Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM001106S
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00:06 Hi, there.
00:08 This is another program 00:09 in the Child Impact series 00:11 about our work in Bangladesh. 00:14 The virus pandemic is affecting countries 00:18 in different ways. 00:20 In countries like Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, 00:24 millions of low wage workers 00:26 have no work and get no assistance. 00:30 They were on the poverty line to start with. 00:33 So the result is that people are going hungry. 00:39 It's school holidays so Child Impact is planning 00:43 for when school starts again to ensure that 00:46 there is adequate food and health training. 00:49 Parents will be happy to have their children 00:52 at school so they get fed. 00:55 Thanks for your support. 00:56 It's been amazing and we still have huge needs. 01:00 I hope you enjoy this program 01:02 about a special sponsored girl in Bangladesh. 01:20 Bangladesh is a country filled with mostly young people. 01:23 Over half the population is at or under the age of 15, 01:27 that's around 70 million kids. 01:30 Bangladesh is struggling to deal 01:31 with the amount of children that suffer 01:33 from the death of a parent or both parents. 01:36 Life expectancy is better compared to before, 01:38 but even so, there are many children 01:40 who grew up without one or both parents. 01:43 Most of these children end up 01:45 living on the streets or working at a young age. 01:48 The hardest part for a child 01:49 in this situation is having to deal 01:51 with it in a healthy way and not ending up worse. 01:54 KMMS strives to make their school a place 01:57 that can help children cope with hardships in Bangladesh. 02:00 Sajuti is 11 years old 02:02 and has just begun the fifth grade at KMMS. 02:05 Though this is her first year in attendance, 02:07 she has three sisters and a brother 02:09 in what she describes to people as a happy family. 02:13 We have the opportunity to both, 02:15 talk to her and see how she lives at KMMS. 02:18 When did you come to KMMS? 02:23 How do you like the school so far? 02:26 What is your favorite thing about school? 02:32 What do you want to do 02:34 when you are finished with school? 02:36 Nurse. 02:52 Sadly her mother passed away not too long 02:54 before we got there. 02:55 She was very sad and noticeably reserved. 02:59 Millions of children in Bangladesh 03:00 go through this and usually have no choice 03:02 but to work and move on without a safe environment. 03:06 Death of a parent usually ruins a family 03:08 because income is really hard to come by. 03:11 The average salary is $1 a day 03:13 and most of that money 03:14 goes to buying food and little more. 03:17 That family lives 25 miles away, 03:19 a long distance for Bangladesh, 03:20 in a hut constructed from earth and tin. 03:24 Sajuti has been able to come to KMMS, 03:27 thanks to the sponsorship she got from Child Impact. 03:30 And now she's been able to live a better life 03:32 here at the school. 03:34 She had a sponsor and one sad news that, 03:40 last month she lost her mother. 03:43 And his father, he's not getting enough money 03:49 for surviving or operating their families. 03:54 And their elder sisters, 03:57 they're studying in the other boarding schools. 04:00 So they have to pay 04:01 their education fees over there. 04:03 So it is impossible for her father 04:06 to give the basic needs 04:10 of their children. 04:12 Yeah, it is a great help, you know, 04:14 to study in Adventist school and college, 04:17 because at Adventist school show their love and care 04:21 beyond any other institution, beyond expectation even. 04:25 And by the grace of God even there are some students, 04:28 they're never free, but they are faithful in study, 04:31 faithful in work, faithful to God, 04:35 and school take care of them, 04:37 and by the grace of God 04:38 even some help comes from here and there. 04:41 Students, they like the school environment. 04:45 And they like also education, Christian education. 04:48 And they can also develop their talents, you know, 04:52 joining many school program, 04:54 prophecy class, and also Sabbath school class, 04:58 also in song service, and different thing, 05:01 and the worship, 05:02 and they learn also leadership work. 05:05 So our school environment 05:07 is much better than government school, 05:11 public school. 