Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000038A
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00:22 Asian Aid is an organization giving hope,
00:25 an organization fostering permanent positive change 00:28 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:30 and their communities, 00:32 an organization that is committed to 00:34 making a difference in the lives of children 00:36 and those who are in need, 00:38 serving communities in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, 00:42 Myanmar and India. 00:51 For the last forty years, 00:53 Asian Aid has invested in the futures of people 00:56 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 01:00 Driven by their dedication 01:02 to helping those who have the least, 01:04 Asian Aid is an organization 01:06 focused on the welfare of children, 01:09 implementing diverse development projects 01:11 and sponsoring thousands of children. 01:14 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 01:18 to providing an education for orphans, 01:20 deaf and the blind children, 01:23 giving them a sense of place, a home. 01:25 But above all, Asian Aid is an organization giving hope, 01:30 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 01:33 giving hope to the ones who need it the most. 01:37 This is Hope in Motion 01:53 Hello, I'm Carl Ginger 01:54 and I'm on the board of Asian Aid, USA. 01:57 I'm going to talk a bit about Asian Aid and its beginnings. 02:01 Asian Aid started about 40 years ago, 02:04 with a vision. 02:05 And in that time it's grown from a thought, 02:08 a vision, a purpose and a mission 02:10 to something really significant today. 02:12 And it's making a significant difference 02:15 in the lives of children, families and communities. 02:18 Today, I'm going to be talking with Jim Rennie, 02:20 the CEO of Asian Aid USA. 02:23 Jim, good morning. 02:24 Good morning, Carl. 02:26 It's very nice seeing you again. 02:28 It's more than just being the CEO, 02:31 it's having a relationship and a friendship. 02:33 And I'm really grateful for that. 02:35 Jim, can you tell us a bit about Asian Aid, 02:38 to those who are not really familiar with Asian Aid. 02:41 What it does? 02:42 Some of the programs it does? 02:44 Well, Carl, as you said Asian Aid was established 02:47 just about over 40 years now in Australia. 02:50 And Asian Aid USA has been going about six or seven years. 02:56 Asian Aid is a really child focused organization. 03:00 And the main activity that we carry out is sponsorship. 03:05 And we have over 2800 children 03:08 and each child has an individual sponsor. 03:12 That's our main activity. 03:14 But on top of that 03:15 we are involved in over five orphanages, 03:18 a school for the blind, 03:20 a school for the deaf, in India. 03:21 And then in recent times, 03:24 we've become involved in operation child rescue 03:27 which is really exciting, 03:29 because we are involved in 03:31 the rescue of young girls from the sex trade 03:35 and also children from hard labor situations and beggary. 03:40 So Asian Aid is very child focused, 03:43 but it is involved 03:44 in a wide range of child focused activity. 03:50 Well, Jim, you mentioned that 03:52 Asian Aid is primarily about children and child sponsorship. 03:56 Can you give us a bit more information 03:57 on sponsorship? 03:59 Whether there are different categories for the sponsorship 04:01 and how it works, please. 04:03 Yes, Carl, well 04:04 there's a number of levels of sponsorship. 04:06 The first one is a "Day student." 04:08 But let me just go back a step. 04:10 Asian Aid basically takes children based on need 04:14 and places them in an Adventist school. 04:16 The first category is the "Day student," 04:18 so this is the child, who walks or catches the bus 04:23 from the local village to the school 04:26 and so that supplied an education. 04:29 Then we have a smaller category called "Day plus," 04:32 where it's the "Day student" 04:34 and we provide them the mid-day meal. 04:36 Our biggest category is "Boarder." 04:40 So this is a child who boards at the school, 04:42 obviously goes home for the holidays. 04:45 But they're getting education, 04:46 they get their meal, they get accommodation, 04:49 they get a uniform and a book allowance. 