Participants: Terry Benedict (Host)
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000024
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00:20 India is a land full of contrast.
00:25 It's a land of great mystery and beauty. 00:28 It's a land of unspeakable despair. 00:32 But traveling through India one thing is for sure, 00:35 it's a land filled with people 00:37 who should never be underestimated. 00:40 For the last 40 years 00:42 Asian Aid has invested in the futures of people 00:45 who have never been given such a chance 00:47 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 00:52 Driven by the vision of Helen Eager, 00:54 dedicated to helping those who have the least, 00:56 Asian Aid is an organization 00:58 in for many diverse development projects 01:00 and sponsoring thousands of children. 01:04 Their outreach spans from Bangladesh to Nepal, 01:07 Sri Lanka and beyond, from remote villages 01:11 and empty fields to sprawling centers of education, 01:15 from nothing to the unimaginable. 01:19 Now Asian Aid decided to document the work 01:21 it has been doing in all these years 01:23 with the desire to show the world what is possible. 01:27 By digging wells in remote villages 01:28 for clean drinking water 01:30 and bringing much needed healthcare 01:32 to the women of Nepal. 01:34 By providing an education for orphans, 01:36 deaf and blind children, 01:38 giving them a sense of place, a home. 01:41 But what we really discovered was being given was hope, 01:45 giving hope to children, giving hope to women, 01:49 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 01:53 This is Hope in Motion. 02:03 Our film team has traveled from India to Nepal 02:06 documenting the work of Asian Aid. 02:08 We've spoken with officials, Asian Aid staff, 02:11 school principals and teachers, 02:13 but we really wanted to hear directly from the kids 02:16 to know their stories from their point of view. 02:18 So we sit down with the kids of the Sunrise Orphanage Home. 02:22 One of the first children 02:23 we're doing an extended interview with is named Hannah. 02:26 Now before Sunrise, 02:28 tell me little bit about your life before Sunrise? 02:43 She says she comes from a very below poverty 02:47 family background, 02:48 and she says her father is a drunkard and he drinks 02:52 and then comes home and beats his mother. 02:54 And father once he drunk and came home, 02:56 there was some argument 02:58 and his father got angry and he took a metal rod 03:02 and hit her on the head and mother died on the spot. 03:05 And she saw that you know father killing her mother, 03:08 and that man really scared her, 03:10 she has no words and she is gonna need to run. 03:12 And the police came and they asked her to be a witness 03:15 and she said she saw her father killing her mother. 03:49 At that time she was helpless, hopeless, 03:52 no one is there to take care of and grandmother is there. 03:57 At that time they came to know about this Sunrise Home. 04:02 And she says somehow God 04:05 grace has brought her here to Sunrise Home 04:07 and she says she is happy here, 04:09 and she says she is enjoying her life in Sunrise Home. 04:26 With the inspiration of Mummy Eager 04:29 and inspiration of Asian Aid, USA, 04:31 inspiration of Asian Aid, Australia 04:33 who started the orphanage, 04:34 with a small orphanage with three children. 04:37 That three children went up to the seven children, 04:39 seven children went to-- 04:40 that it slowly it's going big, big and big and big. 04:45 We've been to many orphanages for Asian Aid, 04:47 but much of our time is been spent here with these kids. 04:51 We were lucky enough to share 04:52 a lot of nice moments with them. 04:55 But we wanted to know more about their lives 04:57 before Sunrise Home. 04:59 We wanted to know how being sponsored through Asian Aid 05:02 has since changed their lives. 05:08 As we talk with them we were amazed, 05:11 we got an unexpected lesson in humility, 05:14 a lesson in being hopeful 05:15 for the future despite the obstacles. 05:32 This is mainly this area is the most 05:35 backward place in Andhra Pradesh. 05:38 With this reason most of the people are 05:40 migrating from here to other places, 05:43 they are leaving the children at home 05:45 and going to the towns, 05:46 working there for few months coming back by this time 05:50 that some children are disappearing from the homes, 05:52 and some children are losing their parents. 