My Z News

A couple of months ago, an image of a woman giving water to a Nigerian orphan went viral. Taken on January 31, the image showed Anja, a Danish relief worker, tending to the needs of a two-year-old boy who had been abandoned on the streets after he was accused of being a witch. This is a surprisingly big issue in Nigeria and leads to countless children being shut out by society.

But when Anja saw this boy stumbling through the streets without any clothes and clearly in need of food, water, and other basic necessities, she knew she had to step in. Anja, along with the help of her non-profit organization DINNødhjælp, took the child to get the help he deserved. Since he didn’t have a name, Anja decided to name him “Hope.” They knew that his circumstances were dire. He was severely malnourished, covered in dirt, and infected with worms. Recovery would take time and patience, but Anja and her crew were prepared to do whatever it took to help this boy. 

Now, just two months later, Hope has made a miraculous recovery. He’s received the medical attention he needed, gained plenty of weight, and is even comfortable socializing with other people. Hope’s transformation over the last two months is a beautiful illustration of what can be accomplished when human beings love and care for each other. Check out the images below to see what Hope looks like today.

Here is the original image that went viral. On January 31, Anja and her team discovered this young boy wandering the streets alone. They named him “Hope.”

They immediately took the two-year-old child to get the care he so desperately needed. Hope, and the other children they met in Nigeria, represented why Anja began helping people in the first place. “I have seen so much here in Nigeria over the last three years. The images here show why I am fighting, why I sold everything I own,” she said on her organization’s website.

After Anja’s first picture with Hope went viral, people began donating everything they could to help. It wasn’t long before he gained back all the weight he had lost and started looking healthy and happy.

And this is what he looks like today! It’s hard to imagine that this same little boy was wandering the streets without proper food or shelter a little over two months ago.

Here, Anja’s husband, David, reads a book to Hope. This little guy is full of curiosity and loves having stories read to him.

What’s next for Hope? He is currently scheduled to have surgery on a birth defect and doctors believe he will be fully recovered soon. And to think that this whole story began with the simple act of offering a boy a drink of water …

Anja and David have begun construction on their very own orphanage. Their dream is for other children to experience the same love that they’ve given to Hope.

For more information about Anja and Hope’s remarkable journey, check out the video below:

If you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to SHARE it with your friends!

H/T: LittleThings | Anja Ringgren Lovén

Read more: http://www.wimp.com/hope-nigerian-boy-recovery/