Hope, the Nigerian boy who was rescued after being branded a witch and left to die by his family, has completed primary school and will begin secondary education in September.
Danish aid worker, Anja Lovén, who saved him in Akwa Ibom in 2016, shared the news in a Facebook post on Monday.
She wrote, “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 was 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. The organisation provides education, healthcare and shelter for children accused of witchcraft.
In September 2023, Hope reunited with his mother, seven years after Lovén found him. Breaking the news then, she revealed the circumstances around his birth.
“Hope´s mother was only 15 years old when she gave birth to Hope. She was still a child herself,” she wrote.
“Hope´s father was at that time nearly 50 years old and he was the Village Head. Definitely not an equal relationship. Unfortunately, it is very common for men in the rural communities to take any young girl they want to be their wife.”
She also disclosed that Hope’s real name is Steven.
“Hope’s mother has stayed at Land of Hope and Hope has developed a close bond with her. It took him some time to forgive her but in Hope’s story his mother is innocent. She never left him in the village to die,” Lovén explained.
“She was forced to leave the village when she got pregnant with Hope´s younger brother Daniel at the age of only 16 years old. She was sent to Lagos and this entire story involves rape, child labour and abuse and I can therefore not reveal all the details.”
Hope’s reunion with his mother came a year after he met his father.
