Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000104A
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00:14 Child Impact International is an organization giving hope
00:18 previously called Asian Aid. 00:20 Child Impact International is an organization 00:22 fostering permanent positive change 00:25 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:27 and their communities. 00:28 Child Impact is committed to making a difference 00:31 in the lives of children and those who are in need. 00:34 Serving communities in India, 00:35 Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, 00:39 and will soon expand to other countries. 00:41 For the last 50 years, 00:43 Child Impact has invested in the futures of people 00:46 and their investment is proving infinite returns, 00:48 driven by the dedication 00:50 to helping those who have the least. 00:52 Child Impact is an organization 00:54 focused on the welfare of children, 00:56 implementing diverse development projects 00:59 and sponsoring thousands of children. 01:01 Their outreach expands from child rescue operations 01:04 to providing an education for orphans, 01:06 deaf, and the blind children 01:08 giving them a sense of place, a home, 01:11 but above all, Child Impact is an organization giving hope, 01:15 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 01:18 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 01:21 This is Hope in Motion. 01:30 I'm Jim Rennie. 01:32 For over the last eight years, 01:33 I've been CEO of Asian Aid USA. 01:37 Asian Aid was established over 50 years ago 01:40 and in that time has helped tens of thousands of children 01:44 in over five countries. 01:46 As a part of a bold new strategy, 01:49 we're changing our name. 01:51 We are now Child Impact International. 01:55 We feel our new name 01:56 will better encompass the work that we do. 01:59 Let me briefly explain what I mean. 02:02 This exciting new name Child Impact International 02:07 will give us momentum as we move forward 02:10 to help thousands of additional children. 02:13 As we work with our focus groups, 02:15 we felt Child Impact International describes 02:18 who we are and what we do for the following reasons. 02:23 This name reflects far more clearly 02:25 the critical work that we're doing 02:27 with very needy students, 02:29 their families and mission schools. 02:32 Child Impact International gives momentum and direction 02:36 to a bold growth strategy 02:38 that will impact the lives 02:39 of thousands of additional children. 02:42 This name avoids any confusion in regards to where we work 02:46 and what people consider Asia. 02:50 This name gives a clear distinction 02:52 between this organization and Asian Aid Australia, 02:56 which are completely separate. 02:58 The name Child Impact International 03:01 provides us the opportunity to help more children 03:05 and expand our activity beyond Asia. 03:09 Internally, nothing will change, 03:12 the board, staff, policies, 03:14 and work we do will stay the same, 03:17 and at the same level of excellence 03:19 that we're known for. 03:21 We're staying in Collegedale, Tennessee. 03:23 Philosophically however, 03:25 the new name Child Impact International 03:29 will allow our organization to expand 03:32 and give momentum to help 03:34 thousands of new needy children. 03:43 You have an opportunity to be involved 03:45 in the mission field every day, 03:47 every morning with child sponsorship. 03:49 You can impact on the lives of children 03:52 just like these ones here. 03:54 You can help set their lives on a new course 03:57 and also give them hope 03:58 that can change their lives forever. 04:02 Our funds go directly to support the needs 04:04 of an Adventist mission school, 04:06 which heightens the quality of education 04:09 just not for the children who are sponsored, 04:11 but all the children in the school. 04:14 The reality is that poverty is very hard to change. 04:18 Child Impact International sponsorship program 04:22 takes the child based on need 04:24 and puts them in an Adventist mission school. 04:26 It gives them a direction, it gives them hope, 04:29 and also has an impact in the communities 04:33 and with their families and friends. 