Child Impact International
00:00:02.50\00:00:04.10
is an
organization that gives hope
00:00:04.13\00:00:06.20
and fosters
permanent, positive change
00:00:06.23\00:00:08.54
in the lives of
disadvantaged children
00:00:08.57\00:00:10.61
and their communities.
00:00:10.64\00:00:13.34
Countries include Zambia,
00:00:13.38\00:00:15.58
India, Nepal, Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
00:00:15.61\00:00:20.82
Child Impact's investment
00:00:20.85\00:00:22.18
in the lives of
more than 3,500 children
00:00:22.22\00:00:25.02
continues to
yield infinite returns.
00:00:25.05\00:00:27.96
Outreach spans from
child rescue operations
00:00:27.99\00:00:30.36
to providing an education
00:00:30.39\00:00:31.83
and a home for deaf and
blind children and orphans.
00:00:31.86\00:00:35.43
Above all, Child
Impact's sponsors
00:00:35.46\00:00:38.17
give hope to the
ones who need it the most.
00:00:38.20\00:00:41.20
In remote villages in India,
where poverty is a way of life,
00:00:48.44\00:00:52.01
going to a school and
receiving an education
00:00:52.05\00:00:54.58
can have a dramatic impact
00:00:54.62\00:00:56.15
on a child's life,
especially a girl child.
00:00:56.18\00:00:59.35
Child Impact International
00:00:59.39\00:01:00.99
has been sponsoring
children's education in India
00:01:01.02\00:01:03.56
for nearly 10 years now,
focusing on helping children
00:01:03.59\00:01:06.76
from poor backgrounds
attend Adventist schools.
00:01:06.80\00:01:09.80
The Immanuel English School
00:01:09.83\00:01:11.30
in Jeypore, in
the state of Odisha
00:01:11.33\00:01:13.57
is one such school
00:01:13.60\00:01:14.94
where Child Impact has
made a real difference.
00:01:14.97\00:01:17.24
One of the schools
that we're really proud of,
00:01:17.27\00:01:19.81
a school where the donors
00:01:19.84\00:01:21.18
have made a real difference
00:01:21.21\00:01:22.74
is the Immanuel
School of Jeypore.
00:01:22.78\00:01:25.58
I think it's got
over 700 children
00:01:25.61\00:01:28.22
and those children
00:01:28.25\00:01:29.58
are getting a
quality of education.
00:01:29.62\00:01:31.65
They're well disciplined,
they're wearing a uniform.
00:01:31.69\00:01:34.99
But the amazing thing is
00:01:35.02\00:01:36.96
that they come from
very poor tribal areas.
00:01:36.99\00:01:40.76
And this school was
established with that in mind,
00:01:40.80\00:01:43.97
that it would take
children from poor tribal areas
00:01:44.00\00:01:47.27
who really don't
have much of a chance
00:01:47.30\00:01:49.50
and give them a
reasonable quality education.
00:01:49.54\00:01:52.87
And that's what Jeypore does.
00:01:52.91\00:01:54.78
It's just real
amazing to go there
00:01:54.81\00:01:57.28
and see the children and
if you could just go home
00:01:57.31\00:02:00.18
with one child and
see what they go home to,
00:02:00.22\00:02:03.55
you'd see the difference
it's making in their lives,
00:02:03.59\00:02:06.42
as well as getting an education.
00:02:06.45\00:02:07.89
Jeypore and most parts of Odisha
00:02:12.49\00:02:15.10
come under the
so-called tribal belt of India,
00:02:15.13\00:02:17.53
where people live unaffected
by civilizing influences,
00:02:17.57\00:02:20.54
largely cut off from
the mainstream societies.
00:02:20.57\00:02:23.51
They live in remote regions
00:02:23.54\00:02:24.87
with little or
no basic amenities.
00:02:24.91\00:02:27.21
Life is a struggle
00:02:27.24\00:02:28.58
and the plight of the
children from these communities
00:02:28.61\00:02:30.18
can only be
described as deplorable.
00:02:30.21\00:02:32.65
Sending their children to school
00:02:32.68\00:02:34.12
is not in the minds of parents
00:02:34.15\00:02:35.65
who struggle to provide
the needs for their children.
