Asian Aid is an
organization giving hope,
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an organization fostering
permanent positive change
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in the lives of
disadvantaged children
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and their communities,
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an organization
that is committed
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to making a difference
in the lives of children
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and those who are in need
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serving communities in Nepal,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
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and India.
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For the last 40
years, Asian Aid has invested
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in the futures of
people, and their investment
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has proven infinite returns.
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Driven by their dedication
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to helping those
who have the least,
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Asian Aid is an organization
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focused on the
welfare of children
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implementing
diverse development projects
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and sponsoring
thousands of children.
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Their outreach spans
from child rescue operations
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to providing an
education for orphans, deaf,
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and the blind children,
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giving them a
sense of place, a home.
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But above all, Asian Aid is
an organization giving hope,
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giving hope to children,
giving hope to communities,
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giving hope to the
ones who need it the most.
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This is Hope In Motion.
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Hello, I'm Carl Ginger
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and I'm on the
board of Asian Aid, USA.
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I'm going to talk a bit about
Asian Aid and its beginnings.
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Asian Aid started about
40 years ago, with a vision.
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And in that time it's
grown from a thought, a vision,
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a purpose and a mission
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to something
really significant today.
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And it's making a
significant difference
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in the lives of children,
families and communities.
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Today, I'm going to be
talking with Jim Rennie,
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the CEO of Asian Aid USA.
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Jim, good morning.
Good morning, Carl.
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It's very nice seeing you again.
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It's more than
just being the CEO,
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it's having a
relationship and a friendship.
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And I'm really
grateful for that.
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Jim, can you tell us
a bit about Asian Aid,
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to those who are not
really familiar with Asian Aid.
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What it does? Some
of the programs it does?
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Well, Carl, as you said
Asian Aid was established
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just about over 40
years now in Australia.
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And Asian Aid USA has been
going about six or seven years.
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Asian Aid is a really
child focused organization.
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And the main
activity that we carry out
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is sponsorship.
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And we have over 2800 children
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and each child has
an individual sponsor.
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That's our main activity.
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But on top of
that we are involved
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in over five orphanages,
a school for the blind,
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a school for the deaf in India.
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And then in recent times,
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we've become involved
in operation child rescue
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which is really exciting,
because we are involved
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in the rescue of young girls
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from the sex
trade and also children
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from hard labor
situations and beggary.
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So Asian Aid is
very child focused,
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but it's involved
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in a wide range of
child focused activity.
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Well, Jim, you mentioned
that Asian Aid is primarily
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about children
and child sponsorship.
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Can you give us a
bit more information
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on sponsorship?
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Whether there are
different categories
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for the sponsorship
and how it works, please.
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Yes, Carl, well
there's a number of levels
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of sponsorship.
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The first one is a Day Student.
But let me just go back a step.
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Asian Aid
basically takes children
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based on need and places
them in an Adventist school.
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The first category
is the day student,
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so this is the child,
who walks or catches the bus
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from their local
village to the school
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and so that
supplied an education.
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Then we have
the smaller category
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called Day Plus,
where it's the Day Student
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and we provide
them the mid-day meal.
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Our biggest category is Boarder.
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So this is a child
who boards at the school,
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obviously goes
home for the holidays.
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But they're getting
education, they get their meal,
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they get accommodation,
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they get a uniform
and a book allowance.
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And then, of course,
above that is tertiary,
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that's where they go
to college or university
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and a major part of their costs
are subsidized by Asian Aid.
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The unique thing
about Asian Aid is that
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when a child is accepted,
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whether they
have a sponsor or not,
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they stay in the
education program.
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We always have a pool
of un-sponsored children,
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so that we have children
in reserve for new sponsors.
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But also if the
sponsor is unable to continue,
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the child support continues.
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Each child has an
individual sponsor.
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And that sponsor
gets updates on the child,
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annual report and in most
cases the child writes them
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two or three letters a year.
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Now with the sponsorship,
with these various categories
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especially the Boarders,
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how do we select them?
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Well, the children
are selected on need.
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So when we have a need
for additional children,
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we allocate it to a
particular area or school.
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And then based on
the recommendation
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of either
pastors, community workers
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or of the principal,
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the children's names are
put forward to Asian Aid.
