Hope isn’t always obvious when Back2Back staff first meet a child. There are times when all that is visible is anger, or a desire to withdraw; sometimes, it’s fear at the surface of every word they speak. The emotions held within and all the unspoken words can lead a child to fight before anyone else can hurt them, or disappear before anyone can leave.
It was under these circumstances that Back2Back staff first met Kofi*. He arrived at a partnering children’s home as a little boy familiar with neglect and abandonment. He struggled with anger he couldn’t express well and didn’t connect easily with others in the home. He was also malnourished and significantly behind in the classroom.
Kofi did not arrive and join in seamlessly. He watched his nine housemates with careful consideration, never fully engaging, but always observing. He followed the rules and settled into the routine of the house, but school revealed another challenge: Kofi wasn’t understanding or comprehending what he was being taught. An aide began attending classes with him to offer additional support, but he was ultimately required to repeat the same classes.
Beneath everything Kofi struggled to understand in the classroom was something remarkably clear: he wanted to learn. He was determined to do well, even when doing so required far more from him than it did from his peers. He leaned into the support of teachers and safe adults; he kept trying. It can be easy to look at what a child is carrying and wonder where hope could fit, but hope doesn’t begin the moment we can see it; it’s there all along.
Kofi’s persistence in the classroom paid off as a veil slowly seemed to lift. Lessons made sense, ideas clicked into place, and today, he is well on his way to graduating from Back2Back’s trauma-informed school in a few years. That same determination followed him outside the classroom, where he discovered a love for basketball. His talent and energy on the court are a joy to watch, and his house parents are at every game he plays.
Kofi has grown more confident as a student and athlete, and alongside that growth is a newfound comfort in reading and studying on his own, specifically in growing his faith. He spends time daily in his Bible and has a clear desire to know God more. That transformation is evident in the way he interacts with his peers and adults alike. The boy who once remained at the edges, quietly observing, is becoming a leader within his home and everywhere else he goes.
The hope in Kofi’s story didn’t begin when his grades improved, or when he found his place on the basketball court. It was there even when learning felt difficult, and his past seemed louder than his future. With consistent, patient support, Kofi kept choosing to try again, and the hope that had been there all along was finally given room to emerge.
Sometimes, hope is loud enough to fill a basketball stadium. And sometimes, before it becomes anything we can see, hope simply looks like a child deciding to try one more time.
