Rashidi and the 17-Year-Old Second Grader

Rashidi, he's the tallest boy in class, almost twice as big as the smaller ones. The worst thing he's ever done is talk during class. He doesn't hit others, he doesn't ask every five seconds to go out and use the toilet, he listens and he's SMART! He's a quite boy but heavily admired by his peers and it's so obvious. Today, Rashidi's dad made a guest appearance at school around noon. There was a noticeable ruckus outside of our room but it wasn't clear what was going on until the headmaster called us outside to talk. With no introduction to the strange man standing at his side, the guest clearly stated, "I just want to see my son." The headmaster then explained, this man claims to be Rashidi's father, he says Rashidi's mother had left with their children with no information left to him as to where they were going. He said she's turned her phone off and disappeared, and he just wants to see his children, so the only thing he knew to do was to come find them where he knows they attend school. 

We called Rashidi out and asked him, "Do you know this man?" we were completely confused, and so was Rashidi. Rashidi looked at us almost emotionless and said, "He's my dad."

Rashidi's father then informed us that he wanted to leave with his son, so Rashidi could show him their new location. My heart hurt for Rashidi, my gentle giant, he looked so innocent and unsure. The headmaster stepped in and told the man that we are not allowed to let the children leave with unauthorized persons, and that he would have to wait outside of the school gates for Rashidi's house girl to come pick him up from school as usual, and then he could go with the two of them if he wished, and that's exactly what he did. We warned the house girl when she came to pick up Rashidi, we told her what had happened and that she was COMPLETELY responsible for this little boy...she was NOT to release him to his father regardless of anything he might say or do. Rashidi's father didn't seem scary, or harmful necessarily- however there was an element of confusion and fear that came from Rashidi in those few minutes outside with his father that left me unsettled and anxious to see Rashidi tomorrow in class, safe and happy.

Meet Rashidi.

After the crazy, eventful day was over, Mary and I sat near the outside door to our classroom talking to one another, reflecting on the day and monitoring children as they left with their house workers. At one point the two of us ran out of things to say and the conversation fell silent, only to hear the deepest voice yelling outside, "Guys, Wait up!" we both looked and Mary said, "Look! See him?" pointing to a tall, slender teenager. I nodded my head wondering where this excitement was leading to. Mary told me that that is where that voice just came from, and he's in second grade! I looked her in disbelief, this guy was a SECOND GRADER? Mary explained that his dad brought him in last year informing them that his wife was raising their son in her village in rural Rwanda somewhere and he just recently had found out that she was not educating him nor sending him off to school...so he intervened. He took his son into his care and brought him into ESCAF asking them to start him in first grade, as he knew noting. So at 16 years old, last year he entered the first grade. Mary said initially all the children surpassed him in class, he couldn't write, spell, count or ANYTHING. But Mary said the teachers worked with him constantly and he is now caught up to his classmates. So among the short figures of the other second graders stands out the deepest voiced, teen and by far the tallest student at ESCAF, who like them...is in the second grade!