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And we have about
eleven field officers in India.
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So the field officer
checks on their situation
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and if possible
visits their home.
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And when they are accepted,
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they go to the
designated school.
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And you mentioned orphanages.
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Now in India we call them
Children's Homes, I guess.
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Correct.
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Now running an
orphanage or children's home
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must have challenges.
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It does.
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How do you see this working?
What are the challenges?
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And how do we manage that?
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Well, our biggest orphanage
is one that Asian Aid USA built
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in recent years,
it's called Sunrise Home.
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And it's in a beautiful location
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in the country,
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in a town called
Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh.
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It has 10 acres of property.
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And it's a fantastic
home for the children.
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There is a river flowing nearby.
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And you know when we go there,
we always enjoy them seeing,
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playing in the river.
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I think the main
challenge with these homes
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is obviously
finding the right staff.
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I mean it's hard
enough bringing up
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two, one two or
three kids of your own.
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Could you imagine having
to bring up 70 to 100 orphans?
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I mean, these kids
are just normal children.
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They want to do all the
things a normal child does.
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But so finding dedicated
staff, dedicated Christian staff
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who can be a
parent to these children,
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can manage a large
number of children,
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but most of important
give them a Christian influence
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in their lives is
our biggest challenge.
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I think the second challenge
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is obviously meeting
the legal requirements
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of the government.
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And we're very
blessed that Sunrise home
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is one of the first
government approved orphanages
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that the church and
Asian Aid has and...
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But the work these homes
are doing is just amazing,
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just amazing.
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And so it's always just
great to visit these homes.
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Now with all of these
children, you mentioned before
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that we have sponsors.
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What makes a
sponsor want to be involved?
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And how do they
actually get the joy
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and the pleasure
of being involved?
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Well, I think,
sponsorship is a very unique way
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of making a difference.
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We all can't
visit the mission field.
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We all can't go
on mission trips.
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And so sponsorship
means that every morning
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you are making a difference
in the life of a child.
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That child is dependent
on you for its education
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and in some cases its
food and not only that,
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you're giving the
Christian influence
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to that child.
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And hopefully, the
child writes to you,
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you can write to the child.
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You get their
annual school report.
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"Oh! My child is
getting an A or a C."
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So you're involved
in the life of a child
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and you're making a
difference every day.
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And I guess that the big thing
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is that the sponsors
stay there for the long term.
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I see them like postage stamps.
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They stick to their cause
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and their commitment to the end.
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And I would assume that, often,
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when they get to the end
of the child's education,
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they might
sponsor another child too.
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Oh, yes, yes.
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We have, in fact
I, just the other day
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I was talking to a sponsor,
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who had sponsored
the particular child
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for 10 years and
now have left tertiary.
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And that particular
lady took a new child.
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So she's been sponsoring
with Asian Aid over 10 years.
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Now, that's a good news story.
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So, Jim, when we're
talking about Bobbili,
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it's in a rural area.
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We not only have
the children's home,
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but we involved
in the community,
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in the local area.
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Could you give us an
idea of what we do there,
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and the impact it's
making on these people?
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Well, as you remember,
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Bobbili is not far from
the major city of Vizag.
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Now, in the city of Vizag,
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you remember we
went to the slum school.
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I remember that well.
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Yeah, it's a very unique school
that Asian Aid funds 100%,
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it's located right in
the center of the slum.
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There's 80 small children there,
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in fact, I think
there's about 90 at the moment.
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And the amazing
thing here is that,
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if that school
wasn't where it is,
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right on the heart of the slum,
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50% of those children
wouldn't be at school.
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It faces tremendous pressures,
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because the parents
quite often want the children
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to be on the streets begging.
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So there is a lot of pressure
to keep the kids at school.
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And so Asian Aid is
very proud of that ministry
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and what it had achieved.
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And every time I
visit that school, Jim,
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I just see the
faces of these children.
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Their smiles are so broad
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and they're so
happy to be at school.
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It's an inspiration.
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That's right. It's a delight.
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Then as you get
nearer to Bobbili,
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there's a number of day schools,
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where Asian Aid
have sponsored children,
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there's the Sunrise
home as we mentioned.
