For most fifteen year olds, a new iPod or a Nintendo Wii would be an ideal birthday gift. But for Long Island teen Anjelica Mantikas, a simple phone call was the greatest present she could ever hope to receive.

It wasn't just any call, of course: Anjelica's well-wishers were a group of African boys who’d spent most of their young lives in slavery, forced to work on fishing boats in Ghana’s Lake Volta under extremely dangerous conditions.

Now, they were safe at the International Organization for Migration’s rehabilitation center, receiving medical treatment, counseling, and education. Soon, after years of forced separation, they would be able to reunite with their families.

They were calling Anjelica to wish her a happy birthday—and to thank her for helping to free them from slavery. Without her and seven of her friends, the boys would still be trapped on the boats, risking their lives for their abusive masters, with no hope of a better future.

Elated by this surprising gift, Anjelica broke down in tears. It would be a birthday to remember forever.

Freeing a child on the other side of the world from slavery may seem like an impossible task, but a year and a half ago, Anjelica and her seven best friends, Sammi Malis, Hayley Feldman, Chelsea Genden, Kayla Barnofsky, Ariel Stern, Jessica Feldman, and Sammy Walnick, set a plan into motion after watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that uncovered the terrifying world of child enslavement in Ghana. On the show, correspondent Lisa Ling traveled to Ghana and climbed aboard a fishing boat, where children were forced to work 14-hour days under life-endangering conditions, diving into freezing cold waters to recover fishing nets. If a child became tangled in a net, he could easily lose his life.

The fishermen had paid just $20 each to the boys’ impoverished families. But it would take much more to secure the children’s freedom.

Paying for a boy’s independence, along with two and a half years’ worth of food, shelter, and education to ensure that he is able to survive on his own, would cost $4,300 for each child. The IOM was doing everything they could to help free the enslaved boys, but they didn’t have enough funds to do much.

The eight friends were moved by the story. “It was heart-wrenching to see children as young as 4 trapped on these boats,” says one of the girls, Kayla Barnofsky. “They’re not called by name, they have no affection in their lives.” The girls had never been aware that children were living in these horrific conditions before—but once they found out, they decided to take action to save the Ghana boys.

The girls realized that they wouldn’t be able to rescue all of the enslaved boys—but rescuing one child is better than rescuing none at all. With that, they launched “One Is Greater than None,” a nonprofit organization to raise money to rescue child slaves in Ghana.

They began by creating a line of necklaces, which featured eight beads (one for each girl) surrounding a recycled glass bead from Ghana. The necklaces were packaged with cards spotlighting the story of the child slaves in Ghana, and all proceeds from the jewelry line’s sale went to the US Association for International Migration to finance the IOM's rescue missions in Ghana.

Now, the girls have also created a clothing line featuring the “One Is Greater than None” slogan, which is available at Bloomingdale's nationwide, and will soon be available for sale online—once again, with all proceeds directed to help rescue the boys trapped on fishing boats. The girls are also working hard to spread the word, with television appearances on The Today Show and Martha Stewart, among others.

Though they still have more to do, the girls are amazed when they think about everything they’ve accomplished, with help from friends, family, and strangers who’ve been touched by the story of the boys in Ghana.

“Everything we have now is based on the help of other people,” says Kayla. “People are shocked at all we’ve done because we’re all kids, but a lot of people helped us because they were inspired.”