00:02:35.68\00:02:38.25
Sulochana Diyari
00:02:38.29\00:02:39.62
is a 10th grade
student at the school.
00:02:39.65\00:02:41.72
She comes from Meetiput,
00:02:41.76\00:02:43.09
a small tribal village
00:02:43.12\00:02:44.46
about 30 minutes
drive from the school.
00:02:44.49\00:02:47.00
Her parents are farmers
who own a small patch of land,
00:02:47.03\00:02:49.96
cultivating whatever is possible
00:02:50.00\00:02:51.67
during the monsoon season.
00:02:51.70\00:02:54.14
He says he has half acre of land
00:02:54.17\00:02:56.57
where they grow
vegetables and some crops.
00:02:56.60\00:02:59.71
When they are
done with their work,
00:02:59.74\00:03:01.88
they, both husband and wife
00:03:01.91\00:03:03.81
go to find some odd
jobs to support the family.
00:03:03.85\00:03:07.75
The family has four girls.
00:03:07.78\00:03:11.02
And out of these,
00:03:11.05\00:03:12.39
two are studying in our
school and two are at home.
00:03:12.42\00:03:16.73
And you find in Indian culture,
00:03:16.76\00:03:19.59
if there are
girls in the family,
00:03:19.63\00:03:23.23
it is a matter of
concern, especially when they
00:03:23.26\00:03:26.17
don't have money,
when they are poor.
00:03:26.20\00:03:29.04
And the parents
find it difficult
00:03:29.07\00:03:30.67
to educate them.
00:03:30.71\00:03:34.04
And the girls
don't have any option.
00:03:34.08\00:03:35.98
They grew up, when they grew up
00:03:36.01\00:03:38.41
when they're little bigger.
00:03:38.45\00:03:39.78
Even those girls who
has remained with parents,
00:03:39.81\00:03:42.38
they too go with
them as daily laborers,
00:03:42.42\00:03:45.85
and once they
attend certain age,
00:03:45.89\00:03:49.62
then they are,
they get them married.
00:03:49.66\00:03:54.03
Sulochana is the oldest
of four girls in the family.
00:03:54.06\00:03:57.03
In a gender biased world,
00:03:57.07\00:03:58.60
bringing up four little girls
00:03:58.63\00:03:59.97
in a rural
community can be a burden,
00:04:00.00\00:04:02.00
for the parents
and girls grow up
00:04:02.04\00:04:03.37
with all the
pressures of the society.
00:04:03.41\00:04:05.41
But education can
change these perceptions
00:04:05.44\00:04:07.94
and make them more
aware of the world outside.
00:04:07.98\00:04:11.78
Education can
transform a girl child.
00:04:11.81\00:04:15.95
Sulochana and her sister
00:04:15.98\00:04:17.95
who are getting
educated in our institution,
00:04:17.99\00:04:21.06
their lives are transformed.
00:04:21.09\00:04:23.79
They no longer will
depend on the parents.
00:04:23.83\00:04:27.43
They no longer will
depend on the traditions
00:04:27.46\00:04:29.96
that they need to get
married at a certain age.
00:04:30.00\00:04:33.13
They have their own choice,
00:04:33.17\00:04:34.67
they study and
they have a good future.
00:04:34.70\00:04:38.64
They can earn
00:04:38.67\00:04:40.44
and so they are not
dependent on the parents,
00:04:40.48\00:04:42.81
but they can depend,
00:04:42.84\00:04:44.45
they become
independent, and in turn,
00:04:44.48\00:04:47.25
they are the ones
00:04:47.28\00:04:48.62
who will be able to guide
00:04:48.65\00:04:49.98
these illiterate
and poor parents.
00:04:50.02\00:04:54.29
A sense of freedom
00:04:54.32\00:04:55.66
and self-belief that
education instills in a child
00:04:55.69\00:04:58.23
is there for everyone to see.
00:04:58.26\00:05:00.00
For the school administration
00:05:00.03\00:05:01.36
and teachers to see
their students grow into
00:05:01.40\00:05:03.33
fine young men and
women, it's gratifying.
00:05:03.37\00:05:05.83
And they are
proud of the association
00:05:05.87\00:05:07.64
they have with these children.
