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Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000157A
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00:15 The school for speech and hearing in Kollegal, India
00:18 is very special for Child Impact. 00:20 Here, special needs children with hearing disabilities 00:23 are given opportunities to learn, to acquire skills 00:26 and opportunities to transform their lives. 00:29 In today's episode of Hope In Motion, 00:31 we witness how this school 00:33 is helping a struggling single mother 00:35 with a deaf child. 00:36 We meet Divya and her brother 00:38 and discover how your sponsorship 00:39 is impacting their lives. 00:42 Sponsorship makes the greatest impact upon a child. 00:46 Having worked here for the last 10 years, 00:47 I realized that seeing children 00:49 from their young age coming up and then getting into work 00:52 and seeing them standing on their feet 00:54 and supporting their parents, what a joy it is. 00:57 I can tell you that sponsorship is the greatest investment 01:01 that a person can make in the life of another person. 01:15 Children are our future. 01:18 They are full of dreams and desires. 01:21 But in a world of unspeakable despair, 01:23 these ignited minds live in poverty and privation, 01:26 helpless and hopeless. 01:31 Child Impact International is an organization giving hope. 01:35 It is an organization fostering permanent positive change 01:38 in the lives of disadvantaged children 01:40 and those who are in need, 01:43 serving communities in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, 01:48 Myanmar, and beyond. 01:50 For the last 15 years, Child Impact has invested 01:54 in the futures of children 01:55 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 01:58 Driven by their dedication to helping those 02:01 who have the least, 02:02 Child Impact is an organization 02:04 focused on the welfare of children, 02:07 implementing diverse development projects, 02:09 and sponsoring thousands of children. 02:12 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 02:15 to providing an education for orphans, deaf, 02:18 and the blind children, 02:20 giving them a sense of place, a home. 02:24 But above all, Child Impact is an organization giving hope, 02:28 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 02:32 giving hope to the ones who need it the most. 02:40 This is Hope In Motion. 03:08 The school for speech and hearing in Kollegal, India 03:11 is an institution that has, over the years, 03:14 transformed the lives of hundreds of children 03:16 with hearing disabilities. 03:18 Since its beginning nearly 20 years ago, 03:20 it has provided quality education to deaf children 03:23 and has empowered them to stand on their own feet. 03:26 A majority of the students that attend the school 03:29 come from poor rural communities 03:30 around Kollegal town. 03:43 Life in rural India can be unimaginably difficult. 03:46 In a world where disability is viewed as a curse, 03:49 parents face the hostility and humiliation of the society 03:53 and their deaf child grows up neglected 03:55 and utterly hopeless. 03:58 Illiteracy, discrimination, 03:59 and unemployment is the story of India's deaf population, 04:03 but education can change this scenario dramatically. 04:07 Here at the school for speech and hearing in Kollegal, 04:10 simply known as the deaf school, 04:12 children are given the opportunity 04:13 for this dramatic change. 04:17 Divya Kemparaju is a sixth grade student 04:20 at the school. 04:21 She and her brother Mahalinga 04:23 came to the school five years ago. 04:27 Divya and her brother 04:28 came to our school five years back 04:30 along with her mother and grandfather. 04:33 They come from a very poor background 04:36 and they both were born deaf in the family. 04:39 And we found in the last five years 04:42 that they were here, 04:43 Divya is very, very smart, very good in her studies, 04:47 and in all the other activities of the school 04:50 very eager to participate, 04:52 a very bright prospect for the future. 04:56 Being born into a poor household 04:58 comes with its own deprivation and difficulties. 05:01 In such adverse circumstances, one can imagine the troubles 05:04 parents would go through 05:06 when two of their children are born deaf. 05:08 Eventually, Divya and her siblings 05:10 had to deal with the reality of their parents' separation 05:12 and came to live with their grandparents. 05:51 We came to know through Divya's mother 05:53 that Divya's mother and her husband 05:56 don't stay together anymore. 05:57 From the time that the children were very young, 06:01 they have lost their love and affection 06:04 from their father. 06:05 And though the children want to go 06:08 and visit the father's home, 06:10 they're not permitted to do so, 06:11 and they really miss their father a lot. 06:13 In fact, they have an elder brother 06:15 who is able to speak 06:17 and he's the only fatherly figure 06:19 at home actually. 06:22 Divya's older brother Raghavendra 06:24 has completed high school studies 06:26 and had a strong desire to go to college, 06:28 but seeing his mother struggle 06:30 and his grandfather unable to support him 06:32 after his retirement, 06:33 Raghavendra put an end to his higher studies 06:36 and took it upon himself to find a job 06:37 to support his family. 