04:52 And than course above that is tertiary, 04:56 that's where they go to college or university 04:59 and a major part of their costs are subsidized by Asian Aid. 05:05 The unique thing about Asian Aid is 05:07 that when a child is accepted, 05:09 whether they have a sponsor or not, 05:12 they stay in the education program. 05:16 We always have a pool of unsponsored children, 05:20 so that we have children in reserve for new sponsors. 05:23 But also if the sponsor is unable to continue, 05:26 the child support continues. 05:30 Each child has an individual sponsor. 05:33 And that sponsor gets updates on the child, 05:36 annual report and in most cases 05:39 the child writes them two or three letters a year. 05:42 Now with the sponsorship, 05:46 with these various categories especially the "Boarders, 05:50 " how do we select them? 05:53 Well, the children are selected on needs. 05:56 So when we have a need for additional children, 06:00 we allocate it to a particular area or school. 06:03 And then based on the recommendation 06:05 of either pastors, 06:06 community workers or of the principal, 06:09 the children's names are put forward to Asian Aid. 06:12 And we have about eleven field officers in India. 06:15 So the field officer checks on their situation 06:20 and if possible visits their home. 06:22 And when they are accepted, 06:23 they go to the designated school. 06:28 And you mentioned orphanages. 06:30 Now in India we call them Children's Homes, I guess. 06:32 Correct. 06:33 Now running an orphanage or children's home 06:35 must have challenges. 06:37 It does. 06:38 How do you see this working? 06:40 What are the challenges? 06:42 And how do we manage that? 06:44 Well, our biggest orphanage 06:47 is one that Asian Aid USA built in recent years, 06:50 it's called Sunrise Home. 06:52 And it's in a beautiful location in the country, 06:55 in a town called Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh. 06:59 It has 10 acres of property. 07:01 And it's a fantastic home for the children. 07:05 There is a river flowing near by. 07:07 And you know when we go there, we always enjoy them seeing, 07:12 playing in the river. 07:13 I think the main challenge with these homes 07:17 is obviously finding the right staff. 07:20 I mean it's hard enough bringing up two-- 07:23 one two or three kids of your own. 07:25 Could you imagine having to bring up 70-100 orphans? 07:29 I mean these kids are just normal children. 07:31 They want to do all the things a normal child does. 07:34 But so finding dedicated staff, dedicated Christian staff 07:40 who can be a parent to these children, 07:44 can manage a large number of children, 07:46 but most of important 07:48 give them a Christian influence in their lives 07:52 is our biggest challenge. 07:55 I think the second challenge is obviously 07:58 meeting the legal requirements of the government. 08:02 And we're very blessed that Sunrise home 08:05 is one of the first government approved orphanages 08:08 that the church and Asian Aid has and... 08:12 But the work these homes are doing is just amazing, 08:18 just amazing. 08:19 And so it's always just great to visit these homes. 08:24 Now with all of these children, 08:25 you mentioned before that we have sponsors. 08:28 What makes a sponsor want to be involved? 08:32 And how do they actually get the joy and the pleasure 08:35 of being involved? 08:37 Well, I think, sponsorship is a very unique way 08:40 of making a difference. 08:42 We all can't visit the mission field. 08:43 We all can't go on mission trips. 08:47 And so sponsorship means that every morning 08:51 you are making a difference in the life of a child. 08:54 That child is depending on you for its education 08:57 and in some cases its food and not only that, 09:01 you're giving the Christian influence 09:03 to that child. 09:04 And hopefully, the child writes to you 09:07 and you can write to the child. 09:09 You get their annual school report. 09:11 "Oh! 09:12 My child is getting an A or a C." 09:17 So you're involved in the life of a child 09:19 and you're making a difference every day. 09:22 And I guess that the big thing is that 09:24 the sponsors, are-- stay there for the long term. 09:27 I see them like postage stamps. 09:29 They stick to their cause 09:31 and their commitment to the end. 09:33 And I would assume that, 09:35 often, when they get to the end of the child's education, 09:38 they might sponsor another child too. 09:40 Oh! Yes, yes. 09:41 We have, in fact I, just the other day 09:45 I was talking to a sponsor, 09:46 who had sponsored the particular child 09:48 for 10 years on that--tertiary 09:51 And that particular lady took a new child. 