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But then right on the
other side of Bobbili,
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the Sunrise,
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we have the Asian
Aid School for the blind.
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And once again this
is a very unique school.
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We have 160 either blind
or partially blind children.
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And once again these are from
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very, very poor remote villages.
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And in most cases,
these are shunned by society.
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They are rejected by society.
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So a lot of these kids
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would have never
got an education.
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And what would happen if
they don't get an education?
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Well, we've seen
some pretty sad stories.
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One day when I was
there, a girl was brought in
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and her parents had
chained her in the basement
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of the house for three years
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because they didn't want...
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They were filled by,
00:12:13.36\00:12:14.70
were ashamed in
having this daughter.
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And when she
arrived, she couldn't speak.
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And I went back a
couple of months later
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and that brought
tears to my eyes,
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as I saw this
little girl singing a song.
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As I said, people like
this are rejected by society.
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The parents don't
know what to do with them.
00:12:31.21\00:12:33.78
And so it has a big impact
on the family that their child
00:12:33.82\00:12:38.22
came to get education, and
now we see them at tertiary
00:12:38.25\00:12:41.59
and we have some actually
working in call centers.
00:12:41.62\00:12:44.83
So it's truly a blessing.
00:12:44.86\00:12:47.60
And so it's not only the child
that's having a new future,
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the parents also
can have a new start
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because their
child can do something
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and they can support the child.
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And as you said,
when they grow up
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the child can be of a
blessing to the parents too.
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Yeah.
00:13:03.01\00:13:04.35
So, Jim, with such a lot
of influence in the community,
00:13:04.38\00:13:07.88
the things we're
doing in the community
00:13:07.92\00:13:09.58
and I'm sure the community
participating in these things.
00:13:09.62\00:13:13.52
Do they see us as
Christians, as Adventists?
00:13:13.56\00:13:16.73
How do they see us?
00:13:16.76\00:13:18.59
Well, I think it's
exciting how they see us
00:13:18.63\00:13:21.86
because, yes, they
know we're Christians.
00:13:21.90\00:13:24.53
Yes, they know we're
Seventh-day Adventists.
00:13:24.57\00:13:26.87
Now sometimes,
they don't understand
00:13:26.90\00:13:28.44
what a Seventh-day Adventist is.
00:13:28.47\00:13:30.41
But over time they learn
and understand who we are.
00:13:30.44\00:13:34.91
Eighty percent of these children
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.54
are not from Christian homes.
00:13:36.58\00:13:38.88
So it builds a
unique relationship
00:13:38.91\00:13:42.68
between the
church and the community.
00:13:42.72\00:13:45.29
And quite often these
children take the Christianity
00:13:45.32\00:13:48.56
back to their homes.
00:13:48.59\00:13:50.23
So it's one of the most
amazing outreach programs
00:13:50.26\00:13:54.66
that you are a part of,
00:13:54.70\00:13:56.80
when you are
involved in sponsorship.
00:13:56.83\00:13:59.70
Thanks, Jim.
00:13:59.73\00:14:01.07
Now, apart from all of
these things that we do,
00:14:01.10\00:14:03.20
sponsorship programs,
community development programs.
00:14:03.24\00:14:06.27
There are other issues
that are emerging as well.
00:14:06.31\00:14:08.31
You mentioned trafficking
of children into sex slavery
00:14:08.34\00:14:14.25
and the trade.
00:14:14.28\00:14:15.62
And, you know, it's...
00:14:15.65\00:14:17.79
There's so much more
that Asian Aid is involved in,
00:14:17.82\00:14:22.29
and will be involved in.
00:14:22.32\00:14:25.46
So join me in a few minutes.
00:14:25.49\00:14:27.63
When we come back
00:14:27.66\00:14:29.73
and we will talk to Jim
more about how Asian Aid
00:14:29.76\00:14:32.47
is participating in
these new programs and projects
00:14:32.50\00:14:36.81
and how they are
making a difference
00:14:36.84\00:14:39.27
in the lives of
children, adults, families
00:14:39.31\00:14:43.08
and communities.
00:14:43.11\00:14:44.95
I just got a letter
00:14:54.16\00:14:55.49
from our
sponsored daughter, Sheila.
