Child Impact International

Child Impact India Covid Update

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

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Series Code: CII

Program Code: CII052021S


00:02 Child Impact International
00:03 is an organization that gives hope
00:06 and fosters permanent, positive change
00:08 in the lives of disadvantaged children
00:10 and their communities.
00:13 Countries include Zambia,
00:15 India, Nepal, Bangladesh,
00:17 Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
00:20 Child Impact's investment
00:21 in the lives of more than 3,500 children
00:24 continues to yield infinite returns.
00:27 Outreach spans from child rescue operations
00:30 to providing an education and a home
00:32 for deaf and blind children and orphans.
00:35 Above all, Child Impact's sponsors
00:38 give hope to the ones who need it the most.
00:47 Hi, I'm Jim Rennie,
00:49 CEO of Child Impact International.
00:52 And I just want to talk to you about India.
00:55 And as you know,
00:57 and as you've seen on the news,
00:58 the pandemic is going through huge proportions
01:02 beyond the capabilities of the country to cope with.
01:07 Hospitals are full,
01:08 people are sitting on the streets
01:10 outside hospitals.
01:12 There's is no oxygen.
01:14 And to be honest, it's very, very serious
01:17 and a huge disaster.
01:19 And it's only getting worse.
01:22 I just wanna talk for a minute about the...
01:26 our sponsorship program in India.
01:29 Obviously with the schools being closed,
01:32 some are just started to open
01:33 when this wave of the pandemic hit again.
01:37 So the schools are closed
01:40 and for our sponsors
01:41 who are contributing to children,
01:44 this puts us in a dilemma.
01:46 Well, we are continuing to pay the schools,
01:50 the sponsorship money for the very reason
01:54 that they don't have the bulk of their income
01:57 and the teachers are not being paid.
02:00 And these schools are being
02:01 put in a very vulnerable financial position.
02:05 So we want to support the teachers
02:08 as best as we can,
02:10 and we are distributing rice to them,
02:13 but we also want to ensure that the schools are opened.
02:17 So we believe our ongoing support
02:20 has an important role
02:22 in keeping the Adventist mission schools open.
02:25 As you know,
02:27 we operate in this emergency
02:29 our Rice, Health and Education Appeal.
02:33 And we're getting many requests more over India
02:36 for help to these hospitals and medical clinics.
02:41 And it's simply overcoming a lot of business
02:44 that we would normally have.
02:46 However, we have received a special request
02:50 through Anita Kanaiya,
02:52 who is our director of our Rescue team
02:57 in Bangalore, India.
02:59 And so we want to interview Anita
03:02 and consider the help that we could give.
03:07 I'm interviewing Anita Kanaiya,
03:10 who's our director of our Rescue Operation
03:15 in Bangalore, India.
03:17 But right now
03:19 India is facing a pandemic crisis.
03:24 And I know you've all seen the pictures on television
03:29 and it's actually unbelievable.
03:32 So we just want to briefly talk to Anita
03:35 and find out what's going on the ground
03:38 because Child Impact and its supporters
03:41 have been asked to step in and just help in a small way
03:47 to save some lives in the city of Bangalore.
03:51 So, Anita, it's great to see you.
03:56 Thank you, Jim.
03:58 Thank you for the concern that you have for India
04:01 and thank you for this invitation
04:04 to be on this call.
04:07 So just give us a short overview
04:11 of the situation.
04:13 Is it really as bad as we're being told?
04:18 Yes, it is.
04:19 And it's probably worse than you are being told.
04:23 The country is reeling under the second wave
04:28 of COVID infection that has,
04:31 you know, gone beyond anybody's expectations,
04:34 medical facilities and doctors especially.
04:38 Just the sheer numbers that are present in India.
04:41 And this virus that has become so vigilant
04:47 and is easily jumping from person to person.
04:50 We have just about every family who's either been affected,
04:56 lost somebody, or is battling with friends
05:00 who are really serious.
05:02 So this is just across India.
05:04 There's no particular place that is really able to say
05:09 that we're safe.
