Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000207S
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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, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, 00:18 Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. 00:21 Child Impact's investment 00:22 in the lives of more than 3,500 children 00:25 continues to yield infinite returns. 00:28 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, 00:37 Child Impact's sponsors 00:38 give hope to the ones who need it the most. 00:51 Situated amidst lush green paddy fields 00:53 of Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh, India 00:56 is an institution that is home 00:57 to some of the most disadvantaged children 01:00 in the society. 01:03 This is the school for the blind 01:04 run by Child Impact International. 01:08 In a world 01:09 where blindness is considered a curse 01:11 and blind children are abandoned, 01:13 this campus is a refuge for children 01:15 seeking care and comfort. 01:23 There are various circumstances 01:24 that have contributed to these children 01:26 losing their sight. 01:27 Some of them are victims of accidents, 01:30 some due to vitamin deficiency 01:32 factored by lack of nutritious food, 01:34 but most of them were born blind. 01:36 Okay. 01:40 Fine. 01:42 Okay, very... 01:44 Okay, very good. 01:45 Akhila Macha 01:46 is a seventh-grade student at the school. 01:48 She comes from a small tribal community 01:50 not far from the school in Bobbili. 01:52 Akhila is the second-girl child in the family 01:55 and was born blind. 02:11 When Akhila was born blind, 02:12 her father wouldn't accept her 02:14 and wanted to abandon and leave her at the hospital. 02:18 In a patriarchal society 02:20 where a girl child is often considered a burden, 02:22 Akhila's father did not want another girl child, 02:26 that too, a girl child with visual impairment. 02:31 You know, there are people who are poor, 02:34 who are really struggling to bring her up 02:36 to look after their family and bring up their kids. 02:38 And then what happens if you're a girl in the family, 02:41 where do you sit in the hierarchy? 02:43 How are you accepted in society? 02:45 Boys given education above the girls. 02:47 So straightaway, 02:49 the girls really have an extra challenge here. 02:51 And imagine if that girl has a disability, 02:54 where does that person sit? 02:56 So the need to provide 02:59 special support for all children, 03:01 but especially for girls 03:03 who have disabilities is an amazing opportunity 03:07 to help them 03:08 because there is very little that can be done. 03:10 And if they are in their family environment, 03:13 they can't really contribute, 03:15 they can't work and contribute to their families 03:16 so they are a real burden to their family. 03:18 So we can transform not just the child, 03:22 but the family as well 03:23 by creating a whole new world for this child 03:26 and for the family. 03:31 Cultural issues are hard to understand. 03:34 It may even seem bizarre and cruel at times. 03:37 It's difficult to change people's perceptions 03:39 that are rooted deep. 03:41 While rural traditions and socioeconomic difficulties 03:44 dictate life in rural India, 03:46 their children pay the price. 03:48 In rural villages 03:49 where being handicapped is considered a curse. 03:52 Blind children face an uncertain future. 03:58 For blind children like Akhila, 04:00 the school for the blind in Bobbili 04:02 is a place of refuge. 04:15 Every year we go for campaign 04:18 to find visually impaired children. 04:21 That's how we found Akhila in our village, 04:24 and we saw her, 04:25 and she was so in a pity condition. 04:28 And we talked to their parents. 04:31 Mother was not convinced 04:34 to send her to hostel or to a school 04:36 because she was afraid something would happen 04:39 or something we would do for the child. 04:42 So she was not convinced for one year. 04:45 Again, we went next year. 04:50 And she sent some people to check how the school is 04:54 and what are the activities going on. 04:56 And then later on, she was fully convinced, 05:00 and she felt happy 05:01 that this is the place 05:02 where Akhila should go and study. 05:04 So that's how we picked her up from there to our school. 05:09 For all its traditions and practices, 05:11 the fact remains 05:12 that all parents love their children 05:14 and want the best for them. 05:16 So someone like Akhila, who comes from a tribal area, 05:20 the change for Akhila and her parents is huge. 05:26 Akhila would not have had any chance of education 05:29 without the blind school that she goes to. 05:32 Her parents were very cautious in letting her go. 05:36 But when they know 05:37 that she's getting an education, 05:39 they move from cautious and scared, 05:42 not knowing what to do with a blind child 05:45 to having hope to being proud. 05:47 And so Akhila is an example of the change that is made 05:52 by taking a child from a community 05:54 where there is no hope for them 05:56 and giving them an education and giving them hope. 06:04 Child Impact 06:06 sponsors the majority of children 06:07 living and studying at the school. 06:10 Without sponsorship, 06:11 these children would not have the opportunity 06:13 for a new chance in life. 06:15 The school for the blind is not just an institution 06:18 that provides food and shelter for the blind, 06:20 but it's an institution that prepares them 06:22 for the world outside. 06:25 We're not preparing them 06:27 only for a place to live and eat and grow up. 06:32 We're preparing them 06:34 for the opportunity to prepare for a career 06:38 where they can be self-sustaining adults 06:41 throughout their life. 06:43 It's not just a temporary fix, and then we kick them out, 06:47 or they had to survive on your own. 06:50 They then can leave the school and go out and fill a need 06:54 that will assist them with provide them for 06:57 where they become productive in society on their own. 07:02 The exciting thing in India 07:03 is that the government has made jobs 07:05 available for these children. 07:07 So we're equipping them 07:09 for roles that they can step into. 07:11 We're giving them 07:13 probably their only chance of any training 07:15 in this particular very rural, very tribal, 07:19 very poor community. 