Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM001212S
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00:01 Child Impact International is an organization
00:03 that gives hope and fosters permanent, 00:05 positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:08 and their communities. 00:11 Countries include Zambia, Kenya, 00:15 India, Nepal, 00:17 Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. 00:20 Child Impact's investment in the lives 00:22 of more than 3,500 children 00:24 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 give hope 00:39 to the ones who need it the most. 01:01 Nepal is a country full of diversity. 01:04 It is located between Tibet of China to the north 01:08 and India to the south, east and west. 01:11 Geographically, it ranges 01:12 from fertile plains near sea level, 01:15 to forested hills in eight of the world's 01:17 10 tallest mountains, 01:19 one of which is Mount Everest, the tallest point on earth. 01:23 This makes Nepal a very geographically 01:26 diverse country that is only somewhat 01:28 larger than the state of Arkansas. 01:30 The people of Nepal originate from India, Tibet, 01:33 North Burma, and China. 01:36 But that's only the tip of the iceberg. 01:39 One hundred and twenty five distinct ethnic groups, 01:42 speaking 123 different mother tongues, 01:45 all call Nepal home. 01:47 Religiously, they are not as diverse, 01:50 with 81% of the population being Hindu, 01:53 9% being Buddhist, 01:55 and then a small percentage of other religions, 01:57 including only 1.4% being Christian. 02:01 Poverty is a struggle for most Nepalese. 02:05 This poverty creates burdens 02:06 and problems in every aspect of life. 02:09 Many Nepalese have to survive on two dollars a day, 02:12 which means that 02:14 they are not able to have access 02:15 to health care, 02:16 even though the average doctor's visit 02:18 only costs a dollar. 02:20 In many countries with high levels of poverty, 02:22 like Nepal, 02:24 women and children are the ones 02:25 that suffer the most. 02:27 With even the basics taking up all of their money, 02:30 it is impossible for them to fund 02:32 an education for their children. 02:35 In the midst of all this need, 02:36 Child Impact is working to help the Nepalese 02:39 For most of our work is in India. 02:43 But when we come to Nepal, 02:46 we see a different level of poverty. 02:48 The economy is certainly worse here, 02:50 the level of poverty, the level of pollution, 02:54 there's a huge need, and we want to do 02:56 more in Nepal. 02:57 In each of the many countries that Child Impact operates, 03:00 they seek to address 03:01 the greatest need in that country. 03:03 Nepal has a unique issue that 03:05 Child Impact is working to improve. 03:07 The main thing that we're involved within Nepal 03:10 is the Scheer Adventist Memorial Hospital, 03:13 and there's two aspects to that. 03:15 One is that we are still doing woman's prolapse operations, 03:20 which have a huge need in Nepal. 03:23 And also the school is very involved 03:26 in treating burns for children. 03:28 Nepal seems to have a high number of child burns, 03:34 and I guess this is brought 03:35 from the gas in the houses 03:38 and just simply the lack of education 03:41 in dealing with gas and fire. 03:43 And so we're very excited that we can partner 03:45 with Scheer Adventist Memorial Hospital in Nepal. 03:50 Scheer Memorial Hospital 03:52 has a long history of helping the people of Nepal. 03:55 Beginning in the late 1950s by Dr. Stanley 03:58 and Raylene Sturges, 04:00 in the village of Banepa, 04:01 it has grown to be a beacon for the surrounding area. 04:04 One of the many ways that 04:06 Scheer helps the people of Nepal 04:07 is through surgeries 04:09 to fix the problem of uterine prolapse. 04:11 Yeah, this is something very interesting, 04:12 because this condition of uterine prolapse 04:15 is not so common in most of the countries. 04:18 But interestingly, in Nepal, 04:20 it is very common to see uterine prolapse in woman. 04:25 And the reason, we don't know exactly the reason, 04:27 but over here the ladies 04:30 have had to carry a lot of weight. 04:32 So, weight carrying also 04:34 provide incidence of prolapse more high, 04:39 also having more children 04:41 also provide a more incidence of having this problem. 