00:14:55.52\00:14:56.93
And I've got to tell you,
00:14:56.96\00:14:58.29
there is nothing like
getting one of these letters.
00:14:58.33\00:15:00.50
Our family has
been able to sponsor her
00:15:00.53\00:15:02.56
through Asian Aid,
and because of that
00:15:02.60\00:15:04.77
she's got a great place to live,
00:15:04.80\00:15:06.27
she's got great meal,
she's got great clothing,
00:15:06.30\00:15:09.14
and best of all, I found
out she is now in college,
00:15:09.17\00:15:12.51
she is in nursing school.
00:15:12.54\00:15:14.38
There is nothing like
getting a letter like this.
00:15:14.41\00:15:16.81
You need to start
getting these letters too.
00:15:16.85\00:15:18.41
Listen, through Asian Aid,
you can make a huge difference
00:15:18.45\00:15:22.65
in the life of a
child, and I promise you,
00:15:22.68\00:15:25.79
it's going to
make a huge difference
00:15:25.82\00:15:27.52
in your life too.
00:15:27.56\00:15:28.89
The first time
that I visited India,
00:15:42.54\00:15:44.24
which is now
around 35 years ago,
00:15:44.27\00:15:46.47
there were two things
that especially impressed me.
00:15:46.51\00:15:49.48
One was the numbers of children
00:15:49.51\00:15:51.35
who were suffering
00:15:51.38\00:15:52.75
without enough
food, and clothing,
00:15:52.78\00:15:54.78
and no proper housing or
parents to care for them.
00:15:54.82\00:15:59.15
And the other thing
was the amazing potential
00:15:59.19\00:16:02.26
in those children
to do something special
00:16:02.29\00:16:04.49
with their lives,
00:16:04.53\00:16:05.86
and also to do
something for God.
00:16:05.89\00:16:08.50
The thing that was really needed
00:16:08.53\00:16:10.27
and is needed now
is sponsors like you.
00:16:10.30\00:16:14.30
And to realize
what a huge difference
00:16:14.34\00:16:17.31
you can make in the
life of a child every day
00:16:17.34\00:16:20.24
through sponsorship.
00:16:20.28\00:16:21.88
Welcome back.
00:16:35.56\00:16:37.26
I'm in
conversation with Jim Rennie,
00:16:37.29\00:16:38.99
the CEO of Asian Aid USA.
00:16:39.03\00:16:41.90
Jim, the majority of
our work is in India.
00:16:41.93\00:16:45.03
But we also work
in other countries
00:16:45.07\00:16:46.67
like Sri Lanka.
00:16:46.70\00:16:48.14
Could you give
us an understanding
00:16:48.17\00:16:49.50
of what we do and where?
00:16:49.54\00:16:51.34
Yes, Carl.
00:16:51.37\00:16:52.71
Well, in Sri Lanka,
our main activity there
00:16:52.74\00:16:56.24
is with Lakpahana College
00:16:56.28\00:16:57.91
and we have about 50
sponsored children there.
00:16:57.95\00:17:00.82
In Bangladesh,
we have 300 children
00:17:00.85\00:17:04.79
and a number of
Adventist schools.
00:17:04.82\00:17:07.49
We're shortly to enter Myanmar.
00:17:07.52\00:17:09.99
And in Nepal, we
have about 150 children
00:17:10.03\00:17:14.80
in numerous Adventist colleges.
00:17:14.83\00:17:17.50
Now there are special
issues in Nepal and, it's like,
00:17:17.53\00:17:23.37
child trafficking
is a big issue there.
00:17:23.41\00:17:25.24
Correct.
00:17:25.27\00:17:27.11
And do we have
programs to address this?
00:17:27.14\00:17:30.25
Where are we starting to
address this sort of issue?
00:17:30.28\00:17:32.61
Well, we've made a
decision with our program
00:17:32.65\00:17:34.98
called Operation Child Rescue
00:17:35.02\00:17:38.09
that we want to get
involved in this area,
00:17:38.12\00:17:40.96
especially be
targeting children.
00:17:40.99\00:17:43.49
So in Bangalore,
we have partnered
00:17:43.53\00:17:44.99
with an organization.