04:35 Together, you and I can have a huge change 04:39 on an entire community just like 04:42 the ones around the school. 04:45 For existing donors, the only change you'll see 04:48 is an advancement in the communication 04:51 between your child and projects. 04:54 You'll see a real difference by using new technologies 04:58 to keep you up-to-date 05:00 on how you support Child Impact. 05:17 The work of Child Impact International 05:19 will continue to grow in the countries 05:22 we already operate in like India, Myanmar, 05:25 Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 05:28 And as opportunities arise, 05:30 we will expand into other countries. 05:33 The poverty which you see 05:35 in communities like this is real. 05:37 These families struggle to feed and educate their children. 05:41 You can have an impact right here, 05:44 right now by becoming a sponsor of a child 05:47 or partnering with Child Impact. 05:50 Child Impact is a fully supportive ministry 05:53 of the Adventist church 05:54 and supports children, and orphans, 05:57 and special needs children 05:59 in Adventist homes and mission schools. 06:02 Each child's life has changed 06:05 and the mission school gains unique funds. 06:09 You have an opportunity to be involved in the mission field 06:12 every day by becoming a sponsor or a supporter 06:16 of Child Impact International. 06:25 Welcome back to our program about Child Impact, 06:28 and one of these projects that you have going 06:31 is called Operation Child Rescue. 06:34 When I was there, 06:35 I saw a little bit of this program. 06:39 It is really, really awesome and exciting 06:41 as well as very important. 06:43 Jim, tell us about Operation Child Rescue? 06:46 Well, when you operate in India, 06:49 you start to understand what trafficking is. 06:53 To be honest, it's hard to comprehend the size of it. 06:57 But it's believed that about 06:59 20% of the trafficked children are in India. 07:03 Obviously, with young girls 07:05 in the sex traffic and brothels, 07:08 but also with young boys 07:10 in beggary operations and child labor. 07:14 And so, we just feel we had to be involved, 07:17 so we've partnered with a lady 07:20 who runs a rescue operation in Bangalore. 07:24 And she actually goes in and rescue girls, 07:29 raids these brothels and rescue girls. 07:33 And to be honest, it takes a lot of something to do this, 07:38 but she ties them with the police force 07:40 where she can. 07:42 And we are so excited 07:43 that we can help fund this rescue work, 07:47 its girls from brothels but it's also young boys and... 07:51 Young boys from slave labor operations 07:55 in factories and that sort of thing. 07:59 We've also funded a rescue center, 08:03 so we've fully sponsored 08:05 the three years a home in Bangalore 08:09 where these girls can go, 08:11 they're safe there, they're secure. 08:14 There's very tight security. 08:17 And we are funding that rescue home for the girls. 08:24 The second part that we're involved in is baby rescue. 08:28 Yes. 08:30 We have an Adventist gentleman 08:31 that runs a baby rescue operation in Bangalore also. 08:35 We have children that are abandoned on the streets, 08:39 are abandoned in police stations, 08:41 are abandoned at hospitals 08:44 are taken to the baby rescue center. 08:47 Very touching to visit there, 08:49 to see little babies that have been rejected 08:52 or just left somewhere. 08:54 And so, supporting that, we believe is very important. 08:58 Indeed. 09:00 The next part of the rescue program is slum rescue. 09:05 And we support the Vizag slum school. 09:11 A large amount of the children 09:14 come from very rough backgrounds. 09:16 Now, you've visited the Vizag slum school 09:20 when we were on the trip. 09:23 What were your impressions and takeouts from that visit? 09:27 Well, the visit to that slum 09:29 is something that I will never forget. 09:32 Right in the middle of this bustling city, 09:34 we walked into this place and the stench was everywhere, 09:39 the thin, frail bodies of the people who live there 09:42 who make $2 a day or less, 09:46 truly made an impression upon me. 09:49 But the thing that brought me a degree of comfort 09:52 was visiting that school that is operated 09:55 and supported by Child Impact. 