Remember, exactly a year ago, all the Internet and print media flew around a heartbreaking photo of a 2-year-old boy from Nigeria drinking water from a bottle held by a woman?
Then it literally became a symbol of humanity and instilled hope and belief that the world is not without good people. And this photo story did not end in one shot, it has a sequel and even a "happy ending"!
Let's talk about everything in order?
At the end of January 2016, the founder of the Fund for the Assistance and Development of African Children, Danish Anya Ringgren Loven, found a starving child on the streets of Nigeria, whose life was already on the verge of death. It turned out that the parents threw the boy out as an unnecessary thing from the house, believing that evil spirits lived in him.
Alas, for this region of Africa, the situation when parents label their own children as "evil", accuse even newborns of witchcraft, and then torture, drive out of the house or kill, is quite common. This 2-year-old baby has not escaped a dashing fate either. For more than 8 months he wandered the streets, ate scraps and handouts from passers-by until the fateful meeting ...
Then Anya bent down and tried to feed the baby carefully, gave him water from a bottle, and then wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the nearest hospital for treatment.
The woman named the rescued boy Hope (hope), and on January 30, 2016, she published the first emotional post on Facebook, sharing the already famous picture:
“Thousands of children in Nigeria are accused of witchcraft. We saw the torture of children. We saw the frightened children and saw the dead ... "
It's amazing, but in just two days, after the publication of the post, more than $ 1 million in donations from all over the world have been donated to the Fund for African Children Support and Development!
It is known that in the hospital, the first thing the boy did was worms out and a blood transfusion. And two months later, Anya said that Hope had grown stronger, began to gain weight and was already playing with other children with pleasure.
Well, after exactly one year there is no less good news about the rescued boy! Today Hope is absolutely healthy and ...
... this week he will start attending school for the first time.
And Mrs. Lowen and her husband have already begun to build their own orphanage with the money raised, in which all children who need it will find shelter, care, as well as salvation and hope for life!
Hope in January 2016 and January 2017
Almost 4 months have passed since the day when a volunteer from Denmark, Anja Ringgren Loven, rescued an emaciated 2-year-old baby. The child was kicked out of the house by his parents, who considered him a sorcerer. He wandered the streets for about 8 months. The boy could have died of hunger, thirst and disease if the volunteer had not found him.
Anya Ringgren Lowen named the baby Hope, which means "hope" in English. “When I first took this little boy in my arms, I was sure that he would not survive. Every breath was difficult for him, and I did not want him to leave this world without a name. And I named him Hope. This is special for me. name. Not only because of the meaning of the word. There is something more behind it for me. Many years ago I got a HOPE tattoo on my fingers, meaning Help One Person Everyday ", - she wrote on her Facebook page.
This is how Anya met the baby for the first time ...
How is he?
“Sometimes it seems to me that I’m asleep: the fact that the baby survived can be considered a miracle,” says Anya.
Hope lives at the African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation Children Center, which Anya founded. The center is located in the town of Uyo.
A volunteer found Hope on January 31, 2016. Until March 1, he underwent an intensive course of treatment in the hospital. “The children at our center were eagerly waiting for him to join them. Looking at these pictures of Hope playing with the children, I am speechless. Our dream has become a reality,” wrote Anya.
"Hope has found his place in our large family. The employees and children give him so much love and care, they protect him. My heroes! The amazing changes that have happened to Hope are the results of the hard work, dedication, dedication and love of my employees." - Anya shares.
Hope's new hairstyle.
The kid likes to play with the phone.
"Hope is recovering very quickly because he is surrounded by children and the best team in the world every day," the volunteer said.
"Watch out Messi! Hope is going to beat you at football."
"Hope started attending classes in our orphanage. He is too young to go to school, but he participates in classes for the little ones. Here he learns the alphabet," said Anya. She also noted that their pupils are successfully passing school exams.
"Every day Hope plays a doctor. My colleague said that this is due to his memories of a month spent in the hospital. He was regularly injected there because he was very sick and weak. Despite all the trials, he survived," she wrote his savior on his Facebook page.
Hope plays with his new family. He has 35 brothers and sisters.
"He's growing very fast," Anya rejoices.
After the story about saving the baby was published, people from all over the world began to send money to the fund's account to help Hope and other children. “The One Word To One World campaign is a message that we stand up for human rights, justice and freedom for all!” Writes Anya.
Anya's husband supports her in everything. David Emmanuel Umem is also a volunteer.
The son's name is also David.
All photos and videos from
This heartbreaking photo captures the moment a woman from Denmark gives water to a hungry 2-year-old boy from Nigeria left to die on the street by his family.