00:17:45.03\00:17:46.70
And we're directly
involved in rescues.
00:17:46.73\00:17:49.83
The main
activity is rescuing girls
00:17:49.86\00:17:52.17
from the sex trade.
00:17:52.20\00:17:53.74
So we're involved
directly in rescues.
00:17:53.77\00:17:56.30
They go and take these
girls from the brothels
00:17:56.34\00:18:00.14
and do their best
to rehabilitate them.
00:18:00.18\00:18:03.65
Now that sounds to me
like a risky business?
00:18:03.68\00:18:05.91
It is. It is.
00:18:05.95\00:18:07.28
The team are
constantly exploring,
00:18:07.32\00:18:09.58
exposed to danger
00:18:09.62\00:18:11.32
and there is obviously
corruption at all levels.
00:18:11.35\00:18:14.69
And our team have to
take very special precautions
00:18:14.72\00:18:18.96
in the work that they do.
00:18:18.99\00:18:20.70
And then also in
Bangalore, we're working closely
00:18:20.73\00:18:24.20
with the trust that
actually rescues babies.
00:18:24.23\00:18:27.34
These are babies that
are rejected by society.
00:18:27.37\00:18:30.54
They're left on
the side of the road.
00:18:30.57\00:18:33.07
And so the police
and social services
00:18:33.11\00:18:35.78
bring those babies
to the rescue center.
00:18:35.81\00:18:38.98
And, Carl, it's so heartbreaking
00:18:39.01\00:18:42.28
to see these children
that have been rejected
00:18:42.32\00:18:44.72
by society but it's
just so exciting to see
00:18:44.75\00:18:49.69
that these children
have been saved from death.
00:18:49.72\00:18:55.00
And Operation Child Rescue
00:18:55.03\00:18:57.20
was an important part of
Asian Aid's growing program.
00:18:57.23\00:19:02.74
So Asian Aid has an influence
on children from babies,
00:19:02.77\00:19:07.44
you know, right
through to adults.
00:19:07.48\00:19:09.01
Yes.
00:19:09.04\00:19:10.38
Asian Aid is a
very unique ministry
00:19:10.41\00:19:12.08
that we're very child focused.
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.38
And yeah, we cover a
spectrum of how our donors
00:19:14.42\00:19:18.35
and supporters can be
involved in changing the lives
00:19:18.39\00:19:22.76
and saving these
children from death.
00:19:22.79\00:19:26.03
Yeah.
00:19:26.06\00:19:27.40
And it's not just all of these,
this whole spectrum of people.
00:19:27.43\00:19:30.77
We also are involved
in special needs children,
00:19:30.80\00:19:33.44
like the school for the
blind and the hearing-impaired.
00:19:33.47\00:19:36.94
Give us a bit more
information on these schools
00:19:36.97\00:19:38.84
because they are,
they serve special needs.
00:19:38.87\00:19:41.11
I know you mentioned previously
about the school for the blind,
00:19:41.14\00:19:44.55
but tell us a bit more
00:19:44.58\00:19:45.91
about the school
for hearing-impaired.
00:19:45.95\00:19:47.78
Well, you remember
when you and I went there,
00:19:47.82\00:19:49.88
we drove in the gate
00:19:49.92\00:19:51.55
and it was just so
exciting that these kids
00:19:51.59\00:19:53.79
just came
rushing around the car.
00:19:53.82\00:19:56.12
And you hop out and
then without thinking,
00:19:56.16\00:19:58.56
you start talking to them.
00:19:58.59\00:19:59.93
Absolutely.
00:19:59.96\00:20:01.30
You forget that they're deaf
because they're so animated,
00:20:01.33\00:20:03.06
they're saying hello.
00:20:03.10\00:20:04.73
And once again,
00:20:04.77\00:20:06.10
this is a very,
very important school
00:20:06.13\00:20:09.27
because these children
00:20:09.30\00:20:10.64
are from the poor villages
where the society reject them,
00:20:10.67\00:20:16.31
it's
embarrassing to the parents.
00:20:16.34\00:20:18.55
And to see them singing
hymns using sign language,
00:20:18.58\00:20:23.18
to see them
doing a skit to music
00:20:23.22\00:20:26.86
but they can't hear the music.