06:04 So all these years we are struggling a lot, 06:08 but the most need in this area 06:10 is to provide the proper education 06:13 and proper facilities for the children. 06:35 Like Hannah each kid has their own difficult story to tell 06:39 about their lives before they arrived at Sunrise Home. 06:43 My parents died with HIV-AIDS, I have one younger brother, 06:48 so she took both of us to the hospital, 06:51 in the hospital they told that my brother had AIDS. 06:55 My father was a drunkard, 06:57 he died first, he was doctor but he died. 07:02 My mother poured kerosene, burned herself and died. 07:08 Then my father killed my mother, 07:11 then my father sent to jail. 07:13 There is nobody to look after me, 07:16 my mother died without because of lack of medicines. 07:22 My father got heart attack, nobody have me, 07:27 I am alone, nobody can care me. 07:32 I wanted to die. 07:37 Why my life is like this? Nobody can care me. 07:59 I also came from very poor family. 08:01 I know all the problems what I faced when I was small. 08:06 So I also know the children's problem, 08:09 I'll be like friend with them, I'll be like mother, 08:12 I'll be like dean, all the works I'll do with them 08:16 so they love me, and I too love them. 08:19 And she know the people's difficulties 08:22 and children how the children struggle without parents, 08:25 without proper food, and the shelter. 08:30 So she shows good love to the children, 08:36 and she will try to provide all their needs. 08:39 She may not provide all they want 08:41 or what they want, 08:42 but she try to reach all their needs. 08:48 At Sunrise home Lalitha and Brahma 08:50 work hard to make sure they are eating well, 08:53 staying healthy, and getting good education. 09:01 And she said she is so fortunate to be here, 09:04 she is getting three meals per day, 09:06 new clothes and she is going to school. 09:09 And she said she is happy staying in Sunrise Home. 09:33 And now here at Sunrise 09:36 and what is your life right now, 09:39 how has it changed? 09:40 Yeah, now I am feeling so happy because like 09:43 we stay like friends with all of them, 09:47 we are staying nicely only. 10:22 Hannah and the rest of the kids 10:23 don't take one second for granted. 10:26 They're very aware of the fact 10:27 that they are getting a high standard value based education 10:31 that will help them in the future. 10:45 I want to do social work because this mummy and daddy 10:50 are taking care of the children very nice 10:54 that's why I want to be a social worker. 10:59 I want to become teacher. 11:01 I want to become doctor 11:03 because I want to help the other people. 11:20 And for Prem he has a new dream, 11:23 he wants to be a filmmaker. 11:25 His dreams are not far off 11:27 and they are well on the road to achieving them, 11:30 and Asian Aid is doing whatever they can 11:31 to ensure that they do. 11:34 Their current home is now too small. 11:36 Many of the kids sleep on the floor 11:38 and it's a adjacent to excess pores, sewage and trash. 11:48 Asian Aid is already in the process of building them 11:50 a new self sustaining facility outside of town. 11:57 Where they will have the room to grow and flourish. 12:19 Sometimes they feel they are hopeless, 12:21 they are helpless, 12:22 but when they come to our place 12:24 they feel that they are helpful, 12:27 and they are hopeful also. 12:37 It was impossible not to feel the love of these kids, 12:41 whether he is racing us to the finish line 12:43 or wanting to just sit with us 12:44 and ask us what life was like back in our world. 12:48 They left little doubt 12:49 that given the ray of hope from Asian Aid, 12:51 they would definitely succeed in life. 13:30 Well, I'm here at Sunrise Home with Joshua 13:32 and these two lovely girls. 13:34 And every morning their sponsors 13:37 make a big difference in their lives 13:39 providing accommodation, providing clothing, 13:42 providing food and shortly 13:44 they are going to walk down the road 13:45 to the local Bobbili Adventist school 13:48 and with sponsorship you can make a big difference 13:51 every morning in the life of the child. 14:04 There are so many sunny days here 14:07 especially in the class room it's just so amazing, 14:12 how one kid can write in a day up. 14:24 And there is 30 of them in a class room 14:27 saying teacher, teacher 14:29 showing me a new pencil or showing me new shoes. 