04:45 So it is multifactorial, 04:47 you cannot point to only one thing 04:51 but what we know is that 04:53 in Nepal it is very common to have this problem. 04:58 Due to the extreme poverty of Nepal, 05:00 women are often used to carry heavy loads, 05:02 which sometimes weigh over 100 pounds. 05:05 Often they are not given time to rest after giving birth, 05:08 but have to resume working. 05:09 While these may not be the direct cause 05:11 of prolapse in Nepal, 05:13 it is more than likely a contributing factor. 05:15 Thanks to the support of Child Impact, 05:18 many women are able to find relief at Scheer Memorial. 05:21 It's the only Adventist Hospital in Nepal. 05:24 It's a critical part of the church in Nepal. 05:28 And they now have the facilities to do 05:32 the prolapse operations. 05:35 And so our funding program is very valuable to them, 05:40 because they have plenty of capacity. 05:42 And so, for us, it's very rewarding, 05:46 not only to make the lives... 05:50 The change of lives with the woman, 05:52 but also we're able to help the institution in gaining work 05:56 and doing work in the community. 05:59 Here at the hospital, 06:01 we have done a lot of prolapse operations. 06:04 I think I forget how many years 06:06 we've been doing it now, maybe 10 or 11 years. 06:09 But during that time, 06:10 we have now operated on between 8 and 9,000 ladies. 06:14 And to see the difference it makes, you know, 06:18 I just can't imagine 06:21 how these women like this being. 06:22 I remember one lady, she told us that 06:24 she had been walking around 06:26 with this prolapse hanging out of her body 06:29 for 50 years. 06:31 While the physical suffering that 06:32 these women go through is unimaginable, 06:35 their pain does not end there. 06:37 You know, in Nepal, given the family structure, 06:40 the cultural environment, 06:43 women with this sort of affliction 06:45 or issue are usually shunned. 06:48 If they are still within the family, 06:51 they're usually locked away. 06:52 So they are not seen. 06:54 They are the invisible women in the country. 06:57 So by helping these women, we do multiple things. 07:00 We restore these women to have 07:03 and empower them to a full participation 07:06 in the family and their society. 07:08 It's actually transforming their lives. 07:11 So once they're accepted into the family, 07:13 they also then can contribute to the family, 07:16 hold the head up high, 07:17 the family is proud of them, 07:19 there are no issues with them, 07:21 so that they can then get employment too, 07:24 and also contribute to the family. 07:26 So by helping these women, we transform their lives, 07:29 help them integrate into their families, 07:32 help the families develop to be whole families, 07:35 not families with some shame in them, 07:37 but whole family, so the entire family benefits 07:40 and then these people 07:42 can participate in their society. 07:44 So one operation transforms a whole range of people 07:49 and has the potential to transform society. 07:53 That is the power of helping one. 07:56 One person helping one can transform many. 08:01 The work of Scheer Memorial and Child Impact 08:03 has changed the lives of thousands of women 08:06 and their families. 08:07 These women are able to be a part of society 08:09 without shame and without pain. 08:12 Women's prolapse is only one effect 08:14 of Nepal's crippling poverty. 08:16 Child Impact is also working 08:18 to break the poverty cycle through education. 08:21 In Nepal, Child Impact is working closely 08:26 with what is called the ECA School. 08:29 It's a school that was originally located 08:33 at Scheer Adventist Memorial Hospital, 08:36 and has now moved about a mile away. 08:39 And we're very excited that 08:40 we can sponsor kids at the school 08:43 and help contribute to its growth. 08:48 And we're very committed to that school. 08:51 ECA gives hope to children 08:54 and their families that otherwise 08:55 would be stuck in povert 08:56 having to do back breaking labor. 08:59 The main thing is education. 09:01 And because in this part of the world, 09:03 if you've got no education, 09:05 your life is really, you know, 09:10 you can't earn hardly anything, all you can do is labor. 