human beings will have a good and long life, and that we all
have a responsibility to help each other, and most importantly,
help those in need. She gave me that sense of taking care of
others. She also talked about the African children who were
starving. The stories of those African children fascinated
me, and combined with that knowledge of the importance of
helping people in need, I decided in a very young age that one
day I would establish my own NGO so I could travel to Africa to
make a difference for the children. Later on in life, I found out
that children was not only starving, but also being tortured due
to superstition!
Kate Monahan: How long have you been working over there to
help stop the abuse?
Anja Ringgren Lovén: I have worked in Nigeria and helped
children in Nigeria for 3 years now.
Kate Monahan: How long has the maltreatment of children due
to accusations of witchcraft been going on in Nigeria?
Anja Ringgren Lovén: It’s very important to explain that
superstition is not an “African thing” - it´s not only happening
in Africa! And the belief in witchcraft only takes place where
people are extremely poor and ignorant. The belief in witchcraft
also took place in Europe and the rest of the world during
the 1500s and 1600s. In Denmark, we killed more than 2000
women in the 1500s and 1600s, and we burned those
women alive because we thought they were witches. But
in Denmark and in Europe, we don’t believe in witchcraft
anymore. Why? Because we have been educated and
enlightened. The belief in witchcraft is because of:
POVERTY AND IGNORANCE! So, to say how long it
has been going on is difficult because it’s something that
has been going on all over the world many years ago.
It’s not a new phenomenon. It happens where people
don’t have the chance to go to school and be educated.
Where people are being indoctrinated by fake pastors
and where poverty is very extreme.
Kate Monahan: What is the name of your charity and
how can others contribute?
Anja Ringgren Lovén: The name of my organization
is: “DINNødhjælp” and people can donate through my
website: www.dinnoedhjaelp.dk. In Nigeria, our name
is: African Children’s Aid Education And Development
Foundation but we only have one website (the one
above).
Kate Monahan: How much of a battle has it been going
up against the Nigerian government to get this abuse
recognized as a serious issue and try to put a stop to it?
Anja Ringgren Lovén: We work very closely with
the Nigerian government. They have really done a
tremendous job trying to get rid of this superstition. In
2010 a new law was passed—”Child’s Right Law”—
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