Kofi

Kofi is the name of a 10 year old boy who lives in a small village in Tafi, Ghana. I met him on October 17, 2013 as part of a community service trip which I decided to take during my study abroad program with Semester at Sea. The program consisted of interacting and teaching students of that particular village. This is a poor village where everyone is known, as they say “it takes a village to raise a child.” That day, while I was walking along the huge crowd of children when suddenly a 10 year old child started walking besides me, Kofi. At first he just wanted to “play” with my camera. I knew I had to be careful but I let him borrow it for a few minutes. He was amused, he didn’t know what to do with it, and once I explained the purpose of the camera, Kofi decided to take many pictures of everything. After picture taking, we all had to sit down for a ceremony that was about to start. There were a lot of people and I couldn’t see Kofi anymore. Then someone touched my back, it was Kofi again with two chairs so we could sit together. Kofi was eager to learn all about my culture while I wanted to know him; I soon realized Kofi and I had many things in common. He was the oldest sibling, his mother raised him as a single mother, he enjoyed school, he was a leader, he loved helping others, and he wanted to become a doctor. Just in a few hours, I got to learn so much about this precious child.

When it was time to leave, I gave Kofi a big huge and I made him a promise, that one day our paths would once again cross. Once I arrived to the bus, the bus driver wasn’t there so we had to wait. Unexpectedly, there was a small child behind me and when I turned around, it was Kofi again. I was surprised; he sat next to me and said “can I ask you something?” "Of course" I said, then he asked me if I had anything that I could give him so he could remember me. I was devastated; I only had a school book, my traveling journal, and a backpack where I carried my things. I didn’t know what to do…  I searched to see if I could find something useful, but I only found a pen and a mechanical pencil. I told him I didn’t have anything but a pen and pencil. He took the pencil right out of my hands and smiled. That was when the bus driver arrived, I got in the bus, saw Kofi waving while tears ran down my face.

This journey I took is one I’ll never forget. Every night I think of it as something worth experiencing. Children like Kofi live in a happy society, but most of their dreams don't come true. Kofi is a bright, young boy with an entire life ahead of him, but what happens when the lack or recourses restricts him from the things he desires in life. I made a promise to myself, to follow my dreams and succeed, and someday come back and help others fulfill their dreams.