Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000032
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00:02 In today's episode of Hope in Motion,
00:05 we track the journey of Sunrise Children's home 00:08 in Bobbili, India. 00:09 It is such a wonderful place 00:11 to go from such a cramped environment 00:14 to such an expansive free environment. 00:19 We meet brothers Rajesh and Durga prasad, 00:21 who were rescued from the streets, 00:23 and are given a new home and a promising future. 00:26 Like Rajesh and Durga Prasad, there are so many children 00:29 who is having very bad family backgrounds. 00:32 Sunrise home is giving them good directions in their lives. 00:37 And we learned how Asian Aid, is helping prepare 00:40 the next generation of faithful workers for the church. 00:43 I'm proud of this important organization, 00:46 and they are truly beneficial to my union here 00:48 in East Central India. 01:03 Asian Aid is an organization giving hope, 01:06 an organization fostering permanent positive change 01:09 in the lives of disadvantage children 01:11 and their communities. 01:13 An organization that is committed 01:15 to making a difference in the lives of children 01:17 and those who are in need. 01:19 Serving communities in Nepal, 01:21 Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, 01:23 Myanmar and India. 01:33 For the last 40 years Asian Aid has invested 01:36 in the futures of people and their investment 01:38 has proven infinite returns. 01:42 Driven by their dedication 01:43 to helping those who have the least. 01:46 Asian Aid is an organization 01:47 focused on the welfare of children, 01:50 implementing diverse development projects 01:53 and sponsoring thousands of children. 01:55 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 01:59 to providing an education for orphans, 02:01 deaf and the blind children. 02:04 Giving them a sense of place, a home 02:07 but above all Asian Aid is an organization giving hope, 02:11 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 02:15 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 02:19 This is Hope in Motion. 02:47 Bobbili, a small principality 02:49 near the coastal city of Vizag in India, 02:52 has nothing to offer to a visitor, 02:54 its streets often bustling and chaotic 02:57 are typical of rural towns in India. 03:02 Poverty is widespread 03:04 and people struggle to meet ends, 03:06 doing menial jobs and often tending 03:08 to paddy fields owned by landlords. 03:11 Visits to villages around here only amplify one's perception 03:14 of abstract poverty people living on a daily basis. 03:19 But it isn't just the despairing 03:21 and gloomy environment, we often get to see 03:23 and experience hopefulness and optimism. 03:30 The Seventh-day Adventist church through its schools 03:33 and supporting ministries has brought the love of Christ 03:36 and the promise of eternity to people in 03:38 and around Bobbili area. 03:40 The supporting ministries of the church 03:42 have hasten the mission of the church 03:44 in bringing hope to this receptive community. 03:48 Asian Aid is in the forefront 03:49 of this mission here in Bobbili. 03:51 Over the last 10 years, 03:53 it has undertaken numerous developmental work 03:55 in the community, 03:57 supported schools through its sponsorship programs 03:59 and builds schools for special needs children 04:01 like Asian Aid's school for the blind. 04:05 One of its recent projects is the constructions 04:08 of a brand new orphanage in Karada village, 04:10 the Sunrise Children's Home. 04:21 Established in 2001 04:23 with just a handful of orphan children 04:25 and a small building in Bobbili town, 04:27 the number grew 04:29 and the children soon had to cope 04:31 with the constraints of living in a crowded place. 04:34 When I started with Asian Aid on my first trip to India, 04:38 I visited the Sunrise orphanage and I've been told 04:42 that there were plans to build a new orphanage 04:46 and Asian Aid had actually purchased some land 04:50 and then I visited the orphanage, 04:54 there were two parts to it. 04:55 First of all they were sleeping 04:57 and living in atrocious conditions. 05:00 All the boys would jammed in one room 05:02 and all the girls would jammed in one room, 05:04 and they were sleeping on the floor. 