07:21 So we're not only giving them education, 07:23 we're giving them a critical steppingstone 07:26 for the roles that are available for them 07:29 in the community. 07:33 All things wise and wonderful 07:38 The lord god made them all 07:43 These children may not have the ability to see 07:46 but this disability does not deprive them 07:48 of the ability to learn. 07:49 They are perfectly capable 07:51 of acquiring skills needed for employment. 07:54 In fact, the Indian government refers to them 07:56 not as disabled but differently-abled, 07:59 and the school for the blind 08:01 provides them an ideal place 08:02 for these differently-abled children 08:04 to acquire skills. 08:06 For Akhila's parents who are daily laborers, 08:08 knowing their blind child is attending school 08:11 is a satisfying feeling. 08:13 If she didn't go to school, 08:16 she would be at home struggling everyday. 08:20 We will be worried every day because we have to go out 08:24 and ear our living. 08:26 Now that she is studying at the school 08:29 we are very happy. 08:39 Without sponsorship, 08:40 Akhila would not be at the school. 08:43 Today, because of Child Impact sponsorship program 08:46 and individuals supporting its program, 08:48 hundreds of differently-abled students 08:50 like Akhila can receive an education, 08:53 an education that will help them 08:54 to lead a dignified life. 08:57 If children like Akhila, if they don't come to a school, 09:03 they would have stayed at home, 09:05 the condition become worst, 09:07 and people don't really love her, 09:10 or they don't take her in the family. 09:13 So it is must for us to go forward 09:17 and find children and sponsorship for them, 09:21 especially, it's very much main to them. 09:25 Because people like Akhila, 09:28 who are visually impaired 09:30 needs to have this kind of education 09:33 in this part of Andhra Pradesh. 09:37 Child is the center of Child Impact's work, 09:41 whether one is able to contribute 09:42 in a small way or in a big way, 09:44 sponsorship endows these children's future 09:47 giving them the life they deserve. 09:49 Child Impacts work 09:51 with these special needs children 09:52 also has a much bigger impact in the community. 09:56 As special schools have a special impact, 09:59 and the reality 10:00 is many people at all levels of society 10:03 are becoming know our work 10:05 through these special homes and schools. 10:08 So they're impacting the child, the family, and the community 10:12 with what Christianity 10:14 and Seventh-day Adventists are all about. 10:17 Special Needs Ministries is an area 10:20 in which we are very, very interested 10:23 and very proactively working, 10:25 helping the world feel to understand 10:27 that there are many people in various areas and sectors 10:31 of the population that have not been touched. 10:34 Special Needs Ministries and Child Impact 10:37 is also extremely helpful to God's church 10:40 because those who are physically impaired, 10:45 those who are visually impaired 10:47 or perhaps hearing impaired, 10:50 they are the individuals 10:51 that are being wonderfully serviced 10:54 through Child Impact in India, 10:57 in other places, 10:58 six different countries that Child Impact is active in. 11:03 You know, the Lord really wants us 11:05 to attract and be friendly to and help 11:10 those who are the least of these, 11:13 and they in turn will then become 11:15 great missionaries for the Lord 11:17 within their sector and people group. 11:29 Thanks to the generous support 11:31 of Child Impact and its sponsors, 11:33 blind children like Akhila, 11:35 not only have a place 11:36 where they can acquire life skills 11:38 for the world outside, 11:39 but they have a place 11:40 where they can prepare their souls 11:42 for the world to come. 11:51 A couple of years ago, 11:52 my daughters and I had a wonderful opportunity 11:55 to travel to India. 11:56 And while we were there, 11:58 we met yet another part of our family. 12:00 And that's our sponsor daughter, 12:01 Sheila. 12:03 We've had the privilege of sponsoring Sheila 12:05 through Child Impact International 12:07 for more than three years now. 12:09 And, you know, while we were there, 12:11 she shared with us 12:13 that her dream was to become a nurse. 12:16 Now what a wonderful privilege it is for us 12:19 now as a family 12:20 to know that she is fulfilling that dream. 12:24 Sheila is now studying to be a nurse. 12:26 She's in college, 12:28 and we cannot be happier for her. 12:30 It's been wonderful 12:32 to be part of that journey with her. 12:34 And, you know, sponsoring a child 12:35 through Child Impact, 12:37 it's made an incredible difference 12:39 for our family. 12:40 And I know that for you sponsoring a child 12:42 can make a difference for you too. 12:44 And most importantly, 12:46 it can make the difference 12:47 in the life of a child every day. 12:56 Sponsoring children 12:58 in activities like these mission schools 13:02 and opportunities 13:04 is a tremendous way 13:06 to help form the character of young people 13:10 as they look to the future. 13:11 They will never forget their association 13:14 in a Christian environment. 13:16 And by God's grace, 13:18 many of them will become 13:19 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 13:22 It is absolutely a powerful witness 13:25 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 13:29 and so many other organizations 13:32 that help young people to find Jesus. 13:36 Sponsoring a child 13:38 not only has short-term effects, 13:41 but it has a long-term effect. 13:44 Sponsoring a child 13:45 is investing in the character of a young person for eternity, 13:50 that we're taping this right here in Myanmar 13:53 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, 13:57 and about one-third of the students 13:59 or one-quarter of the students 14:02 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 14:05 People who become workers in God's church, 14:08 people who make an impact in the community 14:11 have been people who have been sponsored. 14:14 Your sponsorship is absolutely an investment 14:18 in the future of the church. |
Revised 2020-08-14