09:15 And in many places 09:16 what the labor is paid is almost nothing. 09:19 So I think education 09:21 just makes so much difference in this part of the world, 09:24 more than a dozen in Western countries. 09:28 One child whose life 09:30 is being changed is Suman Praja. 09:32 Suman was orphaned when he was very young 09:34 and was left to beg in the streets. 09:36 A local pastor found him 09:38 and took Suman to a small orphanage 09:40 that he was running. 09:41 His church members supported his work, 09:43 which supplied the food and housing for the orphans. 09:45 The church was unable to pay 09:47 for Suman's tuition fees at ECA. 09:50 Thankfully, Child Impact is sponsoring him. 09:52 This is the power of sponsorship, 09:54 the power to uplift a child from wherever they are 09:57 and give them a choice for their future. 10:01 In these cultures, usually, 10:03 the educated children will care for the parents 10:05 also when they get old. 10:07 Because if a parent gets to the place 10:09 where they're too sick 10:11 and too old to work in the fields 10:13 or whatever laboring work 10:15 they've been doing well, what do you do? 10:17 You basically beg, and starve, or, you know, 10:20 depending where you live, maybe some beggars or, 10:24 you know, can make a little bit. 10:25 But in remote areas, 10:28 especially if they're in a village 10:29 where everybody's poor, you know, 10:31 they're lucky to get anything. 10:33 So, I think a lot of parents also think about that, 10:36 that, you know, if my child gets a good education, 10:39 it'll also be a blessing to me in my old age. 10:42 Even though Child Impact has changed thousands of lives, 10:45 they are always looking to do more, 10:47 because the need is great. 10:50 And in fact, we want to widen our sponsorship in Nepal, 10:53 because the children of Nepal not only have the poverty cycle 10:57 that they need to break, 10:59 many of them are still suffering 11:01 from previous disasters, like the earthquake. 11:04 And so, a school that they can go to, 11:07 that will stay open and be regular, 11:09 is very important to the needs of the children 11:13 in that area. 11:14 The poverty in Nepal does not have to be permanent. 11:17 Through addressing the medical needs of women, 11:19 they can be restored to their families 11:21 and their communities. 11:23 They will no longer suffer under the crippling pain 11:26 of uterine prolapse, 11:28 thus improving the lives of this generation. 11:30 And through sponsorship, 11:32 the next generation is given the opportunity 11:34 to break the poverty cycle. 11:36 None of this would be possible 11:38 without the support of sponsors like you. 11:41 These children have joy 11:42 because of the hope that you have given them. 11:55 Hello, I'm John T. Boston, II. 11:57 And I want to first thank you 11:58 for taking the time to watch this very short video. 12:01 I want to tell you about a recent trip I took to Nepal. 12:05 There, it is an absolutely beautiful country. 12:09 But the needs are tremendous. 12:12 We have beautiful partners like our friends 12:14 at Scheer Memorial Hospital. 12:17 They help women recover from uterine prolapse. 12:21 They work with children who have been burned victims. 12:24 And your sponsorship for children 12:28 through Child Impact International, 12:30 it makes a direct difference 12:32 in the lives of these precious individuals. 12:36 I want you to know that 12:38 one of the most beautiful things 12:39 that you can do is to become a child sponsor. 12:42 And I want to encourage you to be a part of the work 12:45 of Child Impact International. 12:48 Children are selected based on need. 12:51 In other words, your sponsorship 12:54 is their lifeline. 12:56 You can see children 12:58 that need your help right now 13:00 by visiting childimpact.org 13:04 or you can call (423) 910-0667. 13:10 To those of you that are already sponsors, 13:13 thank you for the difference you are making. 13:16 And thank you to the new sponsors 13:19 who will take action today. 13:21 Again, visit us at childimpact.org 13:25 or call (423) 910-0667. 13:31 You are the help 13:33 that these children are waiting for. |
Revised 2021-11-18