05:06 Secondly they were lovely kids and I fell for them, 05:10 they had beautiful house parents 05:13 that were bringing them up, 05:15 and so because these kids were special 05:18 and because there was a true need, 05:21 Asian Aid USA and its donors see it 05:24 about building the Sunrise home. 05:28 Jim Rennie, CEO of Asian Aid USA, 05:31 equipped with the experience of his visit 05:33 and the vision for a new facility 05:35 for these children went about raising funds 05:38 for the construction of a new home for Sunrise. 05:40 With his perseverance 05:42 and the support of generous donors, 05:44 the new home began to rise from the ground up. 05:47 And the children got to come along this journey 05:49 every step of the way. 05:50 How many of you like this room? 05:54 Okay, so you want to sleep here? 05:57 Yes! 06:11 You know, it's taken time to built the new orphanage, 06:15 and the children have been brought along the journey, 06:17 so they were given an idea 06:19 that they were going to have a better home. 06:21 It's like our saying you're going to go to heaven, 06:23 and we've got a better home, 06:24 so they had this idea of having a better home. 06:27 And they've been asking questions 06:29 as this whole thing was in progress 06:31 and now they have it and they're just so excited. 06:34 It is such a wonderful place 06:36 to go from such a cramped environment 06:39 to such an expansive free environment. 06:45 The children's excitement grew each step of the way, 06:48 and they finally moved into their new home 06:50 on November 14th, 2012. 06:54 November 14th is celebrated as Children's Day in India. 06:57 It was a fitting moment for these wonderful children 07:00 and those who cared for these children. 07:02 When we see these both places, 07:05 we have lot of place here and lot of work to do. 07:09 And children they have lot of place to play there. 07:13 Lot of place to eat. 07:15 And whatever they want they got by the Asian Aid. 07:20 So this is the big, big blessing, isn't it? 07:21 Yeah, it's a great blessing, 07:23 not big blessing, but great blessing. 07:25 Praise the Lord. 07:26 Only this orphanage is having 14 acres of land. 07:31 They are also blessed to have a huge farm area, 07:34 where the children get to grow their own vegetables 07:36 and reap truckloads of corn each year. 07:39 But their biggest blessing is access 07:41 to the river flowing beside the campus, 07:43 and the children love to play in the shallow waters 07:45 at every possible chance they get. 07:49 If you asked the children in the previous orphanage, 07:51 if they had a vision of the future 07:53 they could never have dreamt of this. 07:55 But it gives the space, 07:57 it gives the place for the children, 08:00 it is really something to behold 08:04 and the work of, you know, 08:05 Varma and Lisa in bringing this whole thing across, 08:09 bringing the children, looking after the children 08:11 as if they are their own children 08:13 is something very special. 08:15 The house parents or the parents 08:17 are totally responsible for the child's life. 08:20 And at Sunrise we are very blessed 08:24 to have Lalitha and Varma, 08:26 who are 100% committed to their children. 08:30 And the children called them mummy and daddy, 08:33 if they want to go away for few days, 08:36 it's as if their parents have gone away, 08:38 the kids say where is mummy? 08:39 Where is daddy? 08:41 And so they have an amazing role 08:45 that they have to carry out 08:47 and we're just so proud of what they do. 08:51 Lalitha and Raj Varma care for these orphan children 08:54 as if they were their own, 08:55 and the children responded them beautifully. 08:58 It is not an easy task to bring up 80 odd children. 09:01 As loving and caring as they are, 09:03 Lalitha and Raj Varma have to reach out 09:06 to each individual child's needs, 09:08 as these children come from varied family backgrounds 09:10 and bring their own emotional baggage 09:12 when they come to Sunrise Home. 09:15 They're different-- I know this sound strange 09:17 but there are different types of orphans. 09:19 There are true orphans whose parents are dead. 09:23 Sometimes they don't know what's happened to them. 09:26 Sometimes the children are brought up by grandparents. 09:31 Many a times the mother may die 09:34 and the father may not be able to cope, 09:37 the father may simply desert the child. 09:41 So sometimes they're not a true orphans 09:44 but their life is orphaned. 