Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000202S
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00:02 Child Impact International
00:04 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, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. 00:20 Child Impact's investment 00:22 in the lives of more than 3,500 children 00:25 continues to yield infinite returns. 00:27 Outreach spans from child rescue operations 00:30 to providing an education 00:31 and a home 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. 00:48 In remote villages in India, where poverty is a way of life, 00:52 going to a school and receiving an education 00:54 can have a dramatic impact 00:56 on a child's life, especially a girl child. 00:59 Child Impact International 01:01 has been sponsoring children's education in India 01:03 for nearly 10 years now, focusing on helping children 01:06 from poor backgrounds attend Adventist schools. 01:09 The Immanuel English School 01:11 in Jeypore, in the state of Odisha 01:13 is one such school 01:14 where Child Impact has made a real difference. 01:17 One of the schools that we're really proud of, 01:19 a school where the donors 01:21 have made a real difference 01:22 is the Immanuel School of Jeypore. 01:25 I think it's got over 700 children 01:28 and those children 01:29 are getting a quality of education. 01:31 They're well disciplined, they're wearing a uniform. 01:35 But the amazing thing is 01:36 that they come from very poor tribal areas. 01:40 And this school was established with that in mind, 01:44 that it would take children from poor tribal areas 01:47 who really don't have much of a chance 01:49 and give them a reasonable quality education. 01:52 And that's what Jeypore does. 01:54 It's just real amazing to go there 01:57 and see the children and if you could just go home 02:00 with one child and see what they go home to, 02:03 you'd see the difference it's making in their lives, 02:06 as well as getting an education. 02:12 Jeypore and most parts of Odisha 02:15 come under the so-called tribal belt of India, 02:17 where people live unaffected by civilizing influences, 02:20 largely cut off from the mainstream societies. 02:23 They live in remote regions 02:24 with little or no basic amenities. 02:27 Life is a struggle 02:28 and the plight of the children from these communities 02:30 can only be described as deplorable. 02:32 Sending their children to school 02:34 is not in the minds of parents 02:35 who struggle to provide the needs for their children. 02:38 Sulochana Diyari 02:39 is a 10th grade student at the school. 02:41 She comes from Meetiput, 02:43 a small tribal village 02:44 about 30 minutes drive from the school. 02:47 Her parents are farmers who own a small patch of land, 02:50 cultivating whatever is possible 02:51 during the monsoon season. 02:54 He says he has half acre of land 02:56 where they grow vegetables and some crops. 02:59 When they are done with their work, 03:01 they, both husband and wife 03:03 go to find some odd jobs to support the family. 03:07 The family has four girls. 03:11 And out of these, 03:12 two are studying in our school and two are at home. 03:16 And you find in Indian culture, 03:19 if there are girls in the family, 03:23 it is a matter of concern, especially when they 03:26 don't have money, when they are poor. 03:29 And the parents find it difficult 03:30 to educate them. 03:34 And the girls don't have any option. 03:36 They grew up, when they grew up 03:38 when they're little bigger. 03:39 Even those girls who has remained with parents, 03:42 they too go with them as daily laborers, 03:45 and once they attend certain age, 03:49 then they are, they get them married. 03:54 Sulochana is the oldest of four girls in the family. 03:57 In a gender biased world, 03:58 bringing up four little girls 04:00 in a rural community can be a burden, 04:02 for the parents and girls grow up 04:03 with all the pressures of the society. 04:05 But education can change these perceptions 04:07 and make them more aware of the world outside. 04:11 Education can transform a girl child. 04:15 Sulochana and her sister 04:17 who are getting educated in our institution, 04:21 their lives are transformed. 04:23 They no longer will depend on the parents. 04:27 They no longer will depend on the traditions 04:30 that they need to get married at a certain age. 04:33 They have their own choice, 04:34 they study and they have a good future. 04:38 They can earn 04:40 and so they are not dependent on the parents, 04:42 but they can depend, 04:44 they become independent, and in turn, 04:47 they are the ones 04:48 who will be able to guide 04:50 these illiterate and poor parents. 