Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000202A
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00:07 Child Impact International is an organization giving hope,
00:11 previously called Asian Aid. 00:13 Child Impact International is an organization 00:15 fostering permanent positive change 00:18 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:20 and their communities. 00:21 Child Impact is committed to making a difference 00:24 in the lives of children and those who are in need. 00:27 Serving communities in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, 00:31 Myanmar, and will soon expand to other countries. 00:34 For the last 50 years, 00:36 Child Impact has invested in the futures of people 00:39 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 00:42 Driven by their dedication 00:43 to helping those who have the least, 00:45 Child Impact is an organization 00:47 focused on the welfare of children, 00:49 implementing diverse development projects 00:52 and sponsoring thousands of children. 00:54 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 00:57 to providing an education for orphans, deaf, 01:00 and the blind children, 01:01 giving them a sense of place, a home. 01:04 But above all, Child Impact is an organization giving hope, 01:08 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 01:11 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 01:14 This is Hope in Motion. 01:20 In remote villages in India where poverty is a way of life, 01:23 going to a school and receiving an education 01:26 can have a dramatic impact on a child's life, 01:28 especially a girl child. 01:30 Child Impact International 01:32 has been sponsoring children's education in India 01:35 for nearly 10years now, 01:36 focusing on helping children from poor backgrounds 01:39 attend Adventist schools. 01:41 The Immanuel English School in Jeypore 01:43 in the state of Odisha is one such school 01:46 where Child Impact has made a real difference. 01:48 One of the schools that we're really proud of 01:51 school where the donors have made a real difference 01:54 is the Immanuel School of Jeypore. 01:57 I think it's got over 700 children, 01:59 and those children getting a quality of education, 02:03 they're well-disciplined, they're wearing a uniform, 02:06 but the amazing thing is 02:08 that they come from a very poor tribal areas. 02:12 And this school was established with that in mind, 02:15 that it would take children from poor tribal areas 02:18 who really don't have much of a chance 02:21 and give them a reasonable quality education. 02:24 And that's what Jeypore does. 02:26 Jeypore and most parts of Odisha 02:28 come under the so-called Tribal Belt of India 02:31 where people live unaffected by civilizing influences, 02:34 largely cut off from the mainstream societies. 02:37 They live in remote regions 02:38 with little or no basic amenities. 02:40 Life is a struggle 02:42 and the plight of the children from these communities 02:43 can only be described as deplorable. 02:46 Sending their children to school 02:47 is not in the minds of parents 02:49 who struggle to provide the needs 02:50 for their children. 02:52 Sulochana Diyari 02:53 is 10-grade student at the school. 02:55 She comes from Mitaput, 02:56 a small tribal village about 30 minutes drive 02:59 from the school. 03:00 Her parents are farmers who own a small patch of land, 03:03 cultivating whatever is possible 03:05 during the monsoon season. 03:07 He says he has half acre of land 03:10 where they grow vegetables and some crops. 03:13 When they are done with the work, 03:15 they, both husband and wife go to find some odd jobs 03:19 to support the family. 03:21 The family has four girls, 03:25 and out of these, two are studying in our school 03:28 and two are at home. 03:30 And in Indian culture, 03:33 if there are girls in the family, 03:37 it is a matter of concern, 03:38 especially when they don't have money, 03:41 when they are poor. 03:42 And the parents find it difficult 03:44 to educate them. 03:47 And the girls don't have any option. 03:49 They grow up... When they grow up... 03:52 When they are little bigger, even those girls 03:54 who are living with parents, 03:56 they too go with them as daily laborers. 03:59 And once they attain certain age, 04:03 then they get them married. 04:07 Sulochana is the oldest of four girls in the family. 04:10 In a gender biased world, 04:12 bringing up four little girls in a rural community 04:14 can be a burden, for the parents 04:16 and girls grow up with all the pressures 04:18 of the society. 04:19 But education can change these perceptions 04:21 and make them more aware of the world outside. 04:25 Education can transform a girl child. 04:29 Sulochana and her sister 04:31 who are getting educated in our institution, 04:34 their lives are transformed. 