In isolated communities in central Nigeria, some babies are believed to be bad omens. Olusola and Chinwe Stevens run a thriving home for such children, but what happens when families want them back?
Esther Stevens' life nearly ended at birth in 2007. Her mother died in childbirth, and villagers considered the baby cursed. They tied her to her mother's body for burial, but a missionary intervened, eventually taking Esther to the Stevenses' children's home in Abuja.
The Stevenses have been confronting these practices since 1996. In 2004, they founded Vine Heritage Home Foundation, now home to over 200 children. Many are brought after mothers die in childbirth, a common cause of alleged curses.
Olusola Stevens says 75% of the children at Vine Heritage are there because their mothers died in childbirth. Nigeria is the most dangerous country to give birth, with one in 100 women dying during or shortly after childbirth.
The couple began visiting communities, begging families to hand over 'cursed' children rather than kill them. Missionary Andrew Tonak has rescued 20 children from one village alone, often finding twins who were said to have 'died'.
Some children arrive poisoned or malnourished, but increasingly, communities bring newborns directly to the Stevenses. However, tensions arise when families later demand the children back, believing the curse has lifted.
