Here she is:
Cynthia is 10 years old. Her mother died when she was an infant, and she was raised primarily by her grandfather. At some point her father remarried and moved to Techema, which is about 100 km away. After he moved away, no one heard from him.
About 3 months ago, Cynthia's father came for a surprise visit. He wanted to take Cynthia back to Techema with him. His wife just had their 4th child and they were looking for a babysitter. 10-year old Cynthia would do nicely.
Cynthia's grandfather was upset and went to the school to bring back the head teacher, Cecilia, begging her to talk to Cynthia's father. Cecilia told the man that Cynthia's education was supported by people from the U.S.A. and that if he took her, she would lose that support. She also stated that he had to at least allow Cynthia to finish the school year. He argued back and Cecilia played her last card, saying that the grandfather was the child's guardian and only he could legally take Cynthia out of school before the end of the term. Anything else would result in a fine. Of course, there is no such provision. There is a law in Ghana that says primary education is compulsory, but it is not often enforced for a variety of reasons.
Cynthia's father bought her a pair of sandals and returned to Techema. (Personal comment: Well, at least she got a new pair of shoes out of this guy!)
Cynthia said she was happy to see her father but also very nervous. She did not want to go to Techema to live with strangers. She didn't want to leave school or her grandfather. She felt much better after her father left. But the drama wasn't over.
Cynthia's aunt told the grandfather that, now that it looked like Cynthia would be around, she needed a helper around the house. The aunt has her own seamstress shop in town and helps support Cynthia and her grandfather. Certainly, since Cynthia could read and write, she had enough schooling. It was time for Cynthia to stay at home and take care of the aunt. She wanted Cynthia to cook and help with the animals. (Personal comment: Dear Auntie, you really want a 10-year old cooking for you??) The head teacher said the aunt implied that if Cynthia stayed in school, she may withhold some of her support, although if she did this she would be shamed in her village for disrespecting an elder.
And a note on children cooking in developing countries. In most of rural areas, cooking is done outdoors on an open fire. It's dangerous even for adults and is many times fatal for children who have to cook meals. They are often burned. Many children develop lung ailments from inhaling all the smoke.
Cynthia's grandfather refused and, since he is the elder, the aunt had to listen to him, at least for now. The grandfather worries about Cynthia because he's old and frail. When he dies, Cynthia will have no one but herself to advocate for her education.
Cynthia wants to stay in school. She is a good student. She loves to read. Her teacher lets her borrow books. He knows Cynthia values them and reads to her grandfather. And what's more, she taught him to read a little too, and write his name. She wanted to teach her aunt how to read because she felt it would help her in her business, but the aunt said there was no reason to learn since Cynthia could do all the reading for her.
Cynthia helps out with sewing on the weekends, but does NOT want to be seamstress like her aunt. She would like to be a teacher.
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