09:58 Dozens of precious children are going there 10:01 to get an education 10:03 and to have the opportunity of a better future. 10:05 And an excellent example was that beautiful young lady 10:09 that you introduced me to. 10:11 She went through that school, thanks to Child Impact, 10:15 was also sponsored to go to secondary school. 10:19 And she is now studying to be a nurse, and when I asked her, 10:22 "Why do you want to be a nurse? 10:23 And where you want to go when you finish studying?" 10:26 She said, "I want to come back right here to my slum 10:29 because both of my parents have AIDS. 10:31 I want to take care of them, 10:33 and I want to take care of the people here." 10:36 Can you imagine what would happen 10:38 just in that slum without the support of Child Impact. 10:44 And that's right, and that's why our rescue program 10:47 in the slums by giving a child an education, 10:51 we're actually rescuing them 10:53 from the potential of being trafficked or sold. 10:56 That's right. 10:57 Now the fourth aspect of Operation Child Rescue 11:00 is the rescue of orphans. 11:02 Now, yes, quite often orphans are brought by family members, 11:06 but also we rescue children. 11:09 We rescue them from railway stations, 11:11 we rescue them from the streets, 11:13 and we take them to an orphanage. 11:16 Now about six or seven years ago, 11:18 we built Sunrise Home which is located in the country 11:22 in Bobbili near the blind school. 11:24 Yes. Fantastic place. 11:27 Now once again, you've visited Sunrise, 11:29 what did you think of Sunrise? 11:31 Well, I was really impressed 11:33 because they have built that place beautifully. 11:38 It is secure, it is large, 11:41 in fact, a dorm was just dedicated when we were there. 11:45 We had hundreds of people coming for worship that day, 11:48 do you remember? 11:49 Yes. 11:50 And what I can't forget 11:52 is the smiles of those children. 11:54 Those children who have been left to die in many cases. 12:00 Their families can't afford them 12:03 or there's something wrong with their health 12:07 or something else, 12:09 and they're just dumped. 12:11 And every week, children are brought 12:13 to the gates of Sunrise Home, 12:16 and there they find a place. 12:19 They find love, they find parents, 12:22 basically their spiritual parents, 12:25 the sponsors here and the teachers there. 12:28 But one of the things that really, really hit me 12:33 the hardest was to learn that the area 12:36 is surrounded by venomous snakes. 12:40 Yes. 12:41 And people get bit, 12:43 and they die all the time around there. 12:45 And yet, the director of that school told me 12:48 that not one time has there ever been a snake 12:51 found inside the orphanage. 12:53 And that tells me that angels are standing 12:57 guarding that orphanage 12:59 so that the children are not harmed by these snakes. 13:02 That speaks to the power of God and His blessing over Sunrise. 13:07 Right. 13:08 So you've heard about 13:10 the four aspects to Operation Child Rescue, 13:13 and the unique thing about Operation Child Rescue 13:16 is not that we're giving the kids 13:18 an education which we are, 13:20 it's not that we're giving the kids a home 13:23 to live which we are, 13:25 but we are rescuing them, many of them from death. 13:28 We are actually giving them life and giving them hope. 13:33 And I just hope that you would give consideration 13:36 to supporting this important project with Child Impact, 13:40 and its Operation Child Rescue. 13:46 Hi, I'm Jean Boonstra, 13:48 associate speaker at the Voice of Prophecy. 13:51 Now I'm sure that you're aware of the global problem 13:54 of human trafficking. 13:56 And in places in the world like India and Nepal for example, 13:59 this problem of human trafficking, 14:01 well, it's very real. 14:03 Not long ago, I was in India, and I learned a little bit more 14:06 about what happens in that area. 14:09 Young girls are tricked, 14:11 usually girls who are disadvantaged, 14:13 maybe from a poor village or community, 14:16 and they're tricked into becoming part 14:18 of the sex industry and into prostitution. 