00:05:07.67\00:05:09.27
The first time I met Sulochana,
she was very small girl,
00:05:09.30\00:05:13.17
and she was shy.
00:05:13.21\00:05:15.54
But as I see her,
00:05:15.58\00:05:17.25
she's growing into
a very young woman,
00:05:17.28\00:05:19.98
and very active.
00:05:20.02\00:05:21.35
She takes part in all
the school activities.
00:05:21.38\00:05:24.22
And one year she
served as a sick monitor,
00:05:24.25\00:05:27.26
took good care
of the sicker girls.
00:05:27.29\00:05:29.76
And she's very
helpful to her little sister
00:05:29.79\00:05:32.16
who is also
studying in this school.
00:05:32.19\00:05:34.46
And I'm so happy to say that
00:05:34.50\00:05:36.53
I see a lot of
development in her.
00:05:36.56\00:05:39.47
Although Sulochana's parents,
00:05:39.50\00:05:40.90
like many in rural India
struggle to earn $2 a day
00:05:40.94\00:05:44.41
and cannot afford to
send their children to school.
00:05:44.44\00:05:46.71
They do view education
as a catalyst for change.
00:05:46.74\00:05:49.81
In a developing country,
00:05:49.84\00:05:51.48
it's very hard to
break the poverty cycle.
00:05:51.51\00:05:54.32
And one of the key ways
of giving a child a chance
00:05:54.35\00:05:57.89
to break their poverty cycle
is giving them an education.
00:05:57.92\00:06:02.02
The reality is that they
don't have that education.
00:06:02.06\00:06:05.46
They're really locked into
00:06:05.49\00:06:06.90
what's available
back in the village
00:06:06.93\00:06:09.50
and the reality not a lot.
00:06:09.53\00:06:11.57
So the education gives them
00:06:11.60\00:06:13.30
a chance of breaking out
into a far better career, job,
00:06:13.34\00:06:19.31
which once again
impacts their family,
00:06:19.34\00:06:22.01
because most of
them do give money back
00:06:22.04\00:06:24.25
to their family,
once they get a job.
00:06:24.28\00:06:27.28
Often these parents have
not had an education themselves.
00:06:27.32\00:06:30.75
So understanding
the value of education
00:06:30.79\00:06:33.36
is not there either.
00:06:33.39\00:06:34.72
So often these families
don't promote education,
00:06:34.76\00:06:38.66
don't support them.
00:06:38.69\00:06:40.03
When these children
come home from school,
00:06:40.06\00:06:41.96
can they do any
homework with them?
00:06:42.00\00:06:43.57
No, they don't have the ability.
00:06:43.60\00:06:45.17
So the ability
for these families,
00:06:45.20\00:06:47.37
they're really poor families
00:06:47.40\00:06:49.14
to help the child is
non-existence, nonexistent.
00:06:49.17\00:06:52.74
They are striving,
00:06:52.77\00:06:54.11
they're struggling
to get food to eat.
00:06:54.14\00:06:56.14
If they get one meal a
day, they're doing well.
00:06:56.18\00:06:58.08
So where's the
opportunity for them
00:06:58.11\00:06:59.81
to help the child to break out.
00:06:59.85\00:07:02.12
So Child Impact
helps these children
00:07:02.15\00:07:07.46
who really don't have
a supporting environment,
00:07:07.49\00:07:09.52
not that the
parents don't want to,
00:07:09.56\00:07:10.96
they just don't know how to,
00:07:10.99\00:07:13.03
so Child Impact
gives these children
00:07:13.06\00:07:15.43
the opportunity to
make the difference.
00:07:15.46\00:07:19.67
Today, over
3,000 children in India
00:07:19.70\00:07:22.84
are sponsored by Child Impact
00:07:22.87\00:07:24.71
and because of their commitment
00:07:24.74\00:07:26.07
to the welfare of children,
00:07:26.11\00:07:27.44
especially children
from tribal communities
00:07:27.48\00:07:29.14
and villages, these children
00:07:29.18\00:07:30.81
are reaping the benefits
of an Adventist education.