07:30 Poverty is a vicious cycle, 07:32 it truncates a child's dreams and desires 07:34 to greater achievement. 07:36 In a society where finding their basic needs 07:38 is a priority, 07:39 formal education is a luxury they can't afford. 07:42 Parents expect their teenage boys to work 07:44 and support the family. 07:46 Girls are relegated to the kitchen 07:47 and other household chores. 07:49 A girl child born with a disability 07:51 is just a burden. 07:55 You know, there are people who are poor, 07:58 who are really struggling to bring it up, 07:59 to look after their family and bring up their kids, 08:02 and then what happens if you're a girl in the family? 08:04 You know, where do you sit in the hierarchy? 08:07 How are you accepted in society? 08:09 Are the boys given education about the girls? 08:11 So straight away, the girls really have 08:13 an extra challenge here. 08:15 And imagine if that girl has a disability, 08:18 where does that person sit? 08:20 So the need to provide 08:23 special support for all children, 08:25 but especially for girls who have disabilities, 08:28 is an amazing opportunity to help them 08:32 because there is very little that can be done. 08:34 And if they are in their family environment, 08:37 they can't really contribute, 08:39 they can't work and contribute to their families, 08:40 so they're a real burden to the family. 08:42 So we can transform not just the child, 08:46 but the family as well by creating a whole new world 08:49 for this child and for the family. 08:53 You know, there are so many children 08:55 in the villages around India 08:57 where they don't have the opportunity 08:59 to have an education. 09:01 Only if they find a good place where they can study 09:04 and have an education, 09:06 will the potential of the child will be seen. 09:09 There are so many of them who are not able to have 09:11 that kind of an opportunity what Divya is having, 09:14 and we thank God that Divya's mother 09:17 was more than willing to bring the child here 09:19 to our school. 09:20 Usually, many of the parents 09:22 do not want to bring a girl child 09:24 to the school to have an education. 09:25 They feel that the girl should be at home 09:28 to take care of the husband 09:30 and to wash the dishes and to take care of the home, 09:32 they don't want to bring them to the school. 09:34 But we're so glad 09:35 that Divya's mother and her grandfather 09:38 decided to bring her to the school 09:39 and have this wonderful opportunity of education. 09:43 Divya's mother had to overcome 09:44 her psychological and emotional troubles of her domestic life 09:48 to see that her children to not suffer. 09:50 Although illiterate, she wanted to make sure 09:53 Divya and Mahalinga go to school. 09:55 In spite of their inability to hear or speak, 09:58 she believes attending a special needs school 10:00 and receiving a proper education 10:02 can help them stand on their own feet. 10:40 Since the time she joined the deaf school, 10:43 Divya has shown exceptional maturity 10:45 and proven to be a bright student. 10:48 Imagine somebody who is smart like Divya 10:52 stays back in the village, and we all know in the village, 10:56 it's a custom here to get them married so early, 11:00 and if they are girls especially, 11:01 they will be married. 11:03 If Divya happened to stay back in the village, 11:06 by now either should have been married 11:07 or she'll be doing all the household activities. 11:10 But coming to this school has become a blessing for her, 11:13 in turn, it is blessing for us to give her a good education. 11:19 Meeting Divya's family at their village, 11:21 it was clear her family loved her very much 11:24 and she loved her family. 11:25 Even though they live a minimalistic life, 11:28 hospitality was evident. 11:30 Seeing how they are with what they have 11:32 is such a blessing and a valuable lesson 11:34 to all those addicted to consumerism. 11:37 For someone like Divya, 11:39 having a loving family is a blessing. 11:41 Because her mother wanted the best for her, 11:43 she was willing to break away from the shackles 11:45 of her long observed customs and traditions 11:48 in regard to a girl child 11:49 and bring her to a school's boarding environment 11:51 just so she could give her the education 11:53 she otherwise would be unable to provide. 11:56 Divya's mother is so grateful that her two deaf children 11:59 have the opportunity to attend a special needs school 12:03 that caters to their sensitivities. 12:05 Although the pain of life struggle 12:07 was deep within her, 12:08 one could sense how happy she was 12:10 knowing that her children, 12:11 especially her daughter Divya is well taken care of, 12:14 and she is thankful to Divya's sponsors 12:16 for the positive impact they are having 12:18 in her daughter's life. 12:21 Sponsorship makes the greatest impact upon a child. 12:25 Having worked here for the last 10 years, 12:26 I realized that seeing children 12:28 from their young age coming up and then getting into work 12:31 and seeing them standing on their feet 12:33 and supporting their parents, what a joy it is. 12:36 I can tell you that sponsorship is the greatest investment 12:40 that a person can make in the life of another person. 12:54 Divya and Mahalinga 12:55 and every single child sponsored 12:57 are happy to be at the school. 