14:22 It's extremely sad, 14:24 and, you know, these young girls, 14:25 they're caught in a web in a lifestyle 14:28 that they don't want to be a part of. 14:30 But once they're in it, 14:32 it's very difficult to find a way out. 14:35 When we think about the problem of human trafficking, 14:38 we often think about these girls, 14:40 but it often affects young boys as well. 14:43 Young boys in India, for example, they're caught, 14:46 and they're used for child labor. 14:48 They're put into begging rings, 14:50 and they're often taken advantage of as well. 14:53 And it's not just these young girls and boys either, 14:56 this affects infants as well. 14:59 Young babies are left on the side of the road 15:01 abandoned with no one to care for them. 15:04 Child Impact International's Operation Child Rescue 15:08 addresses each of these three issues. 15:11 They have an answer, a solution, 15:14 and an opportunity to offer hope, 15:16 and a way out for these people caught in human trafficking. 15:20 At Voice of Prophecy, we are privileged to partner 15:23 with Child Impact's Operation Child Rescue 15:26 to help these young girls 15:28 that are caught in prostitution, 15:30 the young boys doing labor at a very young age, 15:34 and these young babies that simply need a home 15:37 and someone to love them. 15:39 It's our privilege to partner 15:40 with Child Impact's Operation Child Rescue 15:43 and be part of the solution to give that hope. 15:48 Now is this something that appeals to you, 15:51 and would you like to learn more about 15:52 and be a part of this. 15:54 Well, I encourage you to get in touch 15:56 with Child Impact International today. 15:59 They would love to hear from you. 16:02 Our television series Hope in Motion 16:04 has been a big success, 16:06 and we want to continue to share with you 16:09 some of the field stories 16:10 that we have filmed over the years. 16:13 So just from time to time it may refer to Asian Aid 16:17 as we reflect on these great stories 16:20 as we share them with you. 16:39 With a population of nearly 1.3 billion 16:42 and a vast majority of those people 16:44 living off of less than $2 a day, 16:46 many families in India struggle to survive. 16:54 The joy of having a baby can be tainted by the question 16:57 of how they would provide the basics of food and shelter 17:00 needed for their survival. 17:05 So if a parent loses their job or passes away, 17:09 children are abandoned as the surviving parent 17:11 or family members cannot cope emotionally 17:13 and financially with the burden. 17:20 It is estimated there are 31 million orphans 17:22 or abandoned children struggling to survive in India. 17:43 Sai Eshwari is a seven-year-old girl 17:45 studying in the first grade 17:47 at the Seventh-day Adventist school 17:49 in the outskirts of Hyderabad in South India. 17:52 Her home is just a few feet away from her classroom. 17:55 This is Elim Home, an orphanage established by the church 17:58 and supported by Child Impact International. 18:01 Although, not an orphan, 18:03 circumstances forced her to be brought to Elim Home. 18:09 Malathi, the director and house mother of Elim Home, 18:12 took Sai Eshwari in after a chance meeting with her aunt 18:15 after church on the Sabbath day. 18:18 One day, when I went to church, 18:21 one of our church members by the name Ruthamma, 18:24 she asked me that she want to talk with me, 18:27 and she said that she needs some help. 18:29 I told her she can come any time she wishes to meet me. 18:35 Then the next day, Sunday, 18:37 she came along with Madhu and her daughter. 18:42 Madhu was married when she was just 16. 18:45 Although such practices are unlawful, 18:47 customs and social traditions dictate life in rural India, 18:50 especially Mangapur. 18:53 After two months of her marriage, 18:54 her husband and his parents sent her home to get dowry. 18:58 Madhu's parents were unable to pay their demands, 19:00 and when her husband's family found out she was pregnant, 19:03 they refused to take her back. 19:05 The following year, Madhu gave birth to her daughter, 19:08 Sai Eshwari. 19:11 Soon her situation at home began to get worse. 19:13 Her mother and her brother forced her to worship idols 19:16 and began to resent her presence at home. 19:19 She was becoming a financial burden to them 19:21 and decided to take matters in their own hands. 19:26 Without any reason, my brother and my mother 19:28 asked me to leave the house. 