Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM001201S
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00:02 Child Impact International is an organization
00:05 that gives hope and fosters permanent positive change 00:08 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:10 and their communities. 00:13 Countries include Zambia, Kenya, India, Nepal, 00:19 Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. 00:22 Child Impact's investment in the lives 00:24 of more than 3,500 children 00:26 continues to yield infinite returns. 00:29 Outreach spans from child rescue operations 00:32 to providing an education 00:33 and a home for deaf and blind children, 00:36 and orphans. 00:37 Above all, Child Impact's sponsors 00:40 give hope to the ones who need it the most. 00:58 India is a country of beauty and extremes. 01:02 It is the second most populous country in the world 01:04 while being the seventh in land area. 01:08 India is the largest democratic country 01:10 by population in the world 01:11 by becoming a Federal Republic in 1950. 01:15 It is a multilingual, 01:16 multiethnic society 01:18 that has grown from 361 million people 01:21 in 1951 to 1.2 billion in 2011. 01:27 The population is not the only thing 01:28 that has grown, 01:30 its economy has greatly expanded 01:31 also to the point where India 01:33 has its own space program 01:34 that has successfully completed 01:36 several extraterrestrial missions. 01:39 In that time its literacy rate 01:41 has also improved going from 16.6% to 74%. 01:46 In spite of these great achievements, 01:48 India still faces many issues. 01:51 Issues like gender inequality, child malnutrition, 01:54 human trafficking, 01:56 and lack of education for the poor. 01:59 Learning of the need, 02:00 Asian Aid began working in India 02:02 in the 1980s under Helen Eager's leadership, 02:06 many successful projects were started. 02:08 They continue to be a blessing to hundreds of children 02:11 through orphanages and schools. 02:15 The organization has grown 02:16 since then to the point where Asian Aid USA has changed 02:19 its name to Child Impact International 02:21 to better reflect its global mission. 02:25 Regardless of the name change, 02:26 India still holds a great deal of Child Impact's focus 02:30 as it is home to many of their projects. 02:33 While this episode is too short to highlight each one, 02:36 we will be looking at the main ways 02:38 that Child Impact has 02:39 and continues to positively change lives in India. 02:43 The first focus is helping 02:45 with the immediate basic needs of the children. 02:48 Sunrise Children's Home provides orphans 02:50 with a homelike environment 02:52 where they have food and loving care. 02:54 Beginning in 2001 with three children, 02:56 it soon grew into the first institution 02:59 that was entirely built and operated by Child Impact. 03:02 Jim Rennie visited Sunrise 03:03 when it was located in a small house. 03:05 Seeing the need, Jim knew that he had to help. 03:08 One of the first places 03:10 I visited was then the Sunrise Home. 03:13 And it was located in a very, very small building. 03:17 And I arrived late at night 03:19 and all the kids were sleeping on the floor, 03:21 shoulder to shoulder. 03:23 And to be honest, that shocked me. 03:25 And then I went back the next day 03:27 and met the children. 03:29 And I was just impressed that we had to do something. 03:32 And I said, "I've got to change this." 03:35 I simply can't walk away and leave these kids 03:38 in the condition that they were in. 03:41 Then the church made it known that 03:42 they had some rural land, 03:45 and I'm just so excited that over a period of five years, 03:49 that Child Impact International 03:51 along with the donors was able to build Sunrise Home. 03:56 It's an amazing facility that is now government licensed. 04:01 While Sunrise Home is fully owned 04:03 and operated by Child Impact, 04:04 they also work with many other orphanages 04:07 like Elim Home and Sunshine. 04:10 It may seem like being alone 04:12 on the streets would be the worst thing 04:13 that a child could face, 04:15 but there is another even greater danger. 04:18 Human trafficking is a threat that 04:19 too many children in India face. 04:22 Jim Rennie became acutely aware of this issue. 04:25 Over the years as I visited India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, 04:30 I became very aware 04:32 of the number of children being trafficked. 04:36 We've even had children disappear 04:38 from our schools that have gone home 04:40 for the holidays 04:42 and simply disappeared from the village, 04:44 they had been trafficked. 04:46 And the problem is huge. 04:48 And I just felt the burden that we had to do something. 