Following the publication of photographs of a starving Nigerian toddler on facebook, a flood of donations have poured in to a little-known aid organisation that seeks to rescue the growing number of children accused of witchcraft.
Anja Ringgren Lovén, a Danish aid worker posted photos of the emaciated little boy on Facebook on January 31. The post has since gone viral.
Lovén, founder of the African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation (DINNødhjælp), received a tip that the little boy, who was no older than three years old, was abandoned by his family and left to die in the streets after he was accused of witchcraft.
In her photos she is shown giving food and water to the child and wrapping him in a blanket. She then brought him to a hospital, according to the New Zealand Herald, to be treated for ringworm.
AID: Lovén’s tragic post has helped raise thousands of pounds for her charity
Within two days, her organisation received one million Danish Krone (or approximately £103,000).
“Thousands of children are being accused of being witches and we’ve both seen torture of children, dead children and frightened children,” Lovén said in the Facebook post. “This shows why I fight. Why I sold everything I own. Why I’m moving out in uncharted territory.”
Her nonprofit, founded in 2012, helps children accused of witchcraft by bringing them to the organisation’s orphanage where they receive housing, medical care, food and education.
A week after uploading the original photo, Lovén posted an update featuring the child, who she named Hope, looking healthier and happier after being treated.
ON THE MEND: Hope (left) playing with Lovén’s son, David Jr
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