19:30 They told me we had fed you enough 19:32 and told me I was a burden on them. 19:35 When I refused to leave the house, 19:37 my brother hit me on my arm, 19:39 and my mother punched me on my face. 19:43 Fearing her daughter's safety and that of her own, 19:46 Madhu came to Hyderabad to seek refuge at her aunt's place. 19:50 After I heard Madhu's story and her pathetic condition, 19:54 I decided to take Sai Eshwari inside 19:57 because though it is an home for taking desperate children 20:01 and mostly the orphan children, 20:03 but still I took a decision that I should take Sai Eshwari 20:07 because being a female, 20:09 I felt that I should help another female, 20:13 small girl who is in need, 20:15 and I also heard that she is getting 20:17 only one meal a day, 20:19 and I thought that she should be in this home. 20:24 And it's not just people who are orphans 20:26 whose parents are dead, 20:28 you might have people who might have 20:30 one parent or two parents, 20:31 but then, they just do not earn enough money 20:36 to support a family, 20:37 so they really abandon kids anyhow. 20:41 So it's extreme poverty also puts kids into the bracket 20:46 that need help and need help desperately 20:48 and need help now, not in 10 years time 20:51 because they won't survive 10 years, 20:53 so that's what orphanages do, 20:55 they get the children who really need help 20:58 and don't have anyone to help them. 21:03 I guess most often we think that orphanage means 21:05 they have no parents, 21:07 but in the case of some, there may be a single parent, 21:11 but the driving force can be poverty. 21:14 The reality is that the single parent, 21:17 perhaps like Madhu, simply can't cope 21:20 because of their circumstances that trapped in poverty. 21:23 And so the orphanage gives them hope for their child, 21:28 give something that they could never deliver for their child 21:32 and that makes a huge difference. 21:36 Madhu with the help of her aunt, Ruthamma, 21:38 found a job at a local hospital, 21:40 cleaning the hospital floor and doing other menial jobs. 21:43 She told us she earns 80 to 100 rupees a day, 21:47 less than $2, hardly enough 21:49 to provide her three meals a day. 21:51 Her hardship was revealed to us 21:53 when we went to see where she lived. 21:55 One can only imagine a situation 21:57 where Madhu had to take care of her daughter, Sai Eshwari, 22:00 in a place where there's hardly a proper roof over the head, 22:03 a vulnerable place for a vulnerable young woman. 22:06 In spite of all her hardship and vulnerability, 22:09 Madhu considers herself fortunate 22:11 because her daughter now has a safe place to grow up. 22:15 If I would not have taken the decision, 22:17 the mother would have recovered from her health, 22:21 then afterwards, she would have taken this girl 22:23 also as a child labor here and there 22:26 to some houses as a labor 22:28 because we have taken her and Sai Eshwari 22:31 is very fortunate and she's a very bright girl, 22:33 and she always stands first in the class, 22:36 and she has improved a lot. 22:40 I'm thankful to God 22:41 for the help my daughter is receiving right now. 22:44 All this is because I refused to worship idols 22:47 and I worship the true God. 22:49 God has been very gracious to me and my daughter. 22:52 I'm thankful to the sponsors who are supporting her. 22:56 Because of the timely intervention of Malathi, 22:59 Sai Eshwari can now grow up 23:01 in a safe and loving home at Elim 23:03 and Child Impact Sponsorship is giving children 23:06 like Sai Eshwari and the 137 other children 23:09 at Elim Home the financial support 23:11 to grow up in this environment. 23:13 This support is not just 23:15 getting children out of desperate situations, 23:17 but it's also having a wider impact in the community. 23:29 Padma works as a cook at Elim Home. 23:31 Her children, Priyanjali and Akash, 23:34 live here and go to school next door 23:36 just like Sai Eshwari. 23:38 Her eldest son is also sponsored by Child Impact 23:41 and goes to an Adventist Boarding School in Nuzvid, 23:44 a few hours from Hyderabad. 