09:55 So she's been sponsoring with Asian Aid over 10 years. 09:59 Now that's a good news story. 10:01 So Jim, when we're talking about Bobbili, 10:03 it's in a rural area. 10:05 We not only have the children's home, 10:07 but we involved in the community, 10:09 in the local area. 10:10 Could you give us an idea of what we do there? 10:12 And the impact it's making on these people. 10:14 Well as you remember, 10:17 Bobbili is not far from the major city of Vizag. 10:21 in the city of Vizag, 10:22 you remember we went to the slum school. 10:24 I remember that well. 10:26 Yeah, it's a very unique school that Asian Aid funds 100%, 10:30 it's located right in the center of the slum. 10:33 There's 80 small children there, 10:35 in fact, I think there's about 90 at the moment. 10:39 And the amazing thing here is that, 10:42 if that school wasn't where it is, 10:44 right on the hat of the slum, 10:47 50% of those children wouldn't be at school. 10:50 It faces tremendous pressures, 10:52 because the parents quite often want the children 10:55 to be on the streets begging. 10:57 So there is a lot of pressure to keep the kids at school. 10:59 And so Asian Aid is very proud of that ministry 11:03 and what is achieved. 11:04 And every time I visit that school, Jim, 11:06 I just feel the faces of these children. 11:09 Their smiles are so broad 11:12 and they're so happy to be at school. 11:14 It's an inspiration. That's right. 11:16 It's a delight. 11:17 Then as you get nearer to Bobbili, 11:21 there's a number of day schools, 11:23 where Asian Aid have sponsored children, 11:27 there's the sunrise home as we mentioned. 11:29 But then right on the other side of Bobbili, 11:32 the Sunrise, 11:33 we have the Asian Aid School for the blind. 11:36 And once again this is a very unique school. 11:38 We have 160 either blind or partially blind children. 11:43 And once again these are from 11:45 very, very poor remote villages. 11:50 And in most cases, these are shunned by society. 11:54 They are rejected by society. 11:56 So a lot of these kids 11:57 would have never got an education. 11:59 And what would happen if they don't get an education? 12:02 Well, we've seen some pretty sad stories. 12:04 One day when I was there, a girl was brought in 12:07 and her parents had chained her 12:09 in the basement of the house for three years 12:12 because they didn't want... they were filled by... 12:14 were ashamed in having this daughter. 12:16 And when she arrived, she couldn't speak. 12:19 And I went back a couple of months later 12:21 and that brought tears to my eyes, 12:23 as I saw this little girl singing a song. 12:27 As I said, people like this are rejected by society. 12:31 The parents don't know what to do with them. 12:33 And so it has a big impact on the family 12:36 that their child can't get education. 12:39 And now we've saved them a tertiary 12:41 and we have some actually working in call centers. 12:44 So it's truly a blessing. 12:47 And so it's not only the child that's having a new future, 12:51 the parents also can have a new start 12:54 because their child can do something 12:56 and they can support the child. 12:58 And as you said, when they grow up 13:00 the child can be of a blessing to the parents too. 13:03 Yeah. 13:04 So Jim, with such a lot of influence in the community, 13:07 the things we're doing in the community 13:09 and I'm sure the community participating in these things. 13:13 Do they see us as Christians? 13:15 As Adventists? 13:16 How do they see us? 13:18 Well, I think it's exciting how they see us 13:21 because, yes, they know we're Christians. 13:24 Yes, they know we're Seventh-day Adventist. 13:26 Now sometimes, they don't understand 13:28 what a Seventh-day Adventist is. 13:30 But over time they learn and understand who we are. 13:34 80% of these children are not from Christian homes. 13:38 So it builds a unique relationship 13:42 between the church and the community. 13:45 And quite often these children 13:47 take the Christianity back to their homes. 13:50 So it's one of the most amazing 13:52 outreach programs that you are a part of, 13:56 when you are involved in sponsorship. 