00:20:26.89\00:20:28.22
Wasn't that amazing?
That was absolutely amazing.
00:20:28.26\00:20:30.73
The other thing,
it's the concentration
00:20:30.76\00:20:32.43
on these children's faces.
00:20:32.46\00:20:33.93
Because they
can't hear anything,
00:20:33.96\00:20:35.33
they just focus
on what's being done.
00:20:35.36\00:20:37.37
That really amazed me.
00:20:37.40\00:20:39.40
I think the other
important thing also,
00:20:39.43\00:20:42.40
is the difference it makes
on the lives of the families.
00:20:42.44\00:20:45.94
All right, so we're not
only sponsoring a child,
00:20:45.97\00:20:48.64
we're not only giving
that child an education
00:20:48.68\00:20:51.65
but suddenly the parents,
00:20:51.68\00:20:53.88
the parents who
have faced stigma,
00:20:53.92\00:20:56.12
the parents that
have faced embarrassment
00:20:56.15\00:20:58.29
are suddenly
proud of their child.
00:20:58.32\00:21:00.86
To see parents in the slum,
00:21:00.89\00:21:03.06
who are proud of
their little child,
00:21:03.09\00:21:05.33
in their dirty
uniform heading off to school.
00:21:05.36\00:21:08.23
To see parents of
the blind children,
00:21:08.26\00:21:10.77
who suddenly have a
child they can talk about.
00:21:10.80\00:21:13.57
And these
children make a difference.
00:21:13.60\00:21:15.87
So the sponsor is
making a difference
00:21:15.90\00:21:18.17
in the life of the
family and that community.
00:21:18.21\00:21:21.54
So it has a
very, very wide effect.
00:21:21.58\00:21:23.98
With our sponsorship program,
00:21:24.01\00:21:26.31
you're introducing
the child to Jesus.
00:21:26.35\00:21:29.25
They come to the school
00:21:29.28\00:21:30.85
and suddenly
they're learning hymns,
00:21:30.89\00:21:33.09
they're learning
prayer and they become...
00:21:33.12\00:21:36.19
They really are
introduced to Jesus
00:21:36.22\00:21:39.23
and it's just so exciting.
00:21:39.26\00:21:41.06
We see baptisms.
00:21:41.10\00:21:42.76
We see them taking
the Christian influence
00:21:42.80\00:21:45.73
back to their
family and their friends.
00:21:45.77\00:21:49.30
So sponsorship is a very
effective evangelism tool
00:21:49.34\00:21:54.91
that you are involved
in as a sponsor every day.
00:21:54.94\00:22:00.12
And what that
really also means is,
00:22:00.15\00:22:01.85
it's not just people
knowing Jesus Christ,
00:22:01.88\00:22:05.05
but hope gives them
another reason to live.
00:22:05.09\00:22:09.06
That's right.
00:22:09.09\00:22:10.43
And in Asian Aid's
logo, it says Asian Aid,
00:22:10.46\00:22:13.13
give hope today.
00:22:13.16\00:22:14.90
And that's what we're doing.
00:22:14.93\00:22:16.80
The hope that's bigger
than the hope of an education,
00:22:16.83\00:22:19.80
that's the hope of eternal life.
00:22:19.83\00:22:21.84
So, Jim, to do all these
stuff, we know, we need funds
00:22:21.87\00:22:24.81
and I know that at
our board meetings,
00:22:24.84\00:22:26.98
one of the key items is funds.
00:22:27.01\00:22:29.74
How do we raise funds?
00:22:29.78\00:22:31.11
And what are we
going to do with it?
00:22:31.15\00:22:33.18
What's the challenges?
00:22:33.21\00:22:34.88
Well, fund raising is tough.
00:22:34.92\00:22:37.55
Where there's a lot
of ministries out there
00:22:37.59\00:22:40.02
seeking the dollar,
00:22:40.06\00:22:41.56
the dollar that people
want to share for good causes.
00:22:41.59\00:22:44.79
So it's a very
competitive environment,
00:22:44.83\00:22:47.26
but we've been very blessed
with the Hope in Motion series,
00:22:47.30\00:22:50.77
that we're a part of right now.