23:46 Not long ago, Padma lived a content life 23:49 in her native town with her family 23:50 until a tragic incident brought her crushing down. 23:55 My husband found a job in the Gulf as a daily laborer, 23:58 and after two years, he was coming back home. 24:01 We were all waiting for him. 24:03 On the way back from the airport, 24:04 he met with an accident. 24:15 Padma's husband died on the spot, 24:17 and his death not only brought the tag of being called a widow 24:20 but it also brought her financial difficulties. 24:23 All her relatives and neighbors who cared for her, 24:26 after her husband's death, slowly began to desert her. 24:29 She doesn't blame them. 24:31 "How can they help me and my three children forever?" 24:33 she asks. 24:35 Although her three children receive 24:36 Child Impact Sponsorship for their tuition, 24:39 she was finding it hard to take care of their basic needs 24:42 such as a decent meal a day. 24:45 There were three kids, 24:48 and she has no one to raise the kids, 24:50 she is all alone, she was broken, 24:51 because her husband died in a car accident. 24:55 And immediately, we thought maybe Asian 24:57 should definitely pick... 25:00 Should come forward to help such, 25:01 you know, family was in desperately 25:02 need of educating the children. 25:05 Then that's how I got to meet her 25:06 and got to know more about her, 25:08 you know, her family story, how her husband died, 25:10 and what she's looking for the kids. 25:14 After he heard Padma's story, 25:16 Ravi, field officer for Child Impact 25:19 brought her to Elim Home 25:20 and her three children were taken into the orphanage 25:23 and given shelter. 25:24 Fortunately, for Padma, 25:26 she found a job as a cook in the kitchen. 25:29 In Indian setup, if the husband dies, 25:31 a female has to face a lot of problems, 25:34 especially educating her children 25:36 and providing them meals 25:38 and provide all their needs is very hard. 25:42 If we would not have given her job, 25:45 she would have gone out for fields 25:48 or work somewhere 25:49 or sometime she would have sent her eldest son for work also. 25:53 And she might not have any peace of mind, 25:56 and she might also face 25:58 so many problems in the society. 26:01 Yes, we are a child-focused organization, 26:04 but because we're in the field, 26:06 because we're talking to people, 26:09 we do help the wider community. 26:12 For instance, we gave the widow hope by working in the kitchen. 26:16 We also have given 26:18 some of our previous orphanage children responsibilities, 26:22 and they're now field workers. 26:24 So we're making a difference in the wider community. 26:31 When you travel across India, 26:32 it becomes more evident that there are so many people 26:35 including lay members of our church 26:37 struggling to send their children to school. 26:40 Many of our members not able to send their children 26:43 to the Christian schools, 26:45 and these member children are coming into our schools 26:47 because of Asian Aid, 26:49 they are being supported and they're trained. 26:51 Tomorrow, definitely, they are our hope 26:53 and workers for the church. 26:55 I'm really thankful to the philanthropic people 26:57 who are supporting these children 26:58 to be educated and get Christian education. 27:06 I'm very thankful for Elim Home and the sponsors. 27:10 I'm also grateful to Mr. Ravi who introduced me to Elim Home. 27:15 I'm an Adventist but before coming here, 27:18 I didn't know that church had organizations like this 27:21 that helps children in desperate situations. 27:25 I know about Asian Aid, 27:27 but I didn't know they supported orphanages. 27:30 God has opened the doors for me and my children. 27:33 There are so many other widows like me who are suffering. 27:37 I remember all of them in my prayers 27:39 because I feel I'm very fortunate. 27:43 Today, orphanages like Elim Home 27:45 are not only fulfilling its mission 27:46 to reach out to orphan children, 27:48 but as we found out today 27:50 and thanks to Child Impact International, 27:52 it is also reaching out to children 27:54 from impoverished and unfortunate backgrounds 27:57 by providing them a safe place to live and learn. 28:00 In turn, these children 28:01 not only receive a good Christian education, 28:04 but they grow up to be strong pillars for the church. |
Revised 2018-04-26