05:11 There are particular states and cities in India
05:15 which are very bad.
05:17 There are some others who are all right,
05:19 but Bengaluru or Bangalore
05:23 where we are located
05:25 is particularly very, very bad.
05:29 And just tell me about the impact on the people
05:33 that are in the poverty situation,
05:35 the people that
05:37 we would normally be helping with food, the poor,
05:41 what impact,
05:42 just tell me some of the effects
05:45 that it's having on the poor?
05:48 For instance, you told me about the orphans yesterday?
05:52 So, Jim, what happened,
05:55 and I have been added to a government group
05:58 of, you know, people who run homes,
06:01 who are experts with children basically to discuss
06:05 how do we look after children who have either been orphaned
06:10 because both parents have succumbed to COVID
06:12 or who are left alone at home without parents,
06:16 because both parents are in hospital.
06:19 There have been so many kids.
06:20 I mean, names, there are people who have brought children
06:24 who are COVID positive
06:26 and have left them in public places.
06:29 You know, so someone will care for them
06:30 because there's no one to look after them,
06:32 neighbors are scared.
06:34 You know, people don't want to do that,
06:35 but by God's grace, I think
06:38 people have come forward.
06:39 Families have come forward, institutions have ramped up,
06:43 childcare institutions have ramped up
06:45 to look after children,
06:46 but we're talking about large numbers,
06:49 large numbers of children
06:51 because this particular wave has hit the younger people.
06:55 So between those in their 40s and their 30s
07:00 have actually succumbed to the disease very fast
07:04 and have left very young children homeless.
07:07 Right. That's just amazing. So let's...
07:10 We don't have much time,
07:11 so let's just talk about the...
07:14 So you've been put on this group,
07:18 a Christian group of those involved
07:21 and also involving the government.
07:23 So tell us about the requests
07:26 that we received from the Baptist Hospital?
07:30 So I'm part of a group of Christians
07:35 who are looking to see how we can respond to this,
07:38 you know, COVID crisis,
07:39 whether it is to help with oxygen
07:43 or to help with actual admissions,
07:45 because there are no beds.
07:47 And we get about 200 phone calls a day.
07:50 We've got volunteers working round the clock to try
07:53 and access beds in hospitals for the very serious.
07:58 We started food distribution about three weeks ago
08:02 for those who've been home quarantined.
08:03 But there are lots of elderly people,
08:08 you know, husbands and wives, whose children are abroad,
08:10 who've got COVID
08:12 and they just don't have any help.
08:13 So we've...
08:15 We're supplying food to more than 210 families
08:19 of say four or six
08:22 who are just shut off from the outside world.
08:25 What this disease does, is it isolates you,
08:28 you know people don't wanna come,
08:30 you are forced to be in a home quarantined,
08:32 you can't get access to food.
08:33 So that's one of the responses we have been,
08:36 you know, doing over the last three weeks,
08:38 but the medical response.
08:41 Baptist Hospital is one of the premium mission,
08:44 Christian mission hospitals in Bangalore.
08:46 And a lot of us actually access our medical care from there.
08:50 And though that hospital has been,
08:53 you know, completely flooded with requests
08:55 that have turned away ambulances
08:57 with very serious people because they don't have beds.
09:00 So one of the requests that came from them was
09:03 if we could help them with the ventilator,
09:06 they could increase the capacity of beds
09:09 to look after some very serious people.
09:11 The other requests are from another mission hospital
09:14 called the Marthoma Mission Hospital
09:17 which has just ramped up an entire floor of beds,
09:20 and they needed some medical equipment
09:22 to help them to deal with these cases.
09:24 We ourselves have actually sent pastors
09:28 and Christian people as referrals to these,
09:32 both these hospitals, and they have recovered.
09:34 So we are really looking to see
09:37 how we can help them in this time of need
09:39 to ramp up their medical facility,
09:42 to be able to treat more people,
09:44 especially Christian people,
