When Ms Lovén says: "... my whole body froze." (paragraph 3...

Woman who rescued Nigerian 'witch-child' beats Obama and Pope Francis to top list of world's most inspiring people

      A woman who rescued a two-year-old boy who had been cast out by his own community for being a "witch-child" has been recognised in an international list of the most inspiring people of the year. Anja Ringgren Lovén, a Danish care worker who rescued the young Nigerian boy back in February 2016, beat the likes of Pope Francis, Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama to top the list of 100 inspiring individuals compiled by German-language OOOM Magazine.

      An image of Ms Lovén giving the two-year-old boy (now called Hope) some water was shared around the world, and served to highlight the work she was doing to help orphan children in Nigeria. Witch accusations is a growing problem in many African countries, especially in Nigeria, where Anja's charity African Children's Aid Education and Development Foundation cares for other children like Hope.

      "When she saw the starving child, she acted like a human being and became an inspiration for millions," said Georg Kindel, OOOM's editor-in-chief, who led the jury that chose the list. Speaking today about the experience, she said: "He was the size of a little baby, my whole body froze. I was thinking of my own son when I saw the boy. For me it was clear at that moment that I would fight with all my strength for him to survive."

Adapted from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/ worlds-most-inspiring-person-2016-ooom-anja-ringgren-lovennigeria-witch-child-a7460976.html