This
is the heartbreaking moment a starving two-year-old Nigerian boy is
given water by a charity worker after being left for dead by his family
because they thought he was a witch.
The
boy, now named Hope, was found emaciated and riddled with worms after
being forced to live off scraps thrown to him by passersby for eight
months.
He
was finally rescued after being discovered naked and wandering the
streets on January 31 by Anja Ringgren Loven, a Danish woman living in
Africa.
Nigerian boy, now named Hope
(pictured), was emaciated and riddled with worms when he was discovered
naked and wandering the streets on January 31 by Anja Ringgren Loven, a
Danish woman (pictured right)
Ms Loven fed Hope and gave him water before wrapping him up in a blanket (pictured)
Ms Loven said Hope was accused of being a witch and was shunned from his Nigerian community
Horrified by Hope's condition, Ms Loven bent down and began feeding him and giving him water from her bottle.
She
then wrapped the disorientated and sick toddler up in a blanket,
holding him in her arms, before taking him to the nearest hospital for
treatment.
Ms Loven is the founder of African Children's Aid Education and Development Foundation,
which she created three years ago to help children that have been
labelled as a witch and therefore neglected and even killed by the
members of their community.
'Thousands
of children are being accused of being witches and we've both seen
torture of children, dead children and frightened children,'
she wrote
on Facebook, accompanying images of her feeding the young boy and
appealing for donations to help pay for his medical bills.
Ms Loven held him in her arms before taking him to the nearest hospital for treatment (pictured)
'Thousands of children are being
accused of being witches and we've both seen torture of children, dead
children and frightened children,' Ms Loven wrote
When
Hope reached the hospital he was given medication to remove the worms
from his belly and daily blood transfusions to incorporate more red
blood cells into his body, Ms Loven said.
'Hope's condition is stable now. He's taking food for himself and he responds to the medicine he gets.
'Today, he has had powers to sit up and smiling at us. He's a strong little boy.'
Ms Loven said Hope even plays with her own son.
'I
just don't know how to describe it in words. This is what makes life so
beautiful and valuable and therefore I will let the pictures speak for
themselves,' she said.
Ms Loven is the founder of African
Children's Aid Education and Development Foundation, which she created
to help children that have been labelled as a witch and therefore
neglected by the members of their community
When Hope reached the hospital he was
given medication to remove the worms from his belly and daily blood
transfusions to incorporate more red blood cells into his body
Two
days after Ms Loven asked for the community's help with Hope's costly
medical bills, she received $1million in donations from around the
world.
'With
all the money, we can, besides giving Hope the very best treatment, now
also build a doctor clinic on the new land and save many more children
out of torture!' she said.
Ms Loven runs an children's center where the children she saves live and received medical care, food and schooling.
She and her husband, David Emmanuel Umem, began building their own orphanage in late January.
Ms Loven said Hope (right) even plays with her own son, David Jr (pictured left) when they visit him
'Hope's condition is stable now. He's
taking food for himself, and he responds to the medicine he gets. Today,
he has had powers to sit up and smiling at us. He's a strong little
boy,' Ms Loven said
A couple of weeks later, Hope is still in the hospital and is now eating properly and gaining strength
Ms Loven (pictured) runs an children's center where the children she saves live and received medical care, food and schooling