13:59 Thanks Jim, now apart from all these things that we do. 14:03 Sponsorship programs, community development programs. 14:06 There are other issues that emerging as well. 14:08 You mentioned trafficking of children 14:10 into sex slavery and the trade. 14:15 And, you know, it's-- 14:17 there's so much more that Asian Aid is involved in. 14:22 And will be involved in. 14:25 So join me in a few minutes. 14:27 When we come back and we will talk to Jim, 14:30 more about how Asian Aid is participating 14:33 in these new programs and projects 14:36 and how they are making a difference 14:39 in the lives of children, 14:41 adults, families and communities. 14:58 My wife Angela and I are here in Andhra Pradesh, India, 15:01 visiting some of the Asian Aid projects 15:03 to see for ourselves, 15:05 how the work that is being done here 15:06 is transforming lives, 15:08 especially the lives of orphaned children 15:11 and abandoned children, 15:13 children from the tribal communities. 15:15 And we've discovered that because of sponsors like you, 15:18 they now have a place that they can call home. 15:20 They have wonderful clothing, nutritious food. 15:23 And they are being prepared 15:25 to propel themselves into the future 15:27 for a promising career. 15:29 But above all that 15:30 because of sponsors like you, they now have hope. 15:33 Hope for a better future. 15:49 Well, I'm here in Sunrise home with Sheila. 15:52 Now my family and I have been sponsoring Sheila 15:54 for just about a year now. 15:56 And I can tell you being here and spending time with her, 15:59 I can see the difference 16:00 that sponsorship is making in her life. 16:03 She now has plenty of food. 16:04 She has a beautiful place to sleep each night. 16:07 She has clothes. 16:08 She has a school uniform and an excellent education. 16:11 I can tell you, it's made a difference in her life 16:14 and it's made a difference in our lives too. 16:17 Now through sponsorship, 16:18 you too can make a difference 16:20 in the life of a child every day. 16:38 Welcome back. 16:40 I'm in conversation with Jim Rennie, 16:41 the CEO of Asian Aid USA. 16:44 Jim, the majority of our work is in India. 16:47 But we also work in other countries like Sri Lanka. 16:50 Could you give us some understanding of 16:52 what we do? 16:53 And where? Yes, Carl. 16:55 Well, in Sri Lanka 16:57 the main activity there is with Lakpahana College 17:00 and we have about 50 sponsored children there. 17:03 In Bangladesh, we have 300 children 17:07 and a number of Adventist schools. 17:10 We're shortly to enter Myanmar. 17:12 And in Nepal, we have about 150 children 17:17 and numerous Adventist colleges. 17:20 Now there are special issues in Nepal 17:24 and, it's like, child trafficking 17:27 is a big issue there. 17:28 Correct. 17:29 And do we have programs to address this? 17:32 Are we-- Where are we starting to address this sort of issue? 17:35 Well, we've made a decision with our program called 17:38 Operation Child Rescue 17:40 there we want to get involved in this area, 17:43 especially the targeting children. 17:46 So in Bangalore, 17:47 we have partnered with anorganization. 17:49 And we're directly involved in rescues. 17:52 The main activity is rescuing girls from the sex trade. 17:56 So we're involved directly in rescues. 17:59 They go and take these girls from the brothels 18:02 and do their best to rehabilitate them. 18:06 Now that sounds to me like a risky business? 18:08 It is. It is. 18:10 The team are constantly exploring, 18:12 exposed to danger 18:13 and there is obviously corruption at all levels. 18:17 And our team have to take very special precautions 18:21 in the work that they do. 18:23 And then also in Bangalore, 18:25 we're working closely with the trust 18:28 that actually rescues babies. 18:30 These are babies that are rejected by society. 18:33 They're left on the side of the road. 18:35 And so the police and social services 18:38 bring those babies to the rescue center. 18:41 And Carl, it's so heartbreaking to see these children 18:46 that have been rejected by society 18:48 but it's just so exciting to see 18:52 that these children have been saved from death. 18:57 And operation child rescue 19:00 was an important part of Asian Aid's 19:03 growing program. 19:05 So Asian Aid has an influence on children from babies, 19:10 you know, right through to adults. 