00:07:30.85\00:07:33.42
Without sponsorship,
many of the poor children
00:07:33.45\00:07:37.62
and especially
Adventist children
00:07:37.65\00:07:39.62
they will be,
00:07:39.65\00:07:41.49
they will remain backward,
they will remain illiterate.
00:07:41.52\00:07:44.69
There have been
00:07:44.73\00:07:46.06
so many requests of
Adventist parents coming
00:07:46.09\00:07:49.56
and requesting for sponsorship.
00:07:49.60\00:07:51.67
So many times, we
just refuse saying that
00:07:51.70\00:07:55.10
there is no
sponsorship and without fees,
00:07:55.14\00:07:58.17
we cannot keep them
00:07:58.21\00:07:59.77
because school
can't afford to educate.
00:07:59.81\00:08:02.68
We are educating a few of them,
00:08:02.71\00:08:04.68
but we cannot
educate many of them.
00:08:04.71\00:08:07.32
And that is how,
00:08:07.35\00:08:08.72
that is why we need sponsorship.
00:08:08.75\00:08:11.42
And without sponsorship,
00:08:11.45\00:08:13.22
these children
will not have a future.
00:08:13.25\00:08:15.22
Sulochana and her sister Mamita
00:08:15.26\00:08:17.29
have been
sponsored by Child Impact.
00:08:17.33\00:08:19.09
Ever since they came
to live and attend school
00:08:19.13\00:08:21.36
at Immanuel
English School in Jeypore.
00:08:21.40\00:08:23.90
For girls like
Sulochana, attending school
00:08:23.93\00:08:26.30
and receiving an
education is a blessing.
00:08:26.33\00:08:28.57
And without sponsorship,
00:08:28.60\00:08:29.94
she and her sister would
face an uncertain future.
00:08:29.97\00:08:34.78
He says that they're very
happy that their two children,
00:08:34.81\00:08:38.65
somebody is helping
them to study and he says,
00:08:38.68\00:08:42.45
with his financial problem,
00:08:42.48\00:08:45.45
he would have never been
00:08:45.49\00:08:46.82
able to send his two
daughters to the school.
00:08:46.86\00:08:49.86
And he's so thankful
00:08:49.89\00:08:51.23
to whoever is
helping them for the studies
00:08:51.26\00:08:55.13
and he's grateful to them
00:08:55.16\00:08:56.50
and he says that I pray
to the God to bless them
00:08:56.53\00:09:00.34
and give them good
health and strength.
00:09:00.37\00:09:02.10
Mamita Malik lives
with her grandparents.
00:09:08.54\00:09:11.01
She lost her mother when
she was just a little baby
00:09:11.05\00:09:13.68
and her father abandoned her.
00:09:13.72\00:09:16.15
When a child is orphaned
00:09:16.18\00:09:17.52
or abandoned at
such a young age,
00:09:17.55\00:09:19.35
the unfortunate
burden of caring for them
00:09:19.39\00:09:21.42
falls upon their
elderly grandparents
00:09:21.46\00:09:23.53
who barely have any
means to support them.
00:09:23.56\00:09:26.13
This is Mamita's grandmother,
her daughter was married.
00:09:26.16\00:09:29.90
And when the baby was
born after six months,
00:09:29.93\00:09:32.57
the in-laws and husband
00:09:32.60\00:09:34.14
started
ill-treating Mamita's mother,
00:09:34.17\00:09:37.07
so the grandparents
brought their daughter
00:09:37.11\00:09:40.58
and Mamita to their home.
00:09:40.61\00:09:42.68
And after a year,
00:09:42.71\00:09:44.05
she fell sick and
had a kidney problem.
00:09:44.08\00:09:47.42
So she died.
00:09:47.45\00:09:49.02
Seeing the elderly couple
00:09:49.05\00:09:50.39
struggle with
their granddaughter,
00:09:50.42\00:09:51.79
a government employee
00:09:51.82\00:09:53.15
from the village
who had knowledge
00:09:53.19\00:09:54.52
about the
Adventist boarding school
00:09:54.56\00:09:55.89
at Jeypore suggested
Mamita to be taken there.
00:09:55.92\00:09:59.13
Like a majority of
students at Immanuel School,
00:09:59.16\00:10:01.73
Mamita received sponsorship
through Child Impact.
