On January 30, 2015, a charity worker named Anja Ringgren Loven found a horribly starving child on the streets of Nigeria.
This two-year-old boy was found naked, and was by himself.
Anja immediately gave water to this boy, then took him straight to the hospital. The photo below was taken on the same day.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Anja tried to find out why this boy was roaming around by himself.
Then, she found out that the boy had been abandoned by his family, because they thought he was a witch.
For months, this boy – named Hope – had to survive on the street on his own. As horrible as Hope’s situation was, many children in Nigeria are accused of witchcraft and deserted by their own families.
[rsnippet id=”4″ name=”DFP/34009881/Article_1″][rsnippet name=”universal-likebox” multi-site=”true”]
Unlike some other children, Hope was lucky to be found by Anja. Had he not been properly cared, Hope would have died within days due to malnourishment. After learning about this nationwide situation, Anja and her husband decided to save more children.
She said, “I have seen much here in Nigeria over the last three years. The images here show why I am fighting, why I sold everything I own. ” They now run African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation, an organization based on Uyo that provides kids with necessities such as food and shelter.
[rsnippet id=”5″ name=”DFP/34009881/Article_2″]
After just eight weeks since Anja found Hope, Hope amazingly transformed into a healthy little boy.
If you just look at these photos, you would never know that this boy was same boy in the picture taken eight weeks ago.
Now that he recovered, Hope is scheduled for a surgery to correct a birth defect. Thanks to Anja and her husband, Hope will live.
Watch this video to learn more about Hope’s story!
[rsnippet id=”6″ name=”DFP/34009881/Article_3″]