14:41 Being able to be there when they understand something, 14:45 I count that as a sunny day. 14:53 When we arrived at Elim Home, 14:55 a school and orphanage run by Asian Aid, 14:57 we meet two American students volunteering there 15:00 Lindsey and Jashira. 15:05 We can tell right away 15:07 they were a big hit with the kids. 15:15 And I just worked at summer camp 15:17 for the first time this last year, 15:18 this last summer and I loved it, 15:21 and it's just same concept, same thing, 24/7 kids 15:26 it's fun but it's tiring. 15:31 [speaking in foreign language] 15:39 I am helping out with what they call is LKG 15:43 or lower kindergarten which in America 15:46 we translate into nursery/pre-school. 15:54 So since you've been here, 15:57 do you feel like you made an impact 16:00 or an influence and it's so is it significant? 16:06 We actually have struggled with this idea, yes. 16:11 We came here wanting to make a difference 16:14 but there are days that we feel like 16:17 we have not made any differences 16:19 and we go to the room and we are frustrated, we cry, 16:23 we don't know what to do. 16:25 Other days we play with the kids 16:27 and we see how much love they give us. 16:30 I think it's hard because we come here, 16:33 and we see so many things we want to change 16:35 and such a big difference that we want to make, 16:37 and we have to realize that we can't change the culture, 16:39 we can't change the world right away, 16:41 you know it's little things by different people 16:43 once step at a time. 16:44 As we get ready to leave Elim Home, 16:46 we are pleased to find out that Jashira can come with us 16:49 to see what other Asian Aid volunteers and partners 16:52 are accomplishing all across India. 17:15 We are traveling to Bangalore, India, 17:19 to check out how the people are living. 17:24 In our out patient clinic 17:26 47 percent of patients are located. 17:28 We get a tour of this Bangalore slum from two doctors 17:31 that have partnered with Asian Aid 17:32 to run an important outreach program. 17:35 Every week they volunteered their time 17:37 to provide health education and medical services 17:39 to families living in these poverty stricken areas. 17:43 How many people are there in this community? 17:47 Close to 8,000. 17:49 Eight thousand are packed right in here? 17:52 Yes, yes. 17:54 It's vicious cycle poverty, 17:57 therefore lack of education, 17:59 lack of education leading to poverty, 18:01 and this lack of nutrition leading to infections, 18:05 illnesses and that causing loss of a job and again poverty 18:08 and so poverty, ill-health, poverty kind of a cycle, 18:12 poverty, lack of literacy, again poverty, 18:15 so there are two vicious cycles going side by side. 18:17 Asian Aid's partnership with the Seventh-day Adventist 18:20 medical centre helps to make sure 18:22 that essential health services are available to people 18:25 who would otherwise have no proper medical care. 18:28 It's all in an effort to try to break the cycle of poverty 18:31 that is pervasive in places like this. 18:33 We go down and there is a tent made of tarp 18:37 and little kids running with only a shirt on, 18:40 and no pants. 18:41 There is trash everywhere and just seeing 18:44 kids trying to look for food. 18:46 We leave Bangalore saddened by the condition in the slums, 18:49 but hopeful about the change 18:51 that people like Dr. S.K and Dr. Crystal 18:53 and the medical centre are making in this community 18:56 with the help of Asian Aid. 19:16 In the village of Kamagere we visit an Asian Aid school 19:19 for the hearing and speech impaired. 19:21 There, we meet Lyle and Lloyd from Australia, 19:24 two volunteers who partnered with Asian Aid to provide 19:28 professional construction and maintenance services 19:31 for some of their schools and development projects. 19:33 Well we just talked to Helen 19:36 and we said what Asian projects you have, 19:39 we're fairly skilled people, we're very careful with funds, 19:43 and we've known each other for many years. 