressed that if you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline at 1-888-3737-888 or visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking. | ||||||
