About Land of Hope

Land of Hope is a non-profit organization that works independently of political, religious, and economic interests. We run West Africa’s largest Children’s Center in the Niger Delta region. Here, 95 children live, after having been accused of witchcraft and made scapegoats for difficult living conditions of adults. We advocate for these children’s rights.

Our values

Education

Education is a fundamental right for all children and one of the most important prerequisites for the development of a child’s personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities. When we rescue children accused of witchcraft, we make sure they attend school in the local community, allowing them to integrate with other local children. In this way, we demonstrate to the community that these children are not witches. Land of Hope’s staff also work on the children’s academic development and support them in realizing their individual potentials. This gives them hope and ambitions for the future. And we encurage them to play an active part in the sustainable development of their communities and in the fight against harmful superstitions.

Children’s rights

It is a criminal act to accuse children of witchcraft, as stated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children are unaware of the UN conventions or national legislation regarding their rights. Therefore, to empower the children, we educate them about their rights and what to do if someone violates them. We not only educate our own children but also local children, adults, and authorities on preventing and intervening if children’s rights are violated.

Involvement

All children have the right to be heard. At Land of Hope, we have established the Children’s Parliament, where the children themselves establish laws and policies for life at Land of Hope. We support and encourage the children to express their opinions, speak out in public, take initiative, and influence decisions that affect their daily lives. The Children’s Parliament promotes the well-being and sense of responsibility of the children. We believe that involving the children empowers them to step into the role of independent and proactive actors in their own lives.

Progress

Poor and superstitious communities often lack access to or influence on local and national policies. They are failed and marginalized by the government, which does nothing to educate and develop them. This type of failure fuels lawlessness, ignorance, superstition, and witchcraft accusations against children. Therefore, the starting point for Land of Hope’s enlightenment campaigns is a dialogue that strengthens the position of small communities in relation to the government, which ultimately is responsible for educating the population. All people should be aware of and have influence on decisions that affect their lives and living conditions.

Perseverance

When we witness children being accused of witchcraft, abandoned, and tortured, our hearts bleed. We put our heart and soul into saving vulnerable “witch children” whose lives are in immediate danger. Unfortunately, we cannot find and rescue all children worldwide. Real change will only come when all citizens in the world’s poorest communities learn that children are innocent and that no one is born a witch. That change will take a long time, develop through generations, and require dialogue, patience, and an unfailing belief in the goodness of all people.

Credibility

Our supporters should never be in doubt about what their support is used for. We have a responsibility to show them that our activities align with our values. Therefore, it is essential that we are transparent about what we do and how we do it, so our supporters can trust that we use their money wisely. On our website, we publish all relevant information, including annual reports, by-laws, and annual statements.

Independence

Land of Hope is a non-governmental nonprofit organization. This means that we are independent of political, religious, and economic interests. Anja Ringgren Lovén founded Land of Hope in 2012.

Vision

A world where no child suffers due to adults' superstitions

All children have inviolable rights. To succeed in making a sustainable difference in the world, we must change the ingrained beliefs of superstitious communities that lead to witchcraft accusations against children.

Mission

We save innocent children from exclusion, torture and death

With care, protection, and education of the children and their surrounding communities, we lay the foundation for a future where children can grow up to be independent, active, and social individuals contributing to the development of their community.

We are patiently taking small steps everyday towards a safer and more promising future for children

We are hopeful

When Anja Lovén, the founder of Land of Hope, first saw a “witch child,” it broke her heart. But although Land of Hope was born from that experience, our organization is not built on heartbreak or disaster. Rather, we are driven by passion and a will to fight for children. We have an unwavering belief that anyone given patience and trust can have a positive impact on their community. Our story is about a relentless battle against superstition and its terrible consequences. But above all, it is a story about hope.

The 10 symbols in our logo represent what drives us in our work.

Perseverance

This symbol represents that though we are fighting an uphill battle, we’ll keep climbing, one step at a time, until we reach our goal.

Children’s rights

This symbol represents the voice of the children. For far too long, they have been silenced but we enable them to speak up for themselves.

Time

This symbol represents time: The time it takes for a seed to be planted and for change to spread through generations.

Love

This symbol represents love and compassion which is at the heart of everything we do.

Passion

This symbol represents that we are fighters. We won’t be silenced. We will keep addressing the issues and speaking up about children’s rights until innocent children are no longer accused of being witches.

Hope

This symbol represents a new day. A new beginning. No matter how hard today is, the sun will rise again tomorrow. And hope lies ahead.

Involvement

This symbol represents The Children’s Parliament at Land of Hope. A concept we designed to teach our children about cooperation, democracy and responsibility.

Education

This symbol represents education and that the pen is mightier than the sword. Because with education comes knowledge and by spreading knowledge, we can get rid of superstitions.

Enlightenment

This symbol represents enlightenment which is the key to break hurtful superstitions. We need to speak up (!) and provide information (i) in order to enlighten superstitious communities.

Knowledge

This symbol represents knowledge. If you look closely, you will see four books creating a stream of knowledge. For a true wave of change to form, all it takes is a little, persistent stream of new ideas.