05:12 So they like this school environment very much. 05:14 Even guardian also like this environment. 05:17 We have a government school but their school environment 05:20 is not good, not well secure, 05:23 and usually government school, the students are irregular. 05:27 But boarding school, students are regular. 05:30 If a simple... 05:33 If the environment is like, if it is little rain, 05:36 outside public school, they don't go to... 05:38 students, they don't go home, don't... 05:40 They don't go to school. 05:42 But in our boarding school, 05:44 even though there are some natural calamities, 05:46 but still school go regularly, 05:50 so easily they can maintain regular class 05:52 but government school, 05:54 they cannot maintain regular class. 05:57 KMMS helps students grow and develop their education 06:01 and habits through their planned routines. 06:03 Since children live here, 06:04 they need to follow some instructions 06:06 and have certain responsibilities. 06:08 Students help keep the school clean 06:10 and even help cook. 06:12 Students alter what they are assigned to do 06:14 in order to gain other skills 06:15 like cooking, cleaning and farming. 06:18 We have seven days in a week. 06:21 Usually our class starts 06:24 from Sunday to Thursday, 06:27 Fridays is a work day, 06:29 and Saturdays is our worship day 06:31 and our 5.30 is our rising bell, 06:36 then half an hour cleaning, 06:38 then after that they go for worship. 06:40 After worship, they go for breakfast, 06:43 7 o'clock, after breakfast, 06:46 most of the student they go to class 06:48 and maybe two classes they have work program, 06:50 cleaning, and all. 06:52 we have a morning session. 06:56 Then another session starts 06:58 1 o'clock so that lasts up to 4.30. 07:01 And work program actually afternoon, 07:06 3 to 5, then 5 to 6, sports time. 07:11 6.00 to 6.30 cleaning, then they do the worship 07:17 and they have their dinner. 07:20 Then they go to study hall 7 o'clock, 7 to 9 o'clock. 07:23 Then 9.30, they have silent bell. 07:28 So this is our everyday's program. 07:32 They get up early and go to worship, 07:34 each in their own dorm, and start the day with God. 07:37 They all gather and have breakfast 07:39 which is prepared very early 07:41 since breakfast starts at 6.30 in the morning. 07:44 They later have a combined worship 07:45 where announcements are also made. 07:47 Then classes begin 07:48 for the rest of the day at 8 am. 07:51 Once classes end for the day, 07:52 students get free time to have fun with friends. 07:55 They get to play games and sports together. 07:57 Throughout the day 07:58 is where students get assigned work. 08:00 Sajuti had to clean the leaves off the grass 08:03 and sidewalks for the day we interviewed her. 08:05 So a great part of my job 08:07 traveling for Child Impact at the field 08:10 is that we actually get to meet the sponsored children. 08:13 And here in Bangladesh, 08:15 sometimes the language is a bit of a challenge. 08:18 But at the end of the day, 08:19 we all seem to communicate well. 08:22 Now this is Sajuti, and she's 11 years of age. 08:26 Now sadly, her mother died 08:28 and her father is a day laborer. 08:30 And so his income is not reliable, 08:33 and she has four brothers and a sister. 08:36 And sponsorship really not only gives her 08:40 an education, 08:42 but it is bringing relief to her father 08:44 because he is struggling to cope 08:48 with the loss of their mother 08:49 and also generate an income for the family. 08:53 Now she wants to grow up to be a nurse 08:56 and is doing very, very well at school. 09:00 And the father is so grateful for sponsorship 09:03 because it gives him hope. 09:05 It gives his children hope. 09:07 And Sajuti is a excellent example of sponsorship 09:12 and the impact that it's having not only on her life, 09:15 but on her family's life. 09:17 It shows that sponsorship is effective. 09:21 Sajuti's father works as a day laborer, 09:23 and with no mother at home, 09:25 the family struggles to sustain itself. 09:28 Sponsorship is crucial 09:29 to Sajuti's continued attendance at KMMS, 09:33 which can board and feed her 09:34 and reduce the strain on her single father. 