04:54 A sense of freedom 04:55 and self-belief that education instills in a child 04:58 is there for everyone to see. 05:00 For the school administration 05:01 and teachers to see their students grow into 05:03 fine young men and women, it's gratifying. 05:05 And they are proud of the association 05:07 they have with these children. 05:09 The first time I met Sulochana, she was very small girl, 05:13 and she was shy. 05:15 But as I see her, 05:17 she's growing into a very young woman, 05:20 and very active. 05:21 She takes part in all the school activities. 05:24 And one year she served as a sick monitor, 05:27 took good care of the sicker girls. 05:29 And she's very helpful to her little sister 05:32 who is also studying in this school. 05:34 And I'm so happy to say that 05:36 I see a lot of development in her. 05:39 Although Sulochana's parents, 05:40 like many in rural India struggle to earn $2 a day 05:44 and cannot afford to send their children to school. 05:46 They do view education as a catalyst for change. 05:49 In a developing country, 05:51 it's very hard to break the poverty cycle. 05:54 And one of the key ways of giving a child a chance 05:57 to break their poverty cycle is giving them an education. 06:02 The reality is that they don't have that education. 06:05 They're really locked into 06:06 what's available back in the village 06:09 and the reality not a lot. 06:11 So the education gives them 06:13 a chance of breaking out into a far better career, job, 06:19 which once again impacts their family, 06:22 because most of them do give money back 06:24 to their family, once they get a job. 06:27 Often these parents have not had an education themselves. 06:30 So understanding the value of education 06:33 is not there either. 06:34 So often these families don't promote education, 06:38 don't support them. 06:40 When these children come home from school, 06:42 can they do any homework with them? 06:43 No, they don't have the ability. 06:45 So the ability for these families, 06:47 they're really poor families 06:49 to help the child is non-existence, nonexistent. 06:52 They are striving, 06:54 they're struggling to get food to eat. 06:56 If they get one meal a day, they're doing well. 06:58 So where's the opportunity for them 06:59 to help the child to break out. 07:02 So Child Impact helps these children 07:07 who really don't have a supporting environment, 07:09 not that the parents don't want to, 07:10 they just don't know how to, 07:13 so Child Impact gives these children 07:15 the opportunity to make the difference. 07:19 Today, over 3,000 children in India 07:22 are sponsored by Child Impact 07:24 and because of their commitment 07:26 to the welfare of children, 07:27 especially children from tribal communities 07:29 and villages, these children 07:30 are reaping the benefits of an Adventist education. 07:33 Without sponsorship, many of the poor children 07:37 and especially Adventist children 07:39 they will be, 07:41 they will remain backward, they will remain illiterate. 07:44 There have been 07:46 so many requests of Adventist parents coming 07:49 and requesting for sponsorship. 07:51 So many times, we just refuse saying that 07:55 there is no sponsorship and without fees, 07:58 we cannot keep them 07:59 because school can't afford to educate. 08:02 We are educating a few of them, 08:04 but we cannot educate many of them. 08:07 And that is how, 08:08 that is why we need sponsorship. 08:11 And without sponsorship, 08:13 these children will not have a future. 08:15 Sulochana and her sister Mamita 08:17 have been sponsored by Child Impact. 08:19 Ever since they came to live and attend school 08:21 at Immanuel English School in Jeypore. 08:23 For girls like Sulochana, attending school 08:26 and receiving an education is a blessing. 08:28 And without sponsorship, 08:29 she and her sister would face an uncertain future. 08:34 He says that they're very happy that their two children, 08:38 somebody is helping them to study and he says, 08:42 with his financial problem, 08:45 he would have never been 08:46 able to send his two daughters to the school. 08:49 And he's so thankful 08:51 to whoever is helping them for the studies 08:55 and he's grateful to them 08:56 and he says that I pray to the God to bless them 09:00 and give them good health and strength. 09:08 Mamita Malik lives with her grandparents. 09:11 She lost her mother when she was just a little baby 09:13 and her father abandoned her. 09:16 When a child is orphaned 09:17 or abandoned at such a young age, 09:19 the unfortunate burden of caring for them 09:21 falls upon their elderly grandparents 09:23 who barely have any means to support them. 09:26 This is Mamita's grandmother, her daughter was married. 