04:52 We had to play a small part in helping rescue children 04:56 from the various aspects of trafficking. 05:00 Seeing the huge need, 05:01 Child Impact decided to partner 05:02 with a non-governmental organization 05:05 to begin to right the wrong done to these children. 05:08 That partnership resulted in Operation Child Rescue. 05:11 Operation Child Rescue 05:12 not only rescues young women from prostitution, 05:15 but also children from forced labor in factories 05:18 and abandoned babies. 05:20 Once rescued, Operation Child Rescue 05:22 provides them with a place 05:23 where they can heal 05:25 and grow into their full potential. 05:27 In order for all these children to reach their full potential, 05:30 whether they are from a poor family, 05:31 orphaned or trafficked, 05:33 they need to be equipped for the future. 05:36 This is where Child Impact's main focus comes in, 05:38 and that is education. 05:40 In a developing country, 05:42 it's very hard to break the poverty cycle. 05:45 And one of the key ways of giving a child a chance 05:48 to break that poverty cycle is giving them an education. 05:52 The reality is that they don't have that education. 05:56 They're really locked 05:57 into what's available back in the village 06:00 and the reality, not a lot. 06:02 So the education gives them 06:04 a chance of breaking out 06:06 into a far better career job 06:10 which once again impacts their family, 06:12 because most of them do give money 06:14 back to their family once they get a job. 06:18 Child Impact has made great strides 06:19 in giving children an opportunity at education. 06:22 They currently sponsor over 1,500 students 06:26 in over 50 schools across India. 06:29 While Child Impact is not directly involved 06:31 with all of the schools 06:32 where they sponsor students, 06:34 there is one that 06:35 they had a hand in its creation. 06:37 That school is Immanuel School in Jeypore, India. 06:41 Helen Eager had a dream of building 06:42 a school in the tribal region 06:44 located in the Indian state of Odisha. 06:46 Her dream became a reality 06:48 with the help of Garwin McNeilus 06:49 and his wife Marilee along with Maranatha Volunteers 06:53 and financial support from donors. 06:55 The school opened in 2006 06:57 with a capacity for 700 students 06:59 and offers an amazing opportunity 07:01 for poor tribal children. 07:03 The tribal areas are very poor 07:06 and when you understand the benefits of the child 07:10 being at Jeypore school. 07:13 First of all, they have a bed. 07:15 Back in the village they sleep on the floor with a blanket. 07:18 Secondly, they get feed. 07:21 Many of these tribal families struggle 07:24 because they're just farm laborers 07:27 or they're trying to eke out survival. 07:29 And so when the kids are at the school, 07:31 the parents know that the children are fed. 07:34 And thirdly, 07:35 they get a tremendous Christian education. 07:39 They have access to computers, electronic classrooms, 07:43 and they get thorough teaching in all subjects, 07:46 which is far more than they would get 07:48 at the local government schools in these remote areas. 07:53 But it's not just poor children 07:55 that Child Impact is offering an education too. 07:57 It is also those who have a disability. 07:59 In 2002, they built a school 08:01 for the hearing impaired in Kollegal, India. 08:04 The needs of deaf children are high, 08:05 especially in rural areas 08:07 where they often face prejudice and discrimination. 08:11 Having a school where they can learn skills 08:12 that give them opportunities 08:14 to have a choice in their career, 08:15 but they can pursue is critical. 08:18 Then in 2003, Child Impact opened a school 08:20 for the blind in Bobbilli. 08:22 This school especially 08:23 helps the poor children in rural areas 08:25 who would otherwise be left to do menial tasks 08:28 or even chained up at home. 08:30 The school for the blind gives them 08:31 hope to have fulfilling jobs and lives. 08:34 To me, it's just wonderful 08:36 to be able to do something for children 08:39 like the blind and the deaf 08:41 to give them an opportunity to do something special 08:45 with their lives for God. 08:48 And an opportunity that, you know, 08:51 coming from the villages and that they definitely 08:54 would never have had 08:55 with without the fact that our schools have been built 09:00 and sponsorship provided 09:01 so that the children can attend. 09:04 These children who suffer from a disability know that 09:06 they have a future 09:07 where they're able to choose their employment. 09:09 They are not a burden to their families, 09:11 but are able to provide for not only themselves, 09:14 but also their families. 