09:46 They just don't have parents that are there, 09:50 not dysfunctional they are not there. 09:55 Prem Baskar Rao was orphaned at a very early very age 09:58 and grew up at Sunrise Home ever since he was 5 years old. 10:05 When Prem was 9 months old, 10:07 my daughter was pregnant with another child, 10:10 those days we only had home deliveries. 10:13 And my daughter died during child birth. 10:17 Prem's father had a heart condition 10:19 and in spite of being treated at various hospitals, 10:21 his condition worsened and he finally passed away 10:24 in a hospital in Vizag. 10:26 Having lost both the parents before he could learn to walk, 10:29 Prem was left under the care of his grandmother, 10:32 the only immediate family willing to care for him. 10:38 When he was small, 10:39 I used to leave him with the neighbors 10:41 and go to the fields to work. 10:43 I used to work for few hours 10:46 and then come home to care of him. 10:54 Struggling to make a living working in the fields, 10:56 his grandmother found it hard to provide for him 10:59 and the prospect of giving him a good future was unimaginable. 11:04 Fortunately for Prem, 11:05 a newspaper reporter from his village 11:08 told his grandmother about Sunrise Home, 11:10 and recommended her to take him to Bobbili. 11:13 Meeting the basic criteria of an orphan child, 11:16 he was taking in at Sunrise Children's Home. 11:22 If I didn't get a chance to send him to an orphanage, 11:25 I don't know what I would have done. 11:28 I didn't have anything to take care of him. 11:31 I would have no choice but to abandon him. 11:41 Thanks to the sponsors who supported him 11:43 all throughout his life at Sunrise, 11:45 Prem can aspire to pursuing a career 11:47 as a graphic designer. 11:49 When I was young, 11:50 I didn't know anything about my sponsorship, 11:53 and as I'm growing up 11:55 I know the value of this sponsorship, 11:59 and I'm feeling that how the sponsors are helping us 12:03 along with all my brothers and sisters. 12:07 If it is not for their support on us, 12:10 we'll not be in this good education position 12:13 or in good position. 12:18 Please tell the people who are helping my grandson 12:21 that I'm grateful, 12:23 I will always be thankful for them. 12:26 Although Prem spent all of his life growing up 12:28 at Sunrise Home, 12:30 he has not forgotten his grandmother, 12:32 who is there to give him unconditional love 12:34 after the death of his parents. 12:36 When I'm growing up there was nobody to care for, 12:39 only my grandmother was there with all her struggles 12:43 so, whenever I have free time 12:46 I used to visit her and spend some time with her. 12:54 I'm illiterate, I don't know anything about education 12:59 and I don't know anything about the world outside, 13:02 but you are good people, I give him in your hands, 13:06 please take care of him and his future. 13:14 Thanks to Asian Aid's sponsorship program, 13:16 the sponsors and donors who support this program 13:19 and the love and care he receives at Sunrise Home, 13:21 Prem can continue to pursue his higher studies, 13:24 can dream of a career of his choice 13:26 and hope for a better future, 13:27 where he can stand on his own. 13:29 The biggest blessing he has received however 13:32 is the chance to know Jesus and Prem, 13:34 like many other boys and girls who go out into the world, 13:37 can spread the love of Christ to those who don't know him. 13:42 When we come back, 13:43 we meet bothers Rajesh and Durga Prasad 13:45 who were rescued from the streets, 13:47 and see how a new facility at Sunrise Home 13:50 has become a safe haven for boys like them. 14:07 My wife Angela and I are here 14:09 in Andhra Pradesh, India, 14:11 visiting some of the Asian Aid projects to see for ourselves 14:14 how the work that is being done here 14:16 is transforming lives, 14:18 especially the lives of orphaned children 14:21 and abandoned children, 14:22 children from the tribal communities. 14:25 And we've discovered that because of sponsors like you, 14:27 they now have a place that they can call home. 14:29 They have wonderful clothing, nutritious food 14:32 and they are being prepared to propel themselves 14:35 into the future for a promising career. 14:38 But above all that because of sponsors like you 14:41 they now have hope, hope for a better future. 14:59 Well, I am here in Sunrise Home with Sheela. 