19:11 Yes. 19:13 Asian Aid is a very unique ministry 19:14 that we're very child focused. 19:17 And yeah, we cover a spectrum of how donors and supporters 19:22 can be involved in changing the lives 19:26 and saving these children from death. 19:29 Yeah and it's not just all of these, 19:31 this whole spectrum of people. 19:33 We also are involved in special needs children 19:36 like the school for the blind and the hearing-impaired. 19:39 Give us a bit more information on these schools 19:41 because they are-- they serve special needs. 19:43 I know you mentioned previously about the school for the blind 19:47 but tell us a bit more about the school 19:49 for hearing impaired. 19:50 Well, you remember when you and I went there, 19:52 we drove in the gate and it was just so exciting 19:55 that these kids just came rushing around the car. 19:58 And you hop out and then without thinking, 20:01 you start talking to them. 20:02 Absolutely-- 20:04 You forget that they're deaf because they're so animated, 20:05 they're saying hello. 20:07 And once again, this is a very, very important school 20:11 because these children are from the poor villages. 20:15 Where it's-- the society reject them 20:19 and it's embarrassing to the parents. 20:21 And to see them singing hymns using sign language, 20:25 to see them doing a skit to music 20:29 but they can't hear the music. 20:31 Wasn't that amazing? 20:32 That-- Absolutely amazing. 20:33 The other thing, it's the concentration 20:35 on these children's faces. 20:36 Because they can't hear anything, 20:38 they just focus on what's being done. 20:40 That really amazed me. 20:42 I think the other important thing also, 20:45 is the difference it makes on the lives of the families. 20:48 All right, so we're not only sponsoring a child, 20:51 we're not only giving that child an education 20:54 but suddenly the parents, 20:56 the parents who have faced stigma, 20:58 the parents that have faced embarrassment, 21:01 are suddenly proud of their child. 21:03 To see parents in the slum, 21:05 who are proud of their little child, 21:08 in their daily uniform, heading off to school. 21:10 To see parents of the blind children, 21:13 who suddenly have a child they can talk about. 21:16 And these children make a difference. 21:18 So the sponsor is making a difference 21:20 in the life of the family and that community. 21:24 So it has a very, very wide effect. 21:26 With our sponsorship program, 21:29 you're introducing the child to Jesus. 21:32 They come to the school 21:33 and suddenly they're learning hymns, 21:35 they're learning prayer 21:37 and they become-- they really are introduced to Jesus 21:42 and it's just so exciting. 21:43 We see baptisms. 21:45 We see them taking the Christian influence 21:48 back to their family and their friends. 21:52 So sponsorship is a very effective evangelism tool 21:57 that you are involved in, as a sponsor everyday. 22:02 And what that really also means is, 22:04 it's not just people knowing Jesus Christ, 22:07 but hope gives them another reason to live. 22:11 That's right. 22:13 And in Asian Aid's logo, 22:14 it says Asian Aid, give hope today. 22:17 And that's what we're doing. 22:19 The hope that's bigger than the hope of an education, 22:22 that's the hope of eternal life. 22:24 So Jim, to do all the stuff, we know, we need funds 22:27 and I know that at the-- at our board meetings, 22:29 one of the key item's is funds. 22:32 How do we raise funds? 22:34 And what are we going to do with it? 22:35 What's the challenges? 22:37 Well, fund raising is tough. 22:40 Where there's a lot of ministries out there 22:42 seeking the dollar, 22:44 the dollar that people want to share for good causes. 22:47 So it's a very competitive environment 22:50 but we've been very blessed with the Hope in Motion series, 22:53 that we're a part of right now. 22:55 And we've been very blessed with our partnership with 3ABN. 22:59 It's had a dramatic impact on people understanding 23:03 the work of Asian Aid. 23:05 We also have to travel all around America 23:07 going to ASIs and church meetings 23:11 and visiting churches. 23:12 So that comes with a high cost. 23:14 But the Lord's blessed us 23:16 and we plan to continue growing. 23:20 We plan to continue helping more children. 23:23 And Jim, I know that this comes at a cost 23:25 but the long-term benefits far outweigh these costs. 