09:37 When students or children are in the boarding school, 09:40 they are safe from various kind of problems 09:46 like if they are in village school, 09:48 or in village, so there are many students 09:52 or many children, 09:54 they are free and they don't obey the time, 09:57 they don't follow the time, even they are free... 10:00 Since they are free 10:02 so they can walk here and there. 10:03 They don't care about their punctuality, 10:06 even they don't... 10:07 They are not serious in studies, 10:09 but when they are in boarding school, 10:11 so all of them, they are serious in studies, 10:14 like, if somebody... 10:17 One of his classmates 10:19 is studying hard to get good results, 10:23 so he is encouraged to be study 10:26 and also in the good environment, 10:29 they are happy. 10:32 Outside, in public school, 10:37 teachers are not punctual, always. 10:40 But they come for a moment 10:43 and they teach the students and they go out. 10:46 But in the boarding schools, there are some difference like, 10:50 they are caring, teachers are caring. 10:52 And they're also punctual. 10:58 Every day there should be class. 11:00 They must come to the class and also teachers 11:04 and students must attend to the class 11:08 and they cannot go around here and there. 11:12 So they should obey the system, boarding school system, 11:17 so this is the difference between 11:20 village schools and the boarding school. 11:23 At KMMS, Sajuti has decided to become a nurse, 11:26 and her favorite subject is English, 11:29 a subject she would not have become acquainted with at home. 11:32 She's seen how much KMMS has helped her 11:35 and she really wants to get her siblings 11:37 to go to KMMS as well. 11:39 She has three elder sisters and one brother, 11:44 and they are studying in the other schools. 11:46 But when I talked with her, that time she shared with me, 11:52 "Sir, I am trying my level best 11:54 to bring my sisters and my brothers over here 12:00 so they may get the proper education." 12:04 Within one year, she feels that 12:06 she is getting the proper education 12:08 and good education here. 12:10 So for that reason, 12:11 she is trying her level best to motivate her father 12:16 to bring their brother and sisters over here. 12:22 But his father is very poor. 12:24 Due to the money her father makes, 12:26 it's unlikely that they will be 12:27 able to get the same opportunities as her. 12:30 The only way would be through sponsorship. 12:32 Sajuti managed to get sponsorship 12:34 and that alone is giving her 12:35 a healthy environment to grow and have a bright future. 12:38 Even then, she depends on the continual sponsorship. 12:42 In my role, it's a privilege 12:44 to be able to come and see the schools 12:46 where we have sponsorship like this one in Bangladesh. 12:50 Sponsorship gives hope for education, 12:53 it gives hope for families and it really has an impact. 12:58 Standing here, I can see the difference 13:01 that sponsorship is making. 13:03 And if you don't sponsor a child, 13:05 I'd invite you to sponsor a child 13:07 or make a donation to our unsponsored child fund, 13:11 as there are many children here waiting for sponsorship. 13:20 A couple of years ago, my daughters and I 13:22 had a wonderful opportunity to travel to India. 13:26 And while we were there, 13:27 we met yet another part of our family. 13:29 And that's our sponsored daughter, 13:31 Sheila. 13:32 We've had the privilege of sponsoring Sheila 13:34 through Child Impact International 13:36 for more than three years now. 13:39 And, you know, while we were there, 13:41 she shared with us that her dream 13:43 was to become a nurse. 13:45 Now, what a wonderful privilege it is for us 13:48 now as a family to know that 13:50 she is fulfilling that dream. 13:53 Sheila is now studying to be a nurse. 13:56 She's in college 13:57 and we cannot be happier for her. 13:59 It's been wonderful 14:01 to be part of that journey with her, 14:03 and, you know, sponsoring a child 14:05 through Child Impact, 14:06 it's made an incredible difference 14:08 for our family. 14:09 And I know that for you, sponsoring a child 14:11 can make a difference for you too, 14:14 and most importantly, it can make the difference 14:16 in the life of a child every day. |
Revised 2020-05-07