09:29 And when the baby was born after six months, 09:32 the in-laws and husband 09:34 started ill-treating Mamita's mother, 09:37 so the grandparents brought their daughter 09:40 and Mamita to their home. 09:42 And after a year, 09:44 she fell sick and had a kidney problem. 09:47 So she died. 09:49 Seeing the elderly couple 09:50 struggle with their granddaughter, 09:51 a government employee 09:53 from the village who had knowledge 09:54 about the Adventist boarding school 09:55 at Jeypore suggested Mamita to be taken there. 09:59 Like a majority of students at Immanuel School, 10:01 Mamita received sponsorship through Child Impact. 10:05 Well, sponsorship obviously gives the child an education, 10:09 but has a real impact on the family. 10:13 You can't imagine living in poverty, 10:15 struggling day to day to feed your children. 10:18 So first of all, the parents are just so excited that 10:21 their child's getting a genuine education. 10:24 But it also brings relief to the family 10:26 because in many cases, 10:28 the children go to boarding school. 10:30 And so they know their child is being fed. 10:33 They know their child is being looked after. 10:35 And then when the child comes back to the village, 10:38 they have a stronger willingness to work. 10:40 And in fact, when they come back 10:42 as older students, 10:43 they can do things around the village. 10:45 They can help within English, they can help people with 10:48 computers that has a dramatic effect 10:51 on the impact of the family 10:53 and in turn the community. 10:57 Grandparents like these, 10:58 it is quite difficult 11:00 to take care of their grandchildren 11:02 who have no parents. 11:04 So if Mamita would not be in the school, 11:07 she would just go for manual labor 11:09 when she's at the age of working, 11:11 and later on, when the time 11:14 would have come for marriage, that's the life. 11:17 There will be no bright future 11:18 if she didn't have the opportunity 11:20 to study in this school. 11:22 Life in rural India is simple. 11:25 During the day, people either go to the fields 11:27 or graze what little livestock they have. 11:29 There is a clear order 11:30 of social precedence based on gender. 11:32 And women have little or no say in its structure, 11:35 often leading to unjust practices 11:37 and misery. 11:38 If it weren't for Immanuel School 11:40 and the timely intervention 11:41 of Child Impact girls like Mamita and Sulochana 11:44 would have seen misfortunes of so many young girls 11:47 like them in their villages. 11:49 So what do you want to do when you finish your studies? 11:53 I want to be a nurse. Nurse, why? 11:56 Because my grandmother aim is that. 12:02 Oh your grandmother's aim is that you become a nurse? 12:05 Yes. Okay. 12:06 And what would you like to tell your sponsors, 12:09 you know if they see this? 12:10 What would you like to tell them? 12:13 I like to thank them from the bottom of my heart 12:16 because when I was small from that time 12:19 they take care of me and when I came here, 12:24 they help me, for that I'm really happy. 12:27 If they could not help me, 12:29 I could not be here at this time 12:31 because my parents, they cannot pay any money. 12:35 For that I thank them from the heart. 12:41 Sulochana's emotions are testimony 12:43 to what a simple gesture of sponsoring 12:46 a child's education can achieve. 12:49 To our sponsors at Child Impact, 12:51 we thank you for your generosity. 12:53 Every smile we get to see on the face of a child, 12:56 every anxiety removed from a parent's life 12:59 and every folded hand that are grateful bear witness 13:02 to your kindness and goodwill. 13:04 Thank you, you are making a difference. 13:16 I just got a letter 13:18 from our sponsored daughter Sheila, 13:20 I've got to tell you, 13:21 there is nothing like getting one of these letters. 13:23 Our family has been able to sponsor her 13:25 through Child Impact International. 13:27 And because of that, 13:29 she's got a great place to live. 13:30 She's got good food, she's got great clothing. 13:33 Best of all, I now found out she's in college, 13:36 she's in nursing school. 13:38 There's nothing like getting a letter like this. 13:41 You need to start getting these letters too. 13:43 Listen, through Child Impact, 13:45 you can make a huge difference in the life of a child. 13:48 And I promise you, it's going to make 13:50 a huge difference in your life too. |
Revised 2020-08-07