Chapter 34...The story of Boy F

This blog post takes us back to Tengzug festival and tells the story of Boy F...

Boy F has a name and a father. Boy F has no mother, no siblings, no education and no age. Boy F looks around fifteen years old. Boy F has a physical condition similar to cerebal palsy and suffers from fits similar to epilepsy. Boy F's condition has not been diagnosed. Boy F can speak his local language. Boy F was found roaming around the local Primary School. Boy F was wearing a pair of rag shorts, no top and no shoes. Boy F had dust filled hair and the teeth he had were rotting and yellow. Boy F was left to fend for himself...

I entered Boy F's life three weeks ago when I was taken to the Primary School to meet him.  Boy F told us he wanted food, sandals, a school uniform and an education. Boy F wanted to fit in with his peers and to lead a 'normal' life...

I saw Boy F at Tengzug festival. Boy F was in a small compound house the size of most people's kitchen table and the heat of an oven. Boy F had his legs tied together. Boy F had clearly had his wrists tied together too. Boy F had a split lip. Boy F was dazed and confused...had Boy F been beaten? Boy F had had a fit. Boy F had fallen and cut his lip. Boy F's father had tied him to stop the fitting. No-one in Boy F's life knew what to do with Boy F...

Could I help Boy F? Should Boy F be taken to a doctor, should he be diagnosed, should he be treated? Who will pay for Boy F's treatment? How will Boy F get to hospital in Bolga? What will happen to Boy F when VSO leaves? Should Boy F be left to live his life in his community without intervention from VSO and others? Should Boy F's community be sensitised to the issue of Boy F's disability? Should Boy F be sent to school with his peers despite the fact there are no qualified teachers to assist him? The questions continue...!

A week later Boy F had a shaved head. Boy F had a school uniform. Boy F had sandals. Boy F had a school book and pencil. Boy F was sat in a primary class drawing lines. Boy F did not understand, but Boy F was smiling.

Jackson the Headteacher, Boy F and me!

Last week Boy F was taken to see a doctor at Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, the doctor wanted to test Boy F for malaria. Boy F's condition is not malaria. There were no disability doctors at the hospital. There was no-one who could help to diagnose Boy F's condition. What happens next to Boy F...

Boy F has so far taught me...to try not to jump to conclusions, that everyone deserves basic human rights, more about the Ghanaian way of life, to be grateful for what I have got and that I can give so much through doing so little during my lifetime...