The 8-year-old chess champion, Tanitoluwa "Tani" Adewumi, was living in a homeless shelter more than a week ago. But now he's enjoying homecooked meals after his story went viral and strangers from all over the world started donating to a GoFundMe for him and his family, which fled Christian persecution.
Tani's family received refugee status in New York City for religious persecution under the Islamic sect Boko Haram in Nigeria and his story blew up after he won a New York State chess tournament while living in a Manhatten homeless shelter.
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"Our family is now enjoying home cooked meals, Tani is getting on with his chess studies and we eagerly look towards the journey of the Tanitoluwa Adewumi Foundation," Kayode, Tani's father, announced on the GoFundMe page Friday morning.
In total, the Adewumi's have raised over $250,000. The family started the foundation, which officially launches next week, and has said they are going to tithe the first 10 percent to their local church.
With the remaining money, Adewumi said they will be using it "to share the generosity of others to those in need" and for "anybody who is coming from Africa who is in the position we were in. We will help them."
The Adewumi family fled the Islamic sect Boko Haram in Nigeria two years ago. The Christian family recently went from a homeless shelter to a permanent home after their 8-year-old son, Tani, won a state press championship and his story went viral. (GoFundMe)
Everything the Adewumis asked for was answered. The father said they needed a home and God gave them one. They needed legal assistance, and God gave it to them. He needed a job to make a living and God gave him one.
"We give God the glory!" he said.
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Tani, whose story was originally reported by the New York Times, shouted "I have a home! I have a home!" when he arrived at the family's new residence.
“The U.S. is a dream country,” Kayode told the Times. “Thank God I live in the greatest city in the world, which is New York, New York.”
After Tani immigrated to New York two years ago, he quickly picked up the game of chess after joining his school's chess club.
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Tani’s family has an immigration hearing in August that will take place three months after Tani is set to compete at the elementary national chess championship, according to The Hill.
Fox News' Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.
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