Destiny’s painting (canvas)

This painting is created by Destiny, who was rescued in 2015.

Destiny was accused of being a witch when he was only 8 years old. He was abandoned by his own mother, and the local villagers locked him up in a room while they prepared to burn him alive. He woke up in severe pain and half naked with his trousers torn apart. He almost died.

When Destiny was brought to Land of Hope, he was very violent, expressing his anger with extreme rage. His explosive behaviour was a threat to the other children.

After 2 years of intense supervision, we decided to give Destiny access to the art class. This was a turning point and ever since that day, he has been painting.

In 2023, Destiny opened up about his traumatic past being almost burned alive. He turned his trauma into art. He called it “Break the chain” and wrote: 

“The day I escaped the chains of dead. I was locked for days and then later was going to be hanged on a big tree. A fire was burning and I had a little time to run away when they went to get more fuel. I’m now happy at Land of Hope with love and happiness.”

Destiny´s mother was arrested for abandonment and went to jail. She spent a very long time serving in prison and when she was released, she reached out to us. Destiny and his mother have since her release from prison been talking on the phone for some years and in January 2023, she came to visit Destiny for the first time at Land of Hope. They had not seen each other for almost 8 years. He was very happy to see his mother again. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it gives the future a chance.

In December 2025, Destiny spent a 2 week holiday with his mother for the second time. Sometime during 2026, Destiny will be reunified and start living with his mother. We will continue to support Destiny and visit him regularly.