15:01 Now my family and I have been sponsoring Sheela 15:04 for just about a year now and I can tell you being here 15:07 and spending time with her, I can see the difference 15:10 that sponsorship is making in her life. 15:12 She now has plenty of food, 15:14 she has a beautiful place to sleep each night, 15:16 she has clothes, 15:17 she has a school uniform and an excellent education. 15:21 I can tell you it's made a difference in her life 15:24 and it's made a difference in our lives too. 15:26 Now through sponsorship you too can make a difference 15:29 in the life of a child everyday. 15:56 Asian Aid Sunrise children's home in Bobbili, 15:58 India was established to give a home 16:00 to orphan children in this region. 16:02 And is an important outreach 16:04 for the Adventist church in India. 16:06 From its humble beginning in a cramped building in town, 16:09 the orphanage has shifted 16:10 to a spacious campus in the countryside. 16:13 Situated about 10 miles from Bobbili town, 16:16 the new campus gives the children 16:18 an ideal place to live, learn and play. 16:31 The children still attend 16:32 the Seventh-day Adventist school in town, 16:34 but Sunrise Home has its own bus 16:36 that takes them to school everyday. 16:38 And the bus ride is something the children look 16:40 forward to every morning. 16:47 August 2nd, 2014 was a special day for Asian Aid 16:51 and everyone at Sunrise Home. 16:53 A new boy's dorm was inaugurated by renowned 16:55 Adventist violinist, Jaime Jorge. 17:00 It was very emotional for me to be here 17:02 at the opening of the boy's dormitory. 17:05 It was just so great that Jaime Jorge 17:08 could be here to do the dedication, 17:10 and arguably where we could say, 17:12 it's the end of the project, but it's not. 17:16 The donors the build a great facility, 17:19 but the ongoing need for orphans in this home, 17:22 the ongoing operating needs, 17:25 the ongoing needs for sponsorship 17:27 simply means it's not over. 17:33 Although there is ongoing need for sponsorship 17:35 and other needs at Sunrise Home, 17:38 it is encouraging in knowing 17:39 that this facility has the capacity 17:41 to double the number of children in the future. 17:44 There is facility to build another story, 17:46 thereby having the capacity to facilitate 17:48 the ever increasing inflow of children 17:50 arriving at Sunrise Home each year. 17:53 In my union we have 850,000 members 18:00 and there are hundreds of needs in this union 18:03 especially there are orphan children, 18:05 there are semi orphan children 18:07 and therefore we really face challenge. 18:09 Today expanding and adding this facility to the boys' hostel 18:12 will really be a great blessing 18:13 because these children are adjusting somewhere, 18:15 and they don't have proper facilities. 18:17 They want to feel with their friends 18:19 as if it is their own home. 18:21 And this will be a unique identity 18:23 that will build confidence in them, 18:24 and they'll really develop in the proper way 18:26 in Adventist atmosphere. 18:54 12-year-old Durga Prasad 18:56 and his 11-year-old brother Rajesh 18:58 came to Sunrise Home three years ago. 19:00 They were rescued from the streets by a local NGO 19:04 Child Line after a newspaper article appeared 19:07 in a local daily with the title "Mother for sale." 19:10 Child line immediately followed up the story 19:12 with the concerned people and rescued the boys 19:15 and took them in their custody. 19:19 After we brought them here, 19:21 we came to know that their father died 19:23 and the mother found another man 19:25 and she moved in with him 19:27 but he forced her into prostitution 19:30 and forced the boys into the streets to beg 19:33 and sell newspaper and fruits. 19:35 He used that money in drinking and gambling. 19:48 Durga Prasad and Rajesh woke up every day 19:51 to the blaring of train engines 19:53 where the screeching halt of its iron wheels. 19:56 The buzz and hustle of the streets 19:58 near the train station at Vizianagaram was their domain 20:01 and the rail platform their shelter. 20:04 The boys were forced to go and beg or steal 20:07 by the mother's boyfriend, 20:08 and when they refused they were beaten. 20:10 Fearing the beatings that awaited them at home, 20:13 they spent most of their time living on the railway platform 20:16 earning some money selling fruits or begging. 