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Woman Who Rescued Nigerian Child Named Most Inspiring Person Of 2016

Woman Who Rescued Nigerian Child Named Most Inspiring Person Of 2016

She beat Barack Obama and the Pope.

James Dawson

James Dawson

A woman who rescued a two-year-old boy who was cast out of his community for being a "witch-child" has been recognised as the most inspiring person of 2016.

Anja Ringgren Lovén, a Danish care worker, adopted the young Nigerian boy in February, with an image of her giving two-year-old Hope a bottle of water going viral on social media sites.

Hope was cast out by his family and forced to live on the street as a result of rural superstition. Ostracised, he contracted a number of illnesses, including worms.

Anja beat Pope Francis, Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, among others, to top the list of 100 inspiring individuals compiled by German-language Ooom Magazine.

Featured image credit: Ooom Magazine

Speaking today about the experience, she told the Independent: "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 the boy.

"For me it was clear at that moment that I would fight with all my strength for him to survive."

The outgoing US President Barack Obama was named second on the list, followed by South Africa actress Charlize Theron, who was named due to her involvement in combatting HIV/AIDS.

Pope Francis was named fourth, for his leadership of the Catholic Church. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was given the fifth slot, as a result of his work to combat climate change culminating in the film 'Beyond the Flood', which TheLADbible live-streamed earlier this year.

Featured image credit: Facebook / Anja Ringgren Lovén

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