Danish aid worker, Anja Loven Ringgren has shared the before and after photos of a toddler who was abandoned and left to die after being branded a witch.
Ndokwa vanguard reported that the child, named Hope, was malnourished and in a near-death condition at the time of her rescue in March 2024.
“Swipe to see baby Hope’s transformation. Think about these numbers: 15.000 – 20.000. Those are the amount of children accused of being witches every year in Nigeria,” she wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.
Most devastating is the fact that the majority of children accused of being witches don´t survive !
To accuse children of being witches has become a way to explain misfortune and hardships such as death, divorce or illness in families and communities
Lack of education leads to limited knowledge about illnesses which when coupled with strong cultural beliefs, prompts people to search for superstitious answers.
At Land of Hooe we take care of more than 100 children who all were accused of being witches.
”It takes a village” is a saying that emphasizes that a child’s upbringing is a communal effort involving many different people and groups, from parents to teachers to neighbors and grandparents.
Land of Hope is built on this saying because no one can save the world alone. It is when we stand together we are strongest.
I’m forever thankful for all your love and support. We are changing the narrative together.
