Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM001111S
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00:03 Hi,
00:04 welcome to the Child Impact television program 00:07 Hope in Motion 00:09 which is showing our work in Bangladesh. 00:13 I just wanted to share with you before the program, 00:16 our current status with our work 00:18 in many countries. 00:20 In India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, 00:23 it is currently the school holidays. 00:26 And although the government has closed the schools, 00:29 in fact that would have been a holiday at this time. 00:32 I have to be honest with you, 00:34 we don't know when they will reopen. 00:37 And we are monitoring that very, very carefully. 00:42 Our focus at the moment 00:44 is ensuring that the schools open properly 00:47 and focus to ensure us that they have food 00:50 and that they have health supplies 00:53 for when they open. 00:55 Many of the families are struggling 00:57 back in the villages 00:59 and it is very, very difficult for us to contact them. 01:03 And we are monitoring the situation 01:06 very, very carefully, 01:08 as it varies from country to country. 01:12 I just want to thank you for your support. 01:14 And I also want to tell you 01:16 that this series was filmed before the pandemic. 01:20 And it shows the challenges 01:24 and the excitement that we praise 01:26 for our work in Bangladesh. 01:28 I just want to thank you for your support. 01:31 It's been overwhelming, and we are very, very grateful, 01:35 the kids are grateful. 01:37 And if you want to help us, 01:40 I have to be honest 01:41 that our where needed most fund, 01:43 and also our blind there from orphans run 01:47 currently could do with some funds. 01:50 But we are grateful that the Lord has blessed us 01:53 and I just hope 01:54 that you will enjoy this program 01:56 about Child Impact work in Bangladesh. 02:10 A school's mission is far from singular, 02:13 not dedicated to a single course of action 02:16 or problem to be remedied. 02:17 In most cases to simply educate a child 02:19 is not enough. 02:21 This is true everywhere 02:22 but even more so in developing countries 02:24 where the needs of a child are so dire and broad. 02:27 An example of this broadening of a school's objectives 02:30 can be found in Bangladesh, 02:31 where Seventh-day Adventist Maranatha Seminary, 02:34 an Adventist Mission School of 800 students is located. 02:38 For a mission school in the country 02:39 facing extreme poverty, two more objectives are key. 02:43 The first is to share the message of Christ 02:45 with an unfamiliar population of young people. 02:48 The second and perhaps equally challenging 02:50 is to elevate the standard of living 02:51 of the children who study there. 02:58 The economy creates barriers to education 03:00 for many children in Northwestern Bangladesh. 03:04 If a child's parents are so poor 03:06 that they must use their child for economic purposes, 03:09 such as arranged marriage or child labor, 03:11 their shot at education disappears. 03:14 If a child is too far 03:15 from traditional educational outlets 03:17 or cannot leave the home for other reasons, 03:19 once again they lose out on a chance to learn. 03:22 Sponsoring students allows them to overcome 03:24 both of these barriers 03:26 and place them in an environment 03:27 where they're fed, 03:29 housed and able to focus on their studies 03:31 in safety and peace. 03:34 But more central to the whole process 03:36 removing these barriers and placing students 03:38 in a positive boarding school environment 03:39 is only one part 03:40 of how the school aims 03:42 to affect the lives of its students. 03:46 Another significant part 03:47 is opening opportunities for students 03:49 as they reach adulthood, 03:50 which allows them to break the cycle of poverty 03:52 and elevate their communities. 03:54 In this episode, 03:56 we learn the stories of several former students 03:58 of Seventh-day Adventist Maranatha Seminary 04:00 or SAMS 04:01 and see the impact that quality, 04:03 faith centered education has had on their careers 04:07 and their ability to serve others. 04:10 After the Child Impact team arrived at SAMS, 04:13 they met the faculty 04:14 and surveyed the conditions around campus. 04:16 The stories of several different SAMS' alumni 04:18 came to light 04:19 and Child Impact CEO Jim Rennie 04:21 made sure to sit down with each of them 04:22 and learn more about their stories. 04:25 The first story we encountered was actually two, 04:28 but to paraphrase the Book of Genesis, 04:29 the stories had long since become one. 04:33 We got another interview, 04:35 but this time it's with a couple 04:38 who work here at SAMS College. 