The Story of the Danish Woman Who Rescued a Starving Nigerian Baby

First Published: 27th of August, 2022

The story of Anja Loven, the Danish woman who rescued a starving Nigerian baby, has gone viral and has touched the hearts of millions, if not billions, of people around the world. But this story is by no means unique. This isn’t the only starving child whom Anja has rescued, nor is this the only child in the world who became a victim of parental abuse and neglect.

The story of Anja Loven and the child whom she subsequently named “Hope” embodies several universal themes:

• The pain and suffering biological parents often inflict on innocent souls.
• The redeeming power of an external, positive touch.
• The dangers of superstitions
• The power of belief
• And the damaging power of attaching labels to children.

Danish born Anja Loven and her partner were on a charitable project in Nigeria, Africa. Part of their work entailed rescuing babies who were abandoned by their parents because they believed that these babies are witches.

That’s when she met the boy whom she now calls Hope. Hope was abandoned on the streets of Nigeria by his parents and left for dead because they believed he was a witch who would bring bad luck and suffering. How they arrived at this conclusion is not clear at this moment, but obviously it has be something demonic.

The parents didn’t kill the baby, but they did something far worse: they abandoned him in the streets of Nigeria and left him to die a slow, painful, and horrible death through starvation. The baby survived for a few days on scrap food, crawling about the streets of Nigeria, becoming more emaciated with each passing day. The child was at the point of death, and he would have died if it hadn’t been for the redeeming touch of Anja Loven.

A photographer took a photo of Anja feeding the starving child, and it went viral around the world. But it wasn’t just food she gave him; she gave him a powerful redeeming touch that canceled out the negative energy and label left on him by his parents.

If it hadn’t been for Anja Loven’s powerful, redeeming, external touch, this child would have most likely died from starvation and thirst. After all, it wasn’t just his parents who believed he was a witch, but all the people of the area.

By putting a label on this child, the biological parents put a curse on this child that was broken by Anja’s external force. But not all children are just as lucky. Today, many children around the world suffer in silence because of the lies that were spoken to, of, and over them by their biological parents.

It is parents who sometimes inflict the most suffering on children. Many children were labeled when their impressionable minds believed every word their parents spoke. Children are often told that they are lazy, wicked, good for nothing, stupid, dunce, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, without a powerful, redeeming, external touch, these children will either live out those self fulfilling prophecies or spend the rest of the their lives fighting it.

Anja Loven broke the curse inflicted on Hope by his own parents. It wasn’t just food that she gave him. She gave him a new label, a new name and new hope.

This story contains a powerful message for all of mankind: be careful of the kind of words you say to children and in their presence. Be careful of the labels you attach to them. Speak empowering and uplifting words to your child, or any child in your care. Tell them that they are blessed, strong, powerful, loved, successful, and an embodiment of everything good. You will be amazed to see how those children will live out those empowering affirmations.

Hope was living a lie “told” to him by this parents until he was rescued by an external, powerful, and redeeming touch. Unfortunately, many children are living out lies told to them by their parents. Let’s change the trend. Let’s empower and uplift our children. Remember that caring for a child is a divine, God-given responsibility, and it is my personal belief that every person will be held accountable for the treatment they mete out to children left in their care.

Photos gleaned from the Project Nightfall Documentary of this Story