A 22-year-old man in Rwanda named Zanziman Ellie dubbed ‘real-life Mowgli’ started going to school who had spent most of his time in the jungle to escape the cruel bullies of locals for his appearance.
Zanziman Ellie was born in 1999 and was reportedly denied education for not having the mental capacity to concentrate in class besides facing bullying from the locals due to his physical appearance.
Zanziman suffers from microcephaly, a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected. The miseries forced Zanziman Ellie to spend most of his time in the jungle.
According to The Sun, he gained support from around the world last year following a documentary about his life which aired in February on YouTube by Afrimax TV.
His mother told the reporters in the documentary Zanziman Ellie was subjected to bullies by the locals in the village who called him abusive names.
The Afrimax TV set up a GoFundMe page which received a flood of donations from viewers around the world in the hope a new life could be built for Zanziman and his mum.
The story of Zanziman Ellie Mowgli transformation is inspirational, Everyone this a happy life, We can all work to eliminate stigmatization in our respective societies. pic.twitter.com/bQhwIm02Tf
— Sam Wamalwa🇰🇪 (@samsmoothke) October 28, 2021
The donations have been used to send Zanziman to a school for children with special needs at the Ubumwe Community Center, according to the news site Atinkanews.
After transformation, Ellie is now regularly wearing a well-fitting suit as he heads to class where he is studying to become an asset to his community.
Ellie’s mother said, “God is a miracle worker. He was being ridiculed and I would often run after him. At the moment he is in school with his peers and I am so happy. My son is having a good life, well-wishers have built me a house… my sorrow has been taken away.”
Ellie is now something of a celebrity with people constantly stopping him on the street to take a picture with the young man whose life has changed drastically since the documentary was released.