A Nigerian boy named Hope (hope) was left to die by his family because they thought there was an evil spirit in the boy. The emaciated baby wandered the streets for eight months, feeding on handouts from passers-by, until Anja Ringgren Loven from Denmark saw him.
Lowen, who now lives in Africa, found the boy on January 31. Horrified by the child's condition, she leaned over to the baby, watered him, wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the hospital. The woman is the founder of the Fund to help African children who are accused of witchcraft and involvement with evil spirits, and therefore they are neglected and even killed.
“Thousands of children are accused of witchcraft and we have seen children tortured, dead children and intimidated children,” Anya Ringgren Loven wrote on Facebook next to Hope's photos of fundraising to pay for the little boy's medical bills.
At the hospital, the baby was spared numerous worms, he received daily blood transfusions and other restorative procedures. “Hope's condition is now stable. He takes food and reacts to the medication he receives. Today he sat and smiled at us. He is a strong boy. "
Two days after Lowen sought help paying the child's expensive medical bills, she received $ 1 million in donations from around the world.
“With this money, we can, in addition to the best treatment for Hope, also start building a clinic and save many more children from torture!” - said the woman who, together with her husband David Emmanuel Umem, began at the end of January to build their own orphanage.
After two weeks in the hospital, the child looks much better, but still needs treatment.
Hope (left) plays with Ani's son David Jr. as they visit him in the hospital.
Anya Ringgren Lowen, along with her husband David Emmanuel Umem, began building their orphanage for disadvantaged children in Nigeria.
The heartbreaking photos captured the moment a woman from Denmark gives water to a hungry 2-year-old boy from Nigeria left to die on the street by his family.
A Nigerian boy named Hope (hope) was left to die by his family because they thought there was an evil spirit in the boy. The emaciated baby wandered the streets for eight months, feeding on handouts from passers-by, until Anja Ringgren Loven from Denmark saw him.
Lowen, who now lives in Africa, found the boy on January 31. Horrified by the child's condition, she leaned over to the baby, watered him, wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the hospital. The woman is the founder of the Fund to help African children who are accused of witchcraft and involvement with evil spirits, and therefore they are neglected and even killed.
“Thousands of children are accused of witchcraft and we have seen children tortured, dead children and intimidated children,” Anya Ringgren Loven wrote on Facebook next to Hope's photos of fundraising to pay for the little boy's medical bills.
At the hospital, the baby was spared numerous worms, he received daily blood transfusions and other restorative procedures. “Hope's condition is now stable. He takes food and reacts to the medication he receives. Today he sat and smiled at us. He is a strong boy. "
Two days after Lowen sought help paying the child's expensive medical bills, she received $ 1 million in donations from around the world.
“With this money, we can, in addition to the best treatment for Hope, also start building a clinic and save many more children from torture!” - said the woman who, together with her husband David Emmanuel Umem, began at the end of January to build their own orphanage.
After two weeks in the hospital, the child looks much better, but still needs treatment.
Hope (left) plays with Ani's son David Jr. as they visit him in the hospital.
Emaciated from hunger, disease and the homeless life of a tiny boy from nigeria flew around the world.
The kid who was given a name Hope, lucky, he was saved by a Danish woman Anya Ringgren Lowen, which is dedicated to helping Nigerian children.
Hope was placed in a rescue center and his health in an amazing way .
Now no one recognizes in this smiling boy a thin, more like a skeleton, a frightened child.
Hope: It was, it was
Hope Eats Cookies (Aug 2016)
Anya is married to a Nigerian David Emmanuel Umem with which they run a help center for abandoned boys and girls. Children receive food, shelter, medicine and education there. Ani and David also have their own child David jr, who has lived with orphan children since birth, and Anya and her husband do not distinguish between him and other children.
It so happened that David Jr. and Hope are the same age (both in two and a half years) and when Hope was brought to the center, David Jr. was one of the first with whom the intimidated little Hope began to communicate.
Hope and David Jr. shortly after Anya saved Hope. Hope is still very thin, you won't give him more than a year to look, although he and David Jr. are the same age
Now they have become true friends. Anya recently posted a video in which Hope and David Jr. ride a bike together. Anya calls the relationship between her son and Hope the term BFF (Best Friends Forever) - Best friends forever.
Anya with Hope and David Jr.
Bath day for Hope
By the way, in some posts, which have spread by the thousands on the Internet, they confuse Hope and David Jr., showing a photo of the second and calling him "the saved boy from Nigeria." But it's hard to confuse them, David Jr. is a kid with curls, and Hope has a clean shaven head.
David Jr. and Anya Ringgren Lowen
Rescued children, Anya and Hope
Rescued Children and David Jr. (center)
Now a new orphanage is being built with money from Ani's charity foundation in Nigeria. It has already received the name "Land of Hope".