EKET: Accused by her aunt at age 13 of being a witch responsible for her family’s misfortunes, Faith ran away from her rural home in the southern Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom after being deprived of food for days on end.
Now aged 19, she is studying Science Laboratory Technology at a polytechnic in the town of Eket, also in the state, and has ambitions to train as a medical doctor.
“I want to prove I’m not what they said I was,” Faith, whose parents are both dead, told Reuters.
Reuters has withheld the full names of the victims to protect their identity, given the stigma attached to children accused of withcraft.
The turnaround in Faith’s fortunes came after a gruelling 20-km (12-mile) walk with no food to sustain her, she made it to a shelter run by CRARN, an aid group dedicated to helping children accused of witchcraft.