09:15 Child Impact gives hope to children in India, 09:18 no matter their situation. 09:19 It's really tough in India, 09:21 the poverty, the number of people, 09:24 just the intense way of living. 09:27 You have to fight for survival. 09:29 And I guess it's just so enlightening 09:34 to see the hope that we do give children, 09:37 children who come from a poor village. 09:39 And one of the things 09:40 that's been a privilege in my job 09:42 is to go and visit the homes 09:45 where these children come from to meet their parents. 09:49 And often their parents are so grateful. 09:51 They want to kiss your hand or your feet that's just so, 09:55 it's embarrassing to be honest, 09:57 but they are just so grateful 10:00 that you the sponsors and our supporters 10:03 are giving these kids in education. 10:05 It doesn't matter if the children in a rural area 10:08 trafficked or have a disability, 10:10 they have a chance at a much better life, 10:12 thanks to sponsorship. 10:14 The education that sponsorship 10:15 provides has opened the world up 10:17 for them to go wherever God leads. 10:20 Two boys from Elim Orphanage, and one from Sunshine Home, 10:24 and about eight or more girls 10:26 from our Sunshine Orphanage 10:28 who are nurses and who are living there in 10:32 and working in UK. 10:36 And they have done very well and they, you know, 10:39 I've visited some of them 10:41 and it's so nice to see them 10:43 and to see them happy and really doing well 10:46 because they were given an opportunity 10:49 through sponsorship. 10:51 The work that Child Impact has done has made 10:53 all the difference in the lives 10:55 of thousands of children due in a large part 10:57 to high quality education. 11:00 What's our future in India? 11:02 Well, we are going to have to plan very carefully. 11:05 I have to be honest with you that 11:07 some of the mission school education 11:10 is now dropping below at certain standard, 11:13 and we have an obligation to ensure that 11:16 our children get an education 11:19 that's at least at government standard 11:22 and at the government acceptable level. 11:24 So we're going to choose very carefully 11:27 what schools we take on 11:29 and where we're going to operate in India 11:32 so that we can probably do a little less, 11:35 but do it far more effectively. 11:37 We will not drop any children. 11:40 And we're very committed to the children we have. 11:43 We're very committed to the special need school. 11:46 We're very committed to the orphans, 11:48 but we just simply, 11:50 again, to have to look carefully 11:52 at where we operate 11:53 and how we operate and do it better. 11:57 Child Impact is committed 11:58 to making sure that every dollar 12:00 they receive is used in the best way possible 12:03 that every child in their programs 12:05 will have the best opportunity 12:06 available to them through education. 12:09 Education that helps to address the many issues 12:11 that India faces. 12:13 It helps the orphaned, the trafficked, and the poor. 12:17 This new generation has the chance to make 12:19 a better life for not only themselves, 12:22 but for those around them and their country. 12:25 All this would not be possible without you, the sponsor. 12:28 Thank you to all the sponsors 12:30 who sacrifices that changed 12:32 so many lives in India and around the globe. 12:35 The impact that you're having in this world 12:38 can only truly be known in the world that is to come. 12:53 Sponsoring children 12:55 in activities like these mission schools 12:59 and opportunities is a tremendous way 13:03 to help form the character of young people 13:07 as they look to the future, 13:08 they will never forget 13:10 their association in a Christian environment. 13:13 And by God's grace, 13:15 many of them will become 13:16 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 13:19 It is absolutely a powerful witness 13:22 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 13:26 and so many other organizations 13:29 that help young people to find Jesus. 13:33 Sponsoring a child not only has short term effects, 13:38 but it has a long term effect. 13:41 Sponsoring a child is investing 13:43 in the character of a young person 13:45 for eternity that 13:47 we're taping this right here 13:49 in Myanmar at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary. 13:54 And about one-third of the students, 13:56 or one quarter of the students are being sponsored 14:00 by Child Impact. 14:01 People who become workers in God's church, 14:05 people who make an impact 14:07 in the community have been people 14:09 who have been sponsored. 14:11 Your sponsorship is absolutely 14:14 an investment in the future of the church. |
Revised 2021-08-02