Hope, the popular Nigerian kid who was abandoned by his family 9 years ago after being tagged a “witch” has graduated from primary school and is about to begin his secondary school education in September.
An aid worker from Denmark, Anja Ringgren Lovén, who saved his life many years ago Anja Ringgren Lovén, shared the update via a Facebook post today, August 25, 2025.
According to Anja, Hope, who is deaf and only communicates via sign language, has wrapped up his primary school education with one of the best grades in his class.
“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,” she wrote.
Celebrating his progress, she highlighted the plight of many other kids facing identical accusations that marginalize them from their peers.
Lovén vowed not to stop fighting for such kids because they deserve a chance to live life without any form of discrimination.
“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,” she added.
Hope’s story broke the internet in January 2016, when a viral photo showed Anja Ringgren Lovén giving water to the then 2-year-old, who looked incredibly malnourished after being abandoned for a long time.
After his rescue, he was taken to Land of Hope, a foundation Anja set up alongside her husband, Nigerian lawyer David Emmanuel Umem. The organization delivers education, healthcare, and shelter to kids accused of witchcraft across Nigeria.
Almost 10 years later, Hope has grown into a smart and talented boy under the foundation’s guidance, and is currently preparing to start life as a secondary school student.
