Children Witches of Nigeria

[Tassana Burrfoot]

We all know, deep down, deep, deep down, that we are not actual witches or wizards. We all know, *sigh*, that we do not attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We know we have never ~truly~ been Sorted into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. *Hangs head* We do not create magic through wands. Accio will not really bring things to us. We cannot Stupify anyone.

Imagine for a moment, however, that your mother or father truly believed that you could. Imagine if they really believed that your magical actions brought about cancer or divorce. Imagine if your entire village believed you were a witch. A ~real~ witch. And they attacked you for it.

Such is the lives of many children in Nigeria. And I'm not talking about a spanking on the behind or time out. No. That would be too kind. In fact, I think we should all hug our mothers and fathers and thank them for spanking us. Because, let's face it, these kids in Nigeria have it much worse.

Now, we cannot entirely blame the parents for what has happened to their children. After all, they are only doing what their pastors tell them they should do. Yes. This is church at it's most extreme. Pastors, who are only out for money from poor families, tell these families that their children are witches and must be eradicated. The parents then turn on their own children.

In the case of Mary Sudnad, 12, the pastor blamed her for her brother's death. Said poor little Mary was the cause of it and that she was a witch. Three men then entered her home. Her mother left the house and her father lay on his stomach and watched as these men beat Mary. Afterward, her mother fed poisonous berries called "asiri" to her then, when that didn't kill her? Threw boiling water and caustic soda over Mary's head and body. Her father then dumped her in a field.

For a few days, Mary continued to stay close to her old home. Finally, she decided to leave, knowing it was no longer safe for her. Mary was seven years old when this happened to her.

She was one of the lucky ones. Thankfully, she stumbled upon a man by the name of Sam Ikpe-Itauma who, with the help of his wife Elizabeth, has fostered more than 133 children just like Mary. Together, this dynamic duo has managed to not only foster, but reeducate these children and keep them safe from family and neighbours who would see these children dead.

Because of these children, Ikpe-Itauma has founded a charity called Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN). This charity provides medical attention, housing, food, and education to these children who have done nothing more than be children. (In many cases, the child was simply misbehaving and was then branded a witch for doing so.)

I think these people could use our help. They could really use it. Their school is in need of text books, exercise books, pens, pencils, chalk, school desks, toys, development of a play ground with facilities, man power, and even, cough, laptops. Most importantly, the organization needs money to help support these children. Unfortunately, medical help is not free. Nor is education, food, or housing.

A single room of about 10X10 is only supposed to house about 6 children, they are currently housing 19-20 children per room. Which, we all know is not only unhealthy but hazardous.

Nevermind the cost of food, which has nearly tripled. Some of these children are infants. Has anyone checked the price of formula lately? Most of these children are between the ages of 2-16.

If you would like to read more about CRARN and what they are doing to help these children, please visit http://crarn.tripod.com/

To read more stories, including the one about Mary, visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/dec/09/tracymcveigh.theobserver and http://crarn.tripod.com/id4.html

I know there is something we can do to help.

[Tassana Burrfoot]

;)

[Max C]

Oh, quality too! All I meant is that in this case, competition will not make people give better items, necessarily. Just more of them. But I would hope that those who donate do think about what's appropriate for the kiddies.

[Tassana Burrfoot]

Still quality, too, though. Wouldn't wanna give the kiddies anything inappropriate.

[Max C]

Absolutely. I think competition is a good thing in many ways because (as founder of capitalism Adam Smith wrote, despite my disagreeing with most of his policies), "competition forces people to create a better product." Here, the issue is not the quality of the product but the quantity.

[Tassana Burrfoot]

Fully agreed. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little competition. Especially when the beneficiaries are so deserving of the prize.

(Beneficiaries being the kids and the prize being the books, that is.)

[Max C]

Fair enough. I suppose we shouldn't be competitive when it comes to social activism, but if it leads to better results, then the more the merrier (:

[Tassana Burrfoot]

:-P That's alright. I've been talking to some friends of mine and they plan on helping me to collect books for donation. Not to mention that I try to buy a book here and there. (Unfortunately, I've already donated all the books that I personally own that I'm willing to part with.)

[Max C]

Sorry, Tassana, but I have over 50 books sitting in my room, just waiting to be donated for Gryffindor (:

[Tassana Burrfoot]

I participated in Accio Books last year. Donated somewhere like 14 books, and was more than a bit upset that Slytherin did not win.

[Max C]

I'm not sure if you know about "Accio Books," but we're doing it again this March, and I think incorporating this organization would be really cool! (If you haven't heard of it, Accio Books is a competition between Houses where we try to collect as many books as possible.)