Videocrux - The only home for the abandoned children.

#Videocrux - The only home for the abandoned children. The only home for the abandoned children.
Belief in the power of evil spirits is strong in some areas of northern Angola. After a family misfortune such as death or an illness, it is often the children who are blamed- accused of witchcraft. The Bom Pastor orphanage, run by the Catholic Church in the outskirts of Angola's capital Luanda, is the only home these children have left. Their own families have thrown them out for allegedly possessing supernatural powers.
Innocent children blamed of bringing misfortunes.
Carolina Juan, Orphan, "When my mother died, my father died, we didn't know why, so people started saying I had eaten them, that I was a witch." In parts of Angola where the belief in evil spirits is strong, witchcraft is frequently seen as an explanation for misfortune. After a death or an illness, children are often accused of bringing bad luck to their families and beaten, abused or abandoned. Sister Ima Rita Lourenço, Bom Pastor Orphanage, “The reason, I think it's poverty and ignorance. For most people it's ignorance. Because they really think these things happen." In this deprived community, witchcraft accusations are common: nine children were taken in by the orphanage in one month alone. 11-year-old Benin was brought here a few months ago, after her mother died and her father's new wife convinced him his daughter had evil powers. Benin Ngangu, “When I got here I started to understand that everything my father was saying wasn't true."
Children facing mental torture due to abandonment.
Sister Ima Rita Lourenço, Bom Pastor Orphanage, “They are traumatised, really. Benin for example, is a traumatised child, a really traumatised child. Sometimes she stays here by herself like that and cries, cries all day." At the orphanage, the children learn that they are not responsible for their families' tragedies. The sisters also try to bring them back together with their relatives but it takes time. So far Benin’s father has refused to speak to her.

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