00:22:50.80\00:22:52.77
And we've been very blessed
with our partnership with 3ABN.
00:22:52.80\00:22:56.97
It's had a
dramatic impact on people
00:22:57.01\00:22:59.87
understanding the
work of Asian Aid.
00:22:59.91\00:23:02.51
We also have to
travel all around America
00:23:02.54\00:23:04.81
going to ASIs
and church meetings
00:23:04.85\00:23:08.22
and visiting churches.
00:23:08.25\00:23:09.75
So that comes with a high cost.
00:23:09.78\00:23:12.09
But the Lord's blessed us
00:23:12.12\00:23:14.12
and we plan to continue growing.
00:23:14.16\00:23:17.43
We plan to continue
helping more children.
00:23:17.46\00:23:20.70
And, Jim, I know
that this comes at a cost
00:23:20.73\00:23:22.70
but the long-term benefits
far outweigh these costs.
00:23:22.73\00:23:27.04
Yeah, the unique
thing about sponsorship,
00:23:27.07\00:23:29.60
there's an
investment at the beginning,
00:23:29.64\00:23:31.77
but the donor stays
with us for five, ten years.
00:23:31.81\00:23:36.68
Yeah, but it's also
impacting on the child
00:23:36.71\00:23:39.58
for five to ten years.
00:23:39.61\00:23:41.48
So it's a great investment.
00:23:41.52\00:23:43.85
And when we talk
about impacting on the child
00:23:43.89\00:23:46.19
for five or ten years,
that's the immediate impact
00:23:46.22\00:23:49.42
but the future
impact is priceless.
00:23:49.46\00:23:51.89
Correct.
00:23:51.93\00:23:53.26
Now tell me with
all these sponsors,
00:23:53.29\00:23:56.63
how significant are the
small, regular sponsors?
00:23:56.67\00:24:00.67
Well, no
organization can survive
00:24:00.70\00:24:03.94
without the small donor.
00:24:03.97\00:24:06.04
We get very excited
about large donations
00:24:06.07\00:24:09.44
but the secret is a large base
of people who give regularly.
00:24:09.48\00:24:14.58
So the five dollars a
month, the ten dollars a month
00:24:14.62\00:24:17.75
is critical to our success.
00:24:17.79\00:24:20.16
And I'm so
grateful for the people,
00:24:20.19\00:24:22.96
who don't have a great income,
00:24:22.99\00:24:24.83
who really support us regularly.
00:24:24.86\00:24:27.20
And the Lord will bless them.
00:24:27.23\00:24:29.56
And they will be so excited
00:24:29.60\00:24:31.23
for seeing for
their contribution.
00:24:31.27\00:24:34.90
Jim, with managing
all of these children
00:24:34.94\00:24:38.24
and there must be a lag
between getting sponsors
00:24:38.27\00:24:41.44
and having children.
00:24:41.48\00:24:42.81
So you must have some
un-sponsored children.
00:24:42.84\00:24:45.71
How do the
un-sponsored children work?
00:24:45.75\00:24:48.25
Well, Carl, at most
times we can have 200 to 300
00:24:48.28\00:24:51.55
un-sponsored
children, because we obviously
00:24:51.59\00:24:53.76
have to have a pool
of children available.
00:24:53.79\00:24:56.19
But also
sometimes, sponsors fall out
00:24:56.22\00:24:58.73
and once a child
enters our program,
00:24:58.76\00:25:01.30
Asian Aid
continues to support them.
00:25:01.33\00:25:03.80
So the un-sponsored child
fund is critical to running
00:25:03.83\00:25:08.10
an efficient
sponsorship program.
00:25:08.14\00:25:11.17
Now, the un-sponsored
child fund is a unique way,
00:25:11.21\00:25:15.58
that someone who doesn't
want to pay a monthly cost
00:25:15.61\00:25:18.71
or a monthly donation
can make a one-off donation.
00:25:18.75\00:25:22.65
So one of the good ways
00:25:22.68\00:25:24.12
that a person
can support a child
00:25:24.15\00:25:26.45
without the monthly commitment
00:25:26.49\00:25:28.66
is to contribute to the
un-sponsored child fund.
