Mimi in Angola

• The root of all good June 2007
• Can boys be witches? June 2007
• Dressed as a gentleman June 2007

Can boys be witches?

Photo: Louise Dyring / Save the Children

Mingo is 13 years old. He used to live with his parents in a village in Angola, but when his father died of a disease Mingo was blamed for his death and accused of witchcraft. Mingo was the oldest child in the family, and his uncles believed that his younger sisters were too young to be blamed for the father’s death.

Mingo was sent away from the family. He now lives in a home for boys who have ended up in the same situation. The children’s home is called San José. Unfortunately Mingo’s story is not unique in Angola. Many children are accused of witchcraft and sent away. Some of them for minor misdemeanours, such as disobeying their parents. I guess that is what some of us would call being a child.

The superstition still lives on in Angola, but times are changing. All 31 boys living in San José go to school and they even receive English lessons at home after school.

Mingo misses his family. It is tough to be an “orphan”, says Mingo, because he actually HAS a family. They just don’t want him.

The boys in San José see each other as family now. The couple that run the home consider the boys as their own children. They do their best for the boys under what can only be described as very spartan conditions.

The dream lives on
Despite the fact that the boys’ families have rejected them, they all have dreams. Mingo’s big dream is to become a doctor. It is also obvious that school is seen as the best thing in their lives. That’s why it is so important, that we give the children of Angola a chance for a better future.

The man responsible for the home explains that when he was a boy – 40 years ago – he was told by his father that people who could read and write were witches. They belonged to another world. Today education is a top priority. Parents are forced to send their children to school under the most difficult circumstances. Long walks along a dangerous road to a classroom packed with students. Teachers struggle to find a spot under a tree. The teachers are seen by the children as role models, but there is a need for more qualified teacher. Training teachers is one of Save the Children’s primary objectives as well as building schools, providing books and other school materials.

Against all odds
Fewer than 20 percent of all children in Angola complete primary school. Many children drop out because they have to work or help their parents at home. Girls are especially vulnerable when it comes to dropping out of school. This is mainly due to the fact that they have to take care of their younger siblings or because they are forced to marry at an early age.

The children and youth of Angola are struggling for a better future. They should not have to fight alone for this right!