12:59 Most of these children 13:01 understand their difficulties at home 13:02 and understand the opportunities 13:04 they have been given by their sponsors 13:06 and organizations such as Child Impact. 13:10 When Jesus was on this earth, He invited the poor, the blind, 13:13 the lame, the deaf into the temple 13:16 and had fellowship with them. 13:18 Jesus mentioned that when we do service 13:19 to the least of these, 13:21 we are doing service to Him, and He commissioned us 13:23 to take care of the ones who are less fortunate than us. 13:26 What a blessing it is for us to be in His service. 13:49 At Adventist mission schools like this one in Bangladesh, 13:52 Child Impact International sponsors hundreds of children. 13:56 We often think that sponsorship 13:58 only impacts on the life of the child, 14:01 but it's much wider than that. 14:03 It impacts on the parents and on the community, 14:06 but more important, it impacts on the school. 14:10 It becomes a valuable income for the school 14:13 and then in turn, it impacts on hundreds of other children. 14:17 I just ask that you would consider 14:19 sponsoring a child with Child Impact 14:21 or supporting one of its valuable projects 14:24 that will improve education at Adventist mission schools 14:28 like this one right here. 14:40 A couple of years ago, my daughters and I 14:42 had a wonderful opportunity 14:44 to travel to India, and while we were there, 14:46 we met yet another part of our family 14:49 and that's our sponsored daughter Sheila. 14:51 We had the privilege of sponsoring Sheila 14:54 through Child Impact International 14:56 for more than three years now. 14:58 And you know, while we were there, 15:00 she shared with us that her dream 15:03 was to become a nurse. 15:05 Now, what a wonderful privilege it is for us now as a family 15:09 to know that she is fulfilling that dream. 15:13 Sheila is now studying to be a nurse. 15:15 She is in college 15:17 and we could not be happier for her. 15:19 It's been wonderful to be part of that journey with her. 15:22 And, you know, sponsoring a child 15:24 through Child Impact, 15:26 it's made an incredible difference 15:28 for our family. 15:29 And I know that for you sponsoring a child 15:31 can make a difference for you too. 15:33 And most importantly, it can make the difference 15:36 in the life of a child every day. 16:16 Advith Sampath Kumar was born deaf 16:19 and his unfortunate birth brought disharmony 16:22 between his parents' married life. 16:24 In rural communities in India, marital discord is not uncommon 16:27 between spouses that have a disabled child. 16:30 Advith was just three and a half years old 16:32 when he was brought to the school 16:34 for speech and hearing in Kollegal, India. 16:36 A special needs school for deaf children, 16:38 which is supported by Child Impact International. 16:57 When Advith came with his mother to our school, 16:59 he was just three and a half years old, 17:01 and we were wondering whether he'll be able to cope up 17:04 with the school routine. 17:06 But we were so much surprised, 17:08 the first day after his mother left him here and went, 17:11 he was telling bye to his mother 17:12 when she left. 17:14 And we saw that he was slowly learning 17:16 how to eat on his own and get along with the students 17:20 and follow the program of the school. 17:23 It's so amazing. 17:25 He was such a person who was able to adjust 17:28 with the other children very well, 17:30 and we're so glad that he has come here 17:32 and doing a good... 17:34 He's having a good education. 17:36 Within a week, he was able to, 17:37 you know, write the alphabets and, 17:40 you know, the numbers, and his teacher was showing me 17:42 and I was so encouraged. 17:44 If such a young child can do this, man, 17:47 miracles can happen over here. 18:00 Like Advith, a majority of children 18:02 that live and attend the school for the deaf 18:04 come from broken families. 18:07 When his father realized Advith would be deaf for life, 18:10 he abandoned his family 18:11 and demanded divorce from his wife. 18:46 Her husband began ill treating her 18:48 and his family became acrimonious toward her, 18:51 blaming her for her son's disability. 18:54 With no one to support her, 18:55 Advith's mother had to move into a small rented home 18:58 and deal with her ordeal all on her own. 19:01 For a young single mother like her, 19:03 it is not an ideal situation, 19:05 especially in a rural environment. 19:09 When I go to visit the homes of our children, 19:12 sometimes I feel so helpless. 19:14 What more can we do? 19:15 We are able to help the child to come up, 19:17 but there's literally nothing actually we can do 19:20 to change the situation of the family now. 19:24 And we hope that through the help 19:26 that Child Impact is doing to the child, 19:30 one day the child will be able to give hope to the parents 19:34 and make the life of the parents better. 19:36 Advith's mother being single 19:39 and literally not having any support 19:40 from her brother and brother's family 19:42 because the brother's wife is not so in favor of her 19:46 staying in with her brother, 19:47 so she has taken a separate home and, you know, 19:51 putting herself in risk of being misused by other men. 19:54 And we worry about such things but there's literally nothing 19:58 that we can actually do to change the situation. 