00:25:28.69\00:25:31.76
It's a big need for us,
but it's an important need.
00:25:31.79\00:25:35.33
And this fund
actually guarantees
00:25:35.36\00:25:37.37
that the child can continue.
00:25:37.40\00:25:39.13
Correct.
00:25:39.17\00:25:40.50
It guarantees that the children
can continue in the program
00:25:40.54\00:25:43.87
and it gives us
a pool of children
00:25:43.91\00:25:46.17
to ensure our growth.
00:25:46.21\00:25:47.94
And, Jim, it
sounds like Asian Aid,
00:25:47.98\00:25:50.38
it's a learning organization.
00:25:50.41\00:25:52.28
We learn from
what's happened yesterday,
00:25:52.31\00:25:54.68
we do things today
00:25:54.72\00:25:56.62
and we create a
future for tomorrow.
00:25:56.65\00:25:58.95
Correct.
00:25:58.99\00:26:00.32
So tell us how would others
get involved with Asian Aid?
00:26:00.36\00:26:04.89
Well, I think the best
place to start is our website
00:26:04.93\00:26:08.33
which is AsianAid.org.
00:26:08.36\00:26:11.20
It's www.AsianAid.org.
00:26:11.23\00:26:16.07
And there you can see
the activity we're doing.
00:26:16.10\00:26:19.91
You can look up our phone number
00:26:19.94\00:26:21.58
and call us if you want to.
00:26:21.61\00:26:23.51
You can actually donate online.
00:26:23.55\00:26:25.78
You can sponsor a child online.
00:26:25.81\00:26:28.58
So that's the best way.
00:26:28.62\00:26:29.95
Or give us a call, or
if you see us in an event,
00:26:29.98\00:26:32.75
come and ask us
for some information.
00:26:32.79\00:26:35.42
We want to hear from new donors.
00:26:35.46\00:26:37.23
We want them to read about
us and understand what we do.
00:26:37.26\00:26:41.40
So it's really
easy to get involved?
00:26:41.43\00:26:43.23
Correct.
00:26:43.26\00:26:44.60
Just call. Talk to us. Yes.
00:26:44.63\00:26:47.27
So to all our sponsors,
I'm sure you would say,
00:26:47.30\00:26:51.54
"Thank you for
all your support."
00:26:51.57\00:26:53.58
Oh! Look, I'm just so grateful.
00:26:53.61\00:26:57.35
When we open the
mail on a Monday morning
00:26:57.38\00:26:59.71
and I just see people,
00:26:59.75\00:27:01.08
who I know don't
have a big income
00:27:01.12\00:27:02.85
but they're giving
something for these children.
00:27:02.88\00:27:06.02
And I'm just so impressed.
00:27:06.05\00:27:08.39
And it's so emotional sometimes,
00:27:08.42\00:27:11.19
when we see what
people are doing to help
00:27:11.23\00:27:14.93
our organization
but more importantly
00:27:14.96\00:27:17.93
the hope for children
00:27:17.97\00:27:19.47
that we're
educating or rescuing.
00:27:19.50\00:27:22.30
And I'm just so
grateful to the donors
00:27:22.34\00:27:25.41
and the supporters of Asian Aid.
00:27:25.44\00:27:28.98
To all of you, who are
watching this special edition
00:27:29.01\00:27:32.01
of Hope in Motion.
00:27:32.05\00:27:34.18
You can see that Asian
Aid is making a difference.
00:27:34.22\00:27:37.49
They are committed
to making a difference.
00:27:37.52\00:27:39.65
And they certainly can
use you and your commitment
00:27:39.69\00:27:43.73
to further this cause.
00:27:43.76\00:27:45.69
I would encourage
you to call Asian Aid
00:27:45.73\00:27:48.70
and give of your
time and resources.
00:27:48.73\00:27:51.27
Because you can
make a difference
00:27:51.30\00:27:54.44
in the lives of
children, families
00:27:54.47\00:27:57.84
and communities and help create
00:27:57.87\00:28:01.28
and guarantee,
tomorrow's generation
00:28:01.31\00:28:04.95
can be filled with hope.
00:28:04.98\00:28:07.98