04:37 They no longer will depend on the parents. 04:41 They no longer will depend on the traditions 04:43 that they need to get married at a certain age. 04:46 They have their own choice. 04:48 They study and they have a good future. 04:52 They can earn. 04:54 And so they are not dependent on their parents, 04:56 but they become independent. 04:59 And in turn, they are the ones who will be able 05:02 to guide these illiterate and poor parents. 05:08 A sense of freedom and self-belief 05:10 that education instills in a child 05:11 is there for everyone to see. 05:13 For the school administration and teachers 05:15 to see their students grow into fine young men and women, 05:18 it's gratifying, 05:19 and they are proud of the association they have 05:21 with these children. 05:23 The first time I met Sulochana, she was very small girl 05:27 and she was shy. 05:29 But as I see her, 05:31 she is growing into a very young woman 05:33 and very active. 05:35 She takes part in all the school activities. 05:38 And one year, she served as a sick monitor 05:41 and took good care of the sick girls, 05:43 and she is very helpful to her little sister 05:45 who is also studying in this school. 05:48 And I'm so happy to say 05:50 that I see lot of development in her. 05:53 Although Sulochana's parents, like many in rural India, 05:56 struggle to earn two dollars a day 05:57 and cannot afford to send their children to school, 06:00 they do view education as a catalyst for change. 06:03 In a developing country, 06:05 it's very hard to break the poverty cycle. 06:08 And one of the key ways of giving child a chance 06:11 to break their poverty cycle is giving them an education. 06:15 The reality is that they don't have that education 06:19 that really locked in to what's available 06:21 back in the village, and the reality not a lot. 06:25 So the education gives them a chance 06:27 of breaking out into a far better career, job, 06:33 which once again impacts their family 06:35 because most of them 06:37 do give money back to their family 06:39 once they get a job. 06:41 Often these parents have not had an education themselves, 06:44 so understanding the value of education 06:47 is not there either. 06:48 So often these families don't promote education, 06:52 don't support them. 06:53 When these children come home from school, 06:55 can they do any homework with them? 06:57 No, they don't have the ability. 06:59 So the ability for these families, 07:01 the really poor families, 07:02 to help the child is non-existence... 07:05 non-existent. 07:06 They are striving, they are struggling 07:08 to get food to eat. 07:09 If they get one meal a day, they're doing well. 07:11 So where is the opportunity for them to help the child 07:14 to break out? 07:15 So Child Impact helps these children 07:21 who really don't have a supporting environment, 07:23 not that the parents don't want it, 07:24 they just don't know how to. 07:26 So Child Impact gives these children 07:29 the opportunity to make the difference. 07:33 Today, over 3,000 children in India 07:36 are sponsored by Child Impact, 07:38 and because of their commitment to the welfare of children, 07:41 especially children from tribal communities 07:42 and villages, 07:44 these children are reaping the benefits 07:45 of an Adventist education. 07:47 Without sponsorship, 07:49 many of the poor children 07:51 and especially Adventist children 07:53 they'll be... 07:54 They'll remain backward, 07:56 they'll remain illiterate. 07:58 There have been so many requests 08:00 of Adventist parents, 08:02 coming and requesting for sponsorship. 08:05 So many times, we just refuse 08:08 saying that there is no sponsorship. 08:10 And without fees, we cannot keep them 08:13 because the school can't afford to educate. 08:16 We are educating a few of them 08:18 but we cannot educate many of them. 08:21 And that is how... 08:22 That is why we need sponsorship and without sponsorship, 08:27 these children will not have a future. 08:28 Sulochana and her sister Moumita 08:31 have been sponsored by Child Impact 08:32 ever since they came to live and attend school 08:35 at Immanuel English School in Jeypore. 08:37 For girls like Sulochana, 08:39 attending school and receiving an education 08:41 is a blessing, 08:42 and without sponsorship, 08:43 she and her sister would face an uncertain future. 08:48 He says that they're very happy that their two children... 08:52 Somebody is helping them to study. 08:54 And he says with his financial problem, 08:59 he would have never been able to send his two daughters 09:02 to the school. 09:03 And he is so thankful to whoever is helping them 09:07 for the studies, 09:09 and he's grateful to them and he says 09:11 that I pray to the God to bless them 09:14 and give them good health and strength. 09:22 Moumita Malik lives with her grandparents. 