20:01 Fortunately, Advith's mother came to know 20:04 about the school of speech and hearing 20:05 through an acquaintance and brought him to the school. 20:08 Understandably, she misses him at home, 20:10 but she can take comfort in the fact 20:12 that there is a school that provides her son 20:14 with not just a special education he needs, 20:16 but a school that provides him a safe and homely environment 20:19 to grow up in. 20:56 Sponsorship and individual sponsors play a huge role 20:59 in the development of the deaf children 21:01 when they are at school. 21:02 Without sponsorship, many parents would not be able 21:05 to send their children to a special need school 21:07 such as the deaf school in Kollegal. 21:09 Advith does not have a sponsor yet, 21:11 but the school administration is confident 21:13 that someone will come forward to sponsor him this year. 21:17 Sponsorship is such a worthwhile investment 21:22 that I can assure you that not a single pie 21:24 that is sent by the sponsors has gone waste. 21:27 I have seen the lives of many, many children 21:30 changed from nothing 21:32 to getting on their feet, supporting their parents, 21:34 and living in a fulfilled lives. 21:37 And I want to tell you that this institution, 21:39 though we are able to send out students every year 21:42 for their highest studies, 21:44 it was my dream to see that 21:45 we start some vocation subjects here. 21:48 Vocation subjects such as, 21:50 you know, welding or tailoring or, 21:53 you know, commercial practices or computer education, 21:56 these will add life skills to these children 21:59 before they leave our institution 22:01 and it'll make them, 22:02 you know, confident to face the world. 22:05 This school established in this place 22:08 has been really a blessing to many. 22:12 In that regards, 22:14 I would like to say that there are many children here 22:16 who are from very poor background, 22:18 and if it is not for this school, 22:20 they would have been back at home 22:22 doing some odd jobs. 22:23 And this school has become a blessing for many children 22:27 and for the parents because they are here 22:31 having a good education, having good shelter, 22:34 and above all, 22:37 they are forming a good character to be kind, 22:39 to be sharing, 22:41 and they feel like a family here 22:42 because all the children are here of their same kind, 22:46 so they are like brotherly, sisterly kind here. 22:50 And there are many other children 22:52 who have finished their studies 22:54 and they are standing on their own feet 22:56 and they are a good example for these children, 22:58 they look up to them and they have dreams 23:01 and they have hope that their dreams 23:04 will be fulfilled one day. 23:09 Child impact is a partner 23:11 in the development of the deaf school, 23:12 and individual sponsors 23:14 are a huge part of the support system 23:15 for this school. 23:17 The school for speech and hearing 23:18 has opened new possibilities 23:20 for hundreds of young girls and boys like Advith 23:22 and it continues to present them 23:24 with a new outlook 23:25 in their very challenging lives. 23:29 I'm so glad that the church, with the support of NGO 23:33 such as Child Impact International 23:35 and many other NGOs, are supporting the downtrodden, 23:41 the neglected members of the society, 23:44 the special needs people, 23:45 and schools such as this deaf school 23:48 or the blind school, 23:50 helps us to have the focus of ministry 23:54 to such group of people. 23:57 Our special schools have a special impact, 24:00 and the reality is that 24:01 many people at all levels of society 24:04 are becoming to know our work 24:06 through these special homes and schools. 24:08 So they're impacting the child, the family, and the community 24:13 with what Christianity 24:14 and Seventh-day Adventists are all about. 24:18 Special needs ministries is an area in which 24:22 we are very, very interested in 24:24 and very proactively working, 24:26 helping the world field to understand that 24:29 there are many people 24:30 in various areas and sectors of the population 24:33 that have not been touched. 24:35 Special needs ministries in Child Impact 24:38 is also extremely helpful to God's church 24:42 because those who are physically impaired, 24:46 those who are visually impaired, 24:48 or perhaps hearing impaired, 24:51 they are the individuals 24:53 that are being wonderfully serviced 24:55 through Child Impact in India and in other places, 25:00 six different countries that Child Impact is active in. 25:04 You know, the Lord really wants us to attract 25:08 and to be friendly to and help 25:11 those who are the least of these, 25:14 and they in turn will then become 25:16 great missionaries for the Lord 25:18 within their sector and people group. 25:34 Today, this school for the deaf 25:35 is a beacon for Christ in this area. 25:38 With this special school in Kollegal, 25:40 Child Impact is not only bringing hope to deaf children, 25:43 but also to the community 25:44 as it sees practical Christianity in action. 25:47 The church could not have scripted a better outcome. 25:50 Just being there and demonstrating love 25:53 on a consistent basis reflects the image of God. |
Revised 2018-09-17