23:29 Yeah, the unique thing about sponsorship, 23:32 there's an investment at the beginning, 23:34 but the donor stays with us for five, ten years. 23:39 Yeah, but it's also impacting on the child 23:42 for five to ten years. 23:44 So it's a great investment. 23:46 And when we talk about 23:48 impacting on the child for five or ten years, 23:50 that's the immediate impact 23:52 but the future impact is priceless. 23:54 Correct. 23:56 Now tell me with all these sponsors, 23:58 how significant are the small, regular sponsors? 24:03 Well, no organization can survive 24:06 without the small donor. 24:08 We get very excited about large donations 24:12 but the secret is a large base of people 24:16 who give regularly. 24:17 So the five dollars a month, the ten dollars a month 24:20 is critical to our success. 24:22 And I'm so grateful for the people, 24:25 who don't have a great income, 24:27 who really support us regularly. 24:30 And the Lord will bless them. 24:32 And I will be so excited for the same, 24:34 for their contribution. 24:37 Jim, with the managing all of these children 24:41 and there must be a lag between 24:43 getting sponsors and having children. 24:45 So you must have some un-sponsored children. 24:48 How do the un-sponsored children work? 24:50 Well, Carl, at most times 24:52 we can have 2- 300 un-sponsored children, 24:55 because we obviously have to have 24:57 a pool of children available. 24:58 But also sometimes, sponsors fall out 25:01 and once a child enters our program, 25:03 Asian Aid continues to support them. 25:06 So the un-sponsored child fund is critical 25:10 to running an efficient sponsorship program. 25:14 Now the un-sponsored child fund is a unique way, 25:18 that someone who doesn't want to pay a monthly cost 25:21 or a monthly donation can make a one-off donation. 25:25 So one of the good ways 25:27 that a person can support a child 25:29 without the monthly commitment, 25:31 is to contribute to the un-sponsored child fund. 25:34 It's a big need for us but it's an important need. 25:38 And this fund actually guarantees 25:40 that the child can continue. 25:41 Correct. 25:43 It guarantees that the children can continue in the program 25:46 and it gives us a pool of children 25:48 to ensure our growth. 25:50 And Jim, it sounds like Asian Aid, 25:53 it's a learning organization. 25:55 We learn from what's happened yesterday, 25:57 we do things today 25:59 and we create a future for tomorrow. 26:01 Correct. 26:02 So tell us how would others get involved with Asian Aid? 26:07 Well, I think the best place to start 26:09 is the website which is AsianAid.org. 26:14 It's www.asianaid.org. 26:18 And there you can see the activity we're doing. 26:22 You can look up our phone number 26:24 and call us if you want to. 26:26 You can actually donate online? 26:28 You can sponsor a child online. 26:31 So that's the best way. 26:32 Or give us a call. 26:34 Or if you see us in an event, 26:35 come and ask us for some information. 26:38 We want to hear from new donors. 26:40 We want them to read about us and understand what we do. 26:44 So it's really easy to get involved? 26:46 Correct. Just call. 26:48 Talk to us. Yes. 26:50 So to all our sponsors, I'm sure you would say, 26:54 "Thank you for all your support." 26:56 Oh! Look, I'm just so grateful. 27:00 When we open the mail on a Monday morning 27:02 and I just see people, 27:03 who I know, don't have a big income 27:05 but they're giving something for these children. 27:08 And I'm just so impressed. 27:11 And it's so emotional sometimes, 27:14 when we see 27:15 what people are doing, to help our organization 27:19 but more importantly the hope for children 27:22 that we're educating or rescuing. 27:25 And I'm just so grateful to the donors 27:28 and the supporters of Asian Aid. 27:31 To all of you, who are watching 27:33 this special edition of Hope in Motion. 27:36 You can see that Asian Aid is making a difference. 27:40 They are committed to making a difference. 27:42 And this certainly can use you 27:44 and your commitment to further this cause. 27:48 I would encourage you to call Asian Aid 27:51 and give of your time and resources. 27:54 Because you can make a difference 27:57 in the lives of children, families and communities 28:02 and help create and guarantee, 28:06 tomorrow's generation can be filled with hope. |
Revised 2015-09-03