About Hope: Anja Loven breaks silence, “I love him like a son”

The ‘guardian angel’ care worker who saved a starving Nigerian boy from certain death after his family disowned him for being a ‘witch’ has told of her love for the boy after his astonishing recovery.

When Anja Loven first laid eyes on the toddler walking naked through the dusty streets of south-east Nigeria, he was riddled with worms and so weak he could barely stand.

So Anja gave him a name to give him the strength to recover: Hope.

Her faith paid off, and the little boy’s recovery since has been nothing short of a miracle – as these pictures shared exclusively with MailOnline go to show.

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Unbreakable bond: 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

Desperation: When Anja Loven (right) first laid eyes on Hope (left) walking naked through the dusty streets of Nigeria, he was riddled with worms and could barely stand

In them, Hope – once on the brink of death – is seen playing football like any other happy, healthy young boy.

And no one was more elated than Anja who, after nursing him back to life, has come to see him as her own son.

‘Hope is like a son to me. Like the rest of our children I love him more than words can describe,’ she told MailOnline.

Reliving the moment she first laid eyes on his skeletal frame, Anja 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.

‘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 had been fending for himself on the streets for eight months since when Anja and her team rescued him in January.

The child was taken to hospital the same day, where doctors discovered he had contracted several diseases after living on the streets for so long.

He was immediately given medication 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 said: ‘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.

Recovery: Two months after Anja rescued Hope (pictured), he has reached a healthy weight and can play with other children

Traditional beliefs: Hope’s family abandoned him after accusing him of being a witch – effectively a death sentence, according to Anja

‘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.’

Hope’s family abandoned him after accusing him of being a witch – effectively a death sentence, according to Anja.

She told MailOnline: ‘Once a child has been accused of being a witch, there is no turning back.

‘Villagers will call for the child to be exorcised nightly by a local priest to rid him his evil spirits. Or the parents will bring the child to a witch doctor, who also has “magical powers” to exorcise the witch.

‘In Hope’s case, we have little information about his parents and why they accused him of witchcraft.’

Witch accusations is a growing problem in many African countries, especially in Nigeria, where Anja’s charity African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation care for other children like Hope.

Nigerians can point to anything from death and illness in the family, crop failures, lay offs and infertility as a reason to justify accusing someone of being a witch.

Family: ‘Hope is like a son to me. Like the rest of our children I love him more than words can describe,’ Anja (pictured, rescuing Hope) told MailOnline

Relief: The first time Hope was seen to smile was a few days after his rescue, when Anja brought her own little boy to visit the starving youngster in hospital

On the mend: 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

Just days after Anja asked for world’s help with Hope’s costly medical bills, she received $1million in donations from around the world.

‘My team and I are so overwhelmed by all the love we are receiving from all over the world,’ Anja said.

‘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.’

• Ms Loven is the founder of African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation, which she created three years ago to help children who have been labelled witches and therefore neglected or even killed by the members of their community. 
• Details about donating money to help children like hope can be find HERE