Downham Market organisation on mission to stop suffering in Nigeria

After Nigerian Enobong Akpan-Etuk watched a TV documentary about children in his homeland being tortured and murdered after being branded witches he was stunned.

So shocked was the 33-year-old that he tracked down Gary Foxcroft, who helped make the documentary Saving Africa's Witch Children, to express his hurt at what he had seen.

Mr Akpan-Etuk then decided he needed to do something to help those vulnerable children in the Niger Delta Area of Africa and set up Positive Impact Worldwide last February.

Now almost a year later, the not-for-profit organisation is pushing for charitable status and has recently opened a shop in Downham Market.

The father-of-one said: 'Watching that documentary came as a big shock to me. I was brought up in Nigeria and my parents both grew up in the Akwa Iborn state which the documentary focused on.

'I was so upset at the footage that I cried for the whole night. I couldn't believe it was really happening in the country where I had spent 23 great years. I called my mum in Nigeria and she went to the village and told me it is still going on. It was at this point that I decided to start raising money to help these children.'

The management consultant decided to open his shop in Downham Market's high street after falling in love with the town during a visit with his wife Izabela and six-month-old son Godwin.

Mr Akpan-Etuk, who moved to England in 2004 and lives near Cambridge, continued: 'I am really hoping that this shop will help to raise greater awareness about what I want to do.

'There have already been lots of people who have been coming in here and shown a real interest in what I hope to achieve.'

For more information about the organisation visit www.positiveimpactworldwide.org.