04:41 And, in fact, the lady was here as a student 04:46 when this college was built. 04:50 So as well as finding out about them and what they do, 04:54 we're going to find out 04:55 about when the college was built. 04:58 So good morning. Good morning. 05:01 So tell me your name. 05:03 I am Mrs. Putoi Pronoti Toppo. 05:06 Right. My name is Prodip Toppo. 05:08 Okay. 05:10 And tell me what do you do in Bangla? 05:22 And you, a teacher? 05:33 Tell us, you were a student. 05:36 How long were you a student at the school? 05:47 So were you at the school 05:50 when Mr. McNeilus family built this school, 05:53 were you here? 05:54 Yes. 05:55 So you were a student? Yeah, I am a student. 05:57 At that time I was a student. Right. 05:59 So you saw all these buildings go up? 06:02 Yeah. 06:03 And when did you come? Were you a student here? 06:06 Yeah. Yes. 06:20 You met here? 06:22 Yeah. Yes, yes. 06:24 And you have family? Yes. 06:26 What children do you have? Two children, daughter. 06:30 We have two daughters. 06:31 You have been here a long time you have seen the school? 06:35 Yes. 06:36 So you must have seen many students? 06:38 Yes. 06:39 Do you see the difference 06:42 it make to other students learning well? 07:04 A wide range of aspects of life. 07:08 Yeah. 07:09 Tell me, do you think sponsorship makes a difference? 07:13 Tell me is sponsorship effective? 07:17 Is sponsorship a good thing for the children? 07:34 So tell me about your family, your mother and father, 07:39 did you come from a village? 07:40 Where did you come from? 08:27 So once again we hear these tough stories 08:30 of where one of the parents passes away. 08:34 She came to the school, 08:36 had no sponsorship for the first two years. 08:40 Just after she came here, her father passed away. 08:43 And her mother really struggled with six children. 08:47 She really just had no income at all. 08:50 And, in fact, we met a girl yesterday 08:52 that simply doesn't go home in the holidays 08:55 because her mother doesn't even have the bus fare. 09:00 It's just so heartening to hear 09:03 the difference that we're making. 09:05 Here's this girl that her mother had no hope 09:08 and yet here she is now teaching. 09:11 She's the secretary to the principal. 09:13 And it just shows you the impact 09:16 that sponsorship had. 09:18 And now she's got a family. 09:20 It makes a real difference. 09:22 Tell me about your family? 09:53 While the ability of the school 09:54 to create the professionals needed 09:56 to sustain its own operations is extremely useful, 10:00 the work opportunities for students of such schools 10:02 extend well beyond the campus walls. 10:06 We also were told of Jenifer Ekka, 10:09 a SAMS alumnus who has found gainful employment 10:12 providing IT services for the government, 10:14 Panchbibi Upazila, 10:16 the equivalent of a county in the United States. 10:21 Jenifer sat down to talk to us through her job 10:24 and how the education she received at SAMS 10:26 enabled her to secure the position. 10:28 Jenifer's background threatened to limit her future 10:30 ability to provide for her basic needs. 10:33 It was the intervention of schooling at SAMS 10:35 that changed this prospect made possible by sponsorship. 10:39 Jenifer, tell me you came to SAMS, 10:42 you were at the school? 11:10 And when you left SAMS College, 11:13 where did you do your tertiary training? 12:05 Well, this young lady's got ambitions. 12:07 She graduated, she did university studies. 12:14 And now she's studying her master's 12:16 as well as working as well as helping others. 12:20 And she wants to be a college professor. 12:24 And this is so encouraging 12:27 to hear someone that has gone so far, 12:30 and is still determined to go further. 12:32 So, Jenifer, well done. 12:36 And we wish you well in becoming a professor. 12:39 And it's just so great to hear these stories, 12:42 because girls face many challenges 12:46 in a poor society. 12:48 And Jenifer's not only succeeded, 12:51 she's helping others. 12:53 A great story. 12:55 Through the stories 12:56 of Mr. and Mrs. Toppo and Jenifer, 12:58 the compounding benefits of Adventist Mission schools 13:01 like SAMS 13:02 and the sponsorship that allows for much of the student body 13:05 to attend becomes clear. 13:07 Education is not meant to be a momentary benefit to a child, 13:10 but a lasting one, 13:11 something which is especially crucial 13:13 in economically depressed environments, 13:15 where upward mobility 13:17 often requires outside assistance to happen. 13:19 The benefits of education 13:20 are supposed to last a lifetime, 13:23 whether they be basic life skills, 13:25 the knowledge needed to seek a gainful living, 13:27 or most importantly, 13:28 a relationship with Jesus Christ. |
Revised 2020-06-18