09:45 Christians who are struggling and the poor.
09:48 Well, we're very excited that tonight
09:50 we are sending you the money for the ventilator
09:54 and the supportive equipment.
09:56 Just very quickly, can you assure us
09:59 that the money will get to the right people
10:02 and that the ventilator will get to the hospital?
10:06 So, let me assure you that this is us,
10:11 that is me in this group.
10:13 I have known these, it's a group of doctors,
10:17 medical suppliers,
10:18 I'm in direct contact
10:20 with the medical supplier of the equipment.
10:23 In fact, this morning I spoke to him
10:25 and he reassured me that he has supplies
10:28 because people are running out of supplies
10:31 at this time.
10:32 So, yes, I am in direct contact, Jim.
10:34 The money will be paid directly to the vendor
10:38 and we have already gotten to an agreement
10:41 of how the payment will go through
10:43 and how the machines will be delivered.
10:45 I am in touch with the Baptist Hospital.
10:48 We have got letters from them
10:51 and which we will send on to you
10:53 where they have assured us that
10:54 these equipments will be used immediately,
10:57 put to use immediately.
10:59 So please rest assured
11:01 that this money that you are raising,
11:03 thank you so much for it
11:05 at this time of need
11:06 will go towards the equipment directly to the vendor
11:11 and to the hospital.
11:12 And I will personally make sure that
11:15 we actually have evidence
11:17 that the machines have reached and they are in use
11:20 and that we can send also, please rest assured
11:23 that we are following up as closely as possible
11:27 to ensure that the machines are reaching
11:30 exactly where they need to be to help people.
11:34 Anita, that's just amazing.
11:36 And we are so excited that we can support.
11:40 And I know that the people are watching this
11:43 who support Child Impact International,
11:46 and have effect in supported Operation Child Rescue,
11:51 because Anita is responsible for the rescues in Bangalore.
11:56 And also the anxiety home
11:59 that I know many of you have supported.
12:03 This emergency is overwhelming.
12:06 This emergency is beyond comprehension.
12:09 And I would just ask that if you wish to contribute
12:13 to this emergency,
12:15 please go to the child website
12:17 and we're putting it through the Food, Health
12:20 and the Education Emergency Appeal,
12:22 and you'll be able to see it on our website.
12:25 Anita, we appreciate what you're doing.
12:28 And our prayers are with you in the work that you do.
12:32 And we're very proud and excited
12:35 that we can assist you on the ground
12:38 in Bangalore, India.
12:39 Child Impact is proud of the work
12:42 that you and your team do.
12:44 Thank you.
12:45 Thank you very much, Jim.
12:46 And thank you to all the donors and supporters
12:48 who, you know, who have a heart for India.
12:51 And thank you for just meeting our need
12:54 at this very critical time.
12:56 Thank you so much.
13:00 Well, you've heard from Anita,
13:03 the situation on the ground at Bangalore.
13:06 And, in fact, it's the same all over India.
13:09 And I guess it's a little hard for us to comprehend,
13:12 but we've seen it on the news.
13:15 And as we receive this special requests
13:18 from our Christian brothers,
13:21 we believe that we need to help.
13:23 And as you know, we operate the Rice, Health
13:27 and Education Appeal.
13:29 And so for this month any funds could come in.
13:32 We're going to allocate to help
13:34 these Christian doctors in hospitals
13:37 with oxygen equipment or beds
13:40 or anything they originally need.
13:43 You know, I really appreciate the generosity
13:46 you've shown already for this appeal.
13:49 And I guess we're not normally in the emergency field,
13:54 but we just have a responsibility to help.
13:57 And I know you want to help.
13:59 And so I just ask you to consider supporting
14:02 the Child Impact, Rice, Health and Education Appeal.
14:07 You can go to our website, childimpact.org
14:11 and you'll see
14:12 the Rice, Health and Education Appeal
14:15 featured there.
14:17 And I would just wanna thank you
14:18 for the support you're given
14:20 and the support you will give
14:23 as we look at this tragic situation in India.


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Revised 2023-01-17