Hope, the Nigerian child who was abandoned and left to die after being branded a witch by his family in 2016, has achieved a remarkable milestone as he graduates from primary school and prepares to begin secondary education in September.
Danish aid worker, Anja Ringgren Lovén, who rescued him in Akwa Ibom, disclosed the development in a Facebook post on Monday, August 25.
Lovén stated that the boy, who is deaf but communicates through sign language, finished with one of the highest grades in his class.
She wrote that Hope’s survival and progress had continued to inspire her. According to her, “Hope survived. He graduated this year and starts secondary school next month. His story is world famous and every day I look at him and feel so grateful for his incredible development.
“If you get to know Hope you are lucky because he is so very unique. Hope is deaf but despite that he is able to communicate using sign language.
“Hope graduated primary school with one of the highest grades. Not only is he very intelligent, he is a talented artist, an excellent dancer, he is very warm and caring and on top of that he has a great sense of humor.
“All the above makes me happy but some days it makes me think about the thousands of ‘Hope’s’ out there who we will never get to know. Never get to know because their lives are short. Once a child is accused of being a witch it’s the end.
“But we will never give up. It’s an uphill battle but with your support to Land of Hope we will continue to save lives.”
On January 30, 2016, Lovén was photographed giving water to the then two-year-old after he had been left malnourished on the streets for months. The picture went viral and drew global attention to the plight of children accused of witchcraft in Nigeria.
Following his rescue, Hope was taken to the Children’s Education and Development Foundation, popularly known as Land of Hope, which Lovén co-runs with her husband, Nigerian lawyer David Emmanuel Umem.
Since then, he has grown under the care of the foundation, which provides education, healthcare, and shelter for children accused of witchcraft.