19:47 I think many people think we're only in a building business 19:50 but in actual fact what we are in? 19:53 We are in the people business 19:54 and we are in the children business, 19:56 and what we really about is bringing hope. 20:02 We are giving young people the opportunity to know that 20:05 someone cares for them, and more than that that 20:08 God really does care for them as well. 20:11 The joy of children who you've met four years ago, 20:14 who are now young men and young women, 20:16 and they're just come running down 20:18 and hello uncle, uncle, uncle, hello, hello 20:22 and they surround you. 20:24 And you think I feel like the king of heaven 20:27 and the joy that comes from is, is unsurpassable. 20:33 I have fallen in love with these kids, 20:34 and I've only been here for a day, two days 20:37 and I am very glad 20:39 that I have this opportunity to come and meet these kids. 20:47 I'm trying really hard not to cry. 20:51 Leaving the school was hard. 20:53 We fell in love with these kids instantly, 20:56 but Helen and Asian Aid have more schools 20:58 and projects they wanted us to see. 21:07 The school and orphanage in the remote town of Jeypore 21:10 is a shining example of what happens 21:12 when a key partner gets involved, 21:14 and a vision becomes reality. 21:19 Businessman and philanthropist 21:21 Garwin McNeilus funded and oversaw the construction 21:25 of what is now one of Asian Aid's top schools. 21:29 There's nothing greater than you can do 21:30 and you'll never run out of children. 21:33 You'll never build a school 21:34 and after while there'll be no children there. 21:36 As long as the school is there, the children are there, 21:39 then sponsors are there, 21:40 there will be developments taking place. 21:44 Well in my dream I was just thinking 21:46 of the small boarding school with maybe 50 children 21:49 and that of course did increase to 200 quite fast. 21:52 But now to see these buildings 21:54 and this campus is just so amazing. 21:58 And now there is 750 children actually studying 22:03 and learning so much on this school compound. 22:07 Both Garwin McNeilus 22:09 and another American businessman Bruce Farley 22:12 know what it takes to build a home 22:13 and a school from scratch, 22:15 but they always keep the big picture inside. 22:20 During our travels we saw many ways 22:22 that Asian Aid's volunteers and partners 22:24 are making a difference in Nepal and India. 22:28 It's obvious that the biblical principle of the least of these 22:31 is what drives them, Helen Mummy Eager 22:33 and all the Asian Aid leadership and staff. 22:36 It's a belief that keeps hope alive 22:39 and gives people a chance to pass on their blessings 22:41 in ways that truly change the world. 22:45 Finally we returned to Elim Home, 22:47 where our journey started. 22:53 Having witnessed some of these kids' 22:54 transformations is gratifying, 22:57 but it's not just the kids 22:58 who were transformed by Asian Aid's work. 23:10 There's just something about them, 23:12 that just, they're just, they're happy 23:18 and makes you happy to see them happy. 23:23 Sorry. 23:30 I think that's gonna make it really hard. 23:35 And I am pretty sure 23:37 I am gonna think about them a lot when I leave. 24:01 Hopefully like I said before I'll make a difference 24:05 even if it's a dent, 24:07 I know may be a passing car, 24:09 oh just she like car, she was here, 24:11 she helped me write my ABCs, like something like that. 24:33 When we arrived as filmmakers, 24:35 our job was to observe the work Asian Aid is doing. 24:47 But we leave having gotten involved. 24:53 Well, we can't do everything for millions of people, 24:56 but we can help a few people, 24:58 we can help a few thousand of them 25:00 and I am thankful that Asian Aid is doing that. 25:03 And don't kid yourself, 25:04 every child that is helped, helps somebody else. 25:17 They pass it on, 25:18 I don't know any of them who do not pass it on. 25:30 Hope can be described in many ways, 25:33 but there's only one way to describe 25:34 the Asian Aid's definition. 25:36 This is Hope in Motion. 27:07 Currently at the Vijayanagaram school, 27:09 there are 19 Asian Aid sponsored students. 27:12 They sleep on the floor and they share one bathroom 27:14 with all the other students on the campus. 27:17 When my church family heard about this need, 27:18 they've raised funds to make this campus 27:20 a better place for the students. 27:22 There's a constant need for donations by individuals, 27:26 churches, organizations to assist Asian Aid 27:29 with these many special projects. 27:31 Join me, would you in making a difference. |
Revised 2014-12-17