A Nigerian boy abandoned by his family who believed he was a witch has been rescued by a charity.
The 2-year-old was left starving and alone after his family refused to care for him as he fell ill.
After feeding off scraps of food from passersby for eight months, the boy was eventually saved last month by Danish charity worker Anja Ringgren Loven.
Heartbreaking pictures show Loven giving the emaciated boy a drink of water when she first met him.
Loven is the founder of African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation, and has named the boy Hope as he battles back to full strength.
“I have chosen to call the boy Hope for right now, we all hope that he survives, ” she wrote on her charity’s Facebook page.
“Hope’s condition is stable now. He’s taking food for himself and he responds to the medicine he gets.
“Today, he has had powers to sit up and [is] smiling at us. He’s a strong little boy.”
Loven revealed that Hope is making good progress, with daily blood transfusions helping his recovery.