“I love him like a son” – care worker who saved Nigerian “witch boy” from death (new photos)
– A tiny boy disowned by his family for being a “witch” has made a miraculous recovery
– He was saved by the ‘guardian angel’ care worker, who treats him like her own son
– A humanitarian worker describes her feelings to little Hope and says he is a little fighter
A two-year-old Nigerian boy hit the international headlines after he was accused of witchcraft and abandoned by his own family. The malnourished toddler had serious health problems, he was extremely weak and infested with worms.
The Danish care worker who saved an emaciated Nigerian boy Hope (pictured) from certain death after his family cast him out for being a ‘witch’ has told of her love for him
His story came to light only after Anja Lovén, a humanitarian worker from Denmark, spotted him wandering naked through the streets of Akwa Ibom state and saved the boy from the certain death in January this year.
Soon after the boy was taken to her *African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation care center Anja asked the world for help. And thousands of kind-hearted people around the globe managed to raise $1million in donatios to pay for Hope’s costly medical bills.
After being rescued, Hope (pictured a few days ago) was immediately given medications to get rid of the worms in his stomach and daily blood transfusions to raise the number of red blood cells in his body
Anja named him Hope, nursed him back to life and treated him like her own son. She said: “Hope is like a son to me. Like the rest of our children I love him more than words can describe.”
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Recalling the day she first saw Hope she said: “I was so sick to my bones to see a two-year-old boy in such a horrible condition. When we first entered the village I looked over my shoulders and slowly turned around to see Hope sitting on the side of the road.
Anja Ringgren Lovén giving water to Hope was shared around the world at the end of January
I thought I was going to see a bigger boy but when I saw he was the size of a little baby, my whole body froze. I became a mother myself 20 months ago and I was thinking of my own son when I saw Hope.
He got the best treatment we could give him, and everyday my team and I was hoping that he would survive… Very quickly we discovered that Hope was a very strong boy. A little fighter.
Two months after Anja rescued Hope (pictured), he has reached a healthy weight and can play with other children
A few days after we rescued him, my husband David and I brought our son along to the hospital. This was the first time we saw a smile on Hope’s face.”
Recently, Ms Lovén took to Facebook page to share Hope’s latest photos and inform his supporters that the boy was due to undergo corrective surgery to treat hypospadias — an inborn condition in which one has an incomplete developed urethra.
Hope’s family abandoned him after accusing him of being a witch – effectively a death sentence, according to Anja
“My team and I are so overwhelmed by all the love we are receiving from all over the world. This is something we have never dared to dream about. We have been fighting this superstition for many years and finally the whole world is looking at the important work we are doing,” the philanthropist added.
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*African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation, is the organisation created by Ms Lovén jointly with her husband David three years ago to help children who have been labelled witches and neglected or even killed by the members of their community.
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