09:24 She lost her mother 09:26 when she was just a little baby, 09:27 and her father abandoned her. 09:29 When a child is orphaned or abandoned 09:31 at such a young age, 09:33 the unfortunate burden of caring for them 09:35 falls upon their elderly grandparents, 09:37 who barely have any means to support them. 09:39 This is Moumita's grandmother. 09:41 Her daughter was married 09:43 and when the baby was born after six months, 09:46 the in-laws and husband 09:47 started ill treating Moumita's mother. 09:50 So the grandparents brought their daughter 09:54 and Moumita to their home. 09:56 And after a year, she felt sick and had a kidney problem, 10:01 so she died. 10:02 Seeing the elderly couple 10:04 struggle with their granddaughter, 10:05 a government employee from the village 10:07 who had knowledge 10:08 about the Adventist boarding school 10:09 at Jeypore suggested Moumita be taken there. 10:12 Like a majority of students at Immanuel School, 10:15 Moumita received sponsorship through Child Impact. 10:19 Our sponsorship obviously gives the child an education, 10:22 but has a real impact on the family. 10:26 You can't imagine living in poverty, 10:28 struggling day to day to feed your children. 10:32 So first of all, the parents were just so excited 10:35 that their child's getting an education. 10:37 But it also brings relief to the family 10:40 because in many cases, 10:42 the children go to boarding school, 10:43 and so they know their child is being fed, 10:46 they know their child is being looked after. 10:49 And then when the child comes back to the village, 10:51 they have a stronger willingness to work. 10:54 And in fact, when they come back 10:55 as older students, 10:57 they can do things around the village. 10:59 They can help with English. 11:01 They can help people with computers. 11:03 It has a dramatic effect on the impact of the family, 11:07 and in turn their community. 11:11 Grandparents like these, it is quite difficult 11:13 to take care of their grandchildren 11:16 who have no parents. 11:18 So if Moumita would not be in the school, 11:20 she would just go for manual labor 11:23 when she is at the age of working. 11:25 And later on, 11:27 when the time would have come for marriage, 11:29 that's the life. 11:31 There would be no bright future 11:32 if she didn't have the opportunity 11:33 to study in this school. 11:36 Life in rural India is simple. 11:38 During the day, people either go to the fields 11:40 or graze what little livestock they have. 11:43 There is a clear order of social precedents 11:45 based on gender. 11:46 And women have little or no say in its structure, 11:49 often leading to unjust practices and misery. 11:52 If it weren't for Immanuel School 11:53 and the timely intervention of Child Impact, 11:56 girls like Moumita and Sulochana 11:58 would have seen misfortunes 11:59 of so many young girls like them in their villages. 12:02 So what do you want to do when you finish your studies? 12:07 I want to be a nurse. 12:08 Nurse? Yes. 12:10 Why? 12:11 Because my grandmother aim is that to... 12:16 Oh, your grandmother's aim is that you become a nurse. 12:18 Yes. Okay. 12:20 And what would you like to tell your sponsors, 12:22 you know, if they see this, 12:24 what would you like to tell them? 12:26 I'd like to thank them from the bottom of my heart 12:30 because when I'm small, from that time, 12:32 they take care of me and... 12:35 When I came here, they help me, for that I'm really happy. 12:41 If they could not help me, 12:43 I could not have been here at this time 12:44 because my parents, they cannot pay any money. 12:48 For that, I thank them from my heart. 12:55 Sulochana's emotions are testimony 12:57 to what a simple gesture 12:59 of sponsoring a child's education can achieve. 13:02 To our sponsors of Child Impact, 13:04 we thank you for your generosity. 13:07 Every smile we get to see on the face of a child, 13:10 every anxiety removed from a parent's life, 13:13 and every folded hand that are grateful, 13:15 bear witness to your kindness and good will. 13:18 Thank you. 13:19 You are making a difference. 13:30 I just got a letter 13:31 from our sponsored daughter Sheila. 13:33 I've got to tell you, 13:35 there is nothing like getting one of these letters. 13:37 Our family has been able to sponsor her 13:39 through Child Impact International. 13:41 Because of that, 13:42 she's got a great place to live. 13:44 She's got good food. 13:45 She's got great clothing. 13:47 Best of all, I now found out she's in college. 13:50 She's in nursing school. 13:52 There's nothing like getting a letter like this. 13:55 You need to start getting these letters too. 13:57 Listen, through Child Impact, you can make a huge difference 14:01 in the life of a child, 14:02 and I promise you, 14:04 it's going to make a huge difference 14:05 in your life too. |
Revised 2019-04-19