Those of us lucky enough to be born in wealthy, developed nations can tend to take a lot of things for granted. Having a roof over our heads, access to clean drinking water, and enough food to eat each day seem like such simple things to many of us, but for millions of others, the bare necessities of survival aren’t so easily enjoyed. All over the globe, particularly in Africa, countless people live in poverty, struggling to survive from one day to the next. Fortunately, humanitarian workers and other kindhearted people do all they can to help those in need.
It was in January of 2016 that a Danish aid worked called Anja Ringgren Loven saw something that broke her heart.
She saw a 2-year-old boy out on the streets of a Nigerian town. Abandoned by his family and left to die, the child was frail and emaciated, in desperate need of help.
Anja was photographed giving the boy some water from a bottle, before quickly wrapping him up in a blanket and taking him for treatment at a local medical facility.
The image of Anja and the boy, who was later named Hope, went viral. People from far and wide were touched by his story and wanted to help, sending donations to cover the cost of his medical care.
Thanks to the kindness of strangers, Hope not only survived, he thrived! Within just a few weeks of those original photos being taken, he gained a lot of weight and started to look like a happy and healthy boy, a far cry from the frail child that Anja had found stumbling on the streets.
Hope needed a lot of treatment and care, but the results are simply breathtaking!
It was believed that Hope was originally abandoned due to fears that he was a witch, with his family preferring to cast him out on the streets rather than look after him.
Thankfully, his guardian angel arrived to save him. After his treatment, Hope was taken to the DINNødhjælp orphanage, befriending other children and getting the love he deserves.
A year after being found on the streets, Hope was ready to start school, and he was also ready for a very special reunion with the lovely lady who made his happy ending possible.
Anja visited Hope to recreate their famous photo, sharing it on Facebook along with the caption:
On the 30th of January 2016 I went on a rescue mission with David Emmanuel Umem, Nsidibe Orok and our Nigerian team. A rescue mission that went viral, and today it’s exactly one year ago the world came to know a young little boy called Hope. This week Hope will start school.
So how has Hope been getting on since then?
Well, earlier this year, Anja visited him once more for yet another photo and a very happy update. She revealed that Hope is “a very strong and very healthy young boy”. Read her full post down below and learn all about how Hope is doing nowadays.
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Today it’s exactly 3 years ago since the world awoke to the horror of Hope’s image when we found him, more dead than…
Posted by Anja Ringgren Lovén on Wednesday, 30 January 2019