20:19 After they were rescued 20:20 and taken into custody by Child Line, 20:22 Durga Prasad and Rajesh were brought to Sunrise Home. 20:29 I'm from Bobbili town and I used to live very close 20:32 to where the old Sunrise Home was, 20:35 then I informed my superiors about it 20:38 and recommended these two boys to Sunrise Home. 20:43 Sunrise Home is highly regarded 20:44 throughout the district for its work 20:46 and the shelter it provides to orphaned 20:48 and abandoned children like Durga Prasad and Rajesh. 20:52 Most of the children are coming to Sunrise Home 20:55 recommended by police department 20:58 and non governmental organizations 21:01 and the Child Line and rescued children 21:04 most of them are here, the rescued children. 21:08 In this whole of the Vizianagaram district, 21:10 only this home is best home 21:13 and the government will recommend 21:14 all the children to stay here only. 21:17 Okay, well. 21:20 At our homes like Sunrise, 21:21 we have children from varied backgrounds, 21:24 varied stories and honest 21:26 some of them are hard to comprehend. 21:29 And just like these two boys, 21:30 who were found on a railway platform 21:33 at the train station could you imagine it, 21:36 could you imagine living there, 21:38 having to scrape up an existence, 21:41 they were exploited by many people 21:43 and they had no hope. 21:45 Now at least they have come to Sunrise Home 21:48 where they have a new direction 21:52 and now they have hope of an education, 21:55 they have a hope of a future. 21:57 And the Asian Aid's sponsorship program 22:00 will have a big difference in their lives. 22:04 Durga Prasad and Rajesh are in a place 22:06 where they can leave behind 22:07 the fear of being beaten and exploited. 22:10 Leave behind the struggles of growing up in the streets 22:13 and instead are in a safe and comfortable place. 22:16 A place where they don't feel like 22:17 they are orphaned or abandoned. 22:19 So by having an orphanage we can access this children 22:22 who really won't have the basics in life 22:25 will now can have the basics in life to go forward. 22:28 So that's what orphanages do, 22:30 they get the children who really need help 22:33 and don't have anyone to help them. 22:37 Asian Aid is giving them that help. 22:40 Asian Aid is giving them that new life 22:42 through its special need schools 22:44 and an orphanage like Sunrise Home, 22:46 and is giving them an opportunity 22:47 to receive a proper education. 22:50 One of the great blessings is, 22:51 that we cannot do everything by on our own 22:54 because of certain reasons. 22:56 I thank God for special organization like Asian Aid, 23:00 they are uniquely tuned to meet exactly our needs. 23:05 Where we really need specially 23:07 we need next generation to be prepared 23:09 for the church work and the children 23:11 who are trained up in the homes 23:13 and their help, with their support 23:15 we educate our poor children. 23:17 They are the next generation faithful workers for the church 23:21 and it is really transforming, I really thank God, 23:24 every sponsor that is supporting this work. 23:26 Every leader in this organization 23:28 they are really doing with dedication, 23:30 the work with dedication and commitment. 23:32 They are reaching to us, 23:33 they openly talk their ideas and we tell our needs 23:36 and they really fit in. 23:38 I'm proud of this important organization 23:40 and they are truly beneficial to my union here 23:43 in East Central India. 23:45 It was painful for us to learn 23:46 that the boy's mother is still making her 23:48 living through prostitution 23:49 and does not know the whereabouts of her son. 23:52 Taking the children away 23:53 from the mother may sound cruel and callous 23:55 but extraordinary circumstances call 23:57 for extraordinary measures in intervention 24:00 for the welfare in future of the children. 24:03 Like Rajesh and Durga Prasad there are so many children 24:06 who is having very bad family backgrounds. 24:10 Sunrise Home is giving them good directions in their lives. 24:15 Today, Asian Aid is reaching out to children in need 24:19 and Sunrise Home is a safe haven for this children, 24:23 providing not just their basic needs 24:25 and an opportunity for an education, 24:27 but giving them parental love and affection, 24:31 providing them a chance to know Jesus, 24:33 and giving them hope for a brighter future. |
Revised 2015-01-22