00:10:01.76\00:10:05.70
Well, sponsorship obviously
gives the child an education,
00:10:05.73\00:10:08.97
but has a real
impact on the family.
00:10:09.00\00:10:13.11
You can't imagine
living in poverty,
00:10:13.14\00:10:15.14
struggling day to day
to feed your children.
00:10:15.18\00:10:18.28
So first of all, the
parents are just so excited that
00:10:18.31\00:10:21.42
their child's
getting a genuine education.
00:10:21.45\00:10:24.05
But it also brings
relief to the family
00:10:24.09\00:10:26.49
because in many cases,
00:10:26.52\00:10:28.22
the children go
to boarding school.
00:10:28.26\00:10:30.09
And so they know
their child is being fed.
00:10:30.13\00:10:33.03
They know their child
is being looked after.
00:10:33.06\00:10:35.70
And then when the child
comes back to the village,
00:10:35.73\00:10:38.17
they have a
stronger willingness to work.
00:10:38.20\00:10:40.67
And in fact, when they come back
00:10:40.70\00:10:42.04
as older students,
00:10:42.07\00:10:43.44
they can do things
around the village.
00:10:43.47\00:10:45.51
They can help within English,
they can help people with
00:10:45.54\00:10:48.88
computers that
has a dramatic effect
00:10:48.91\00:10:51.48
on the impact of the family
00:10:51.51\00:10:53.31
and in turn the community.
00:10:53.35\00:10:57.32
Grandparents like these,
00:10:57.35\00:10:58.72
it is quite difficult
00:10:58.75\00:11:00.16
to take care of
their grandchildren
00:11:00.19\00:11:02.86
who have no parents.
00:11:02.89\00:11:04.36
So if Mamita would
not be in the school,
00:11:04.39\00:11:07.10
she would just
go for manual labor
00:11:07.13\00:11:09.33
when she's at
the age of working,
00:11:09.36\00:11:11.80
and later on, when the time
00:11:11.83\00:11:13.97
would have come for
marriage, that's the life.
00:11:14.00\00:11:17.14
There will be no bright future
00:11:17.17\00:11:18.77
if she didn't
have the opportunity
00:11:18.81\00:11:20.24
to study in this school.
00:11:20.28\00:11:22.91
Life in rural India is simple.
00:11:22.94\00:11:25.15
During the day, people
either go to the fields
00:11:25.18\00:11:27.18
or graze what
little livestock they have.
00:11:27.22\00:11:29.42
There is a clear order
00:11:29.45\00:11:30.79
of social
precedence based on gender.
00:11:30.82\00:11:32.65
And women have little
or no say in its structure,
00:11:32.69\00:11:35.26
often leading
to unjust practices
00:11:35.29\00:11:37.29
and misery.
00:11:37.33\00:11:38.66
If it weren't
for Immanuel School
00:11:38.69\00:11:40.10
and the timely intervention
00:11:40.13\00:11:41.46
of Child Impact girls
like Mamita and Sulochana
00:11:41.50\00:11:44.50
would have seen misfortunes
of so many young girls
00:11:44.53\00:11:47.07
like them in their villages.
00:11:47.10\00:11:49.20
So what do you want to do
when you finish your studies?
00:11:49.24\00:11:53.48
I want to be a
nurse. Nurse, why?
00:11:53.51\00:11:56.91
Because my
grandmother aim is that.
00:11:56.95\00:12:02.08
Oh your grandmother's aim
is that you become a nurse?
00:12:02.12\00:12:05.15
Yes. Okay.
00:12:05.19\00:12:06.69
And what would you
like to tell your sponsors,
00:12:06.72\00:12:09.02
you know if they see this?
00:12:09.06\00:12:10.39
What would you
like to tell them?
00:12:10.43\00:12:13.19
I like to thank them
from the bottom of my heart
00:12:13.23\00:12:16.87
because when I was
small from that time
00:12:16.90\00:12:18.97
they take care of me
and when I came here,
00:12:19.00\00:12:24.51
they help me, for
that I'm really happy.
00:12:24.54\00:12:27.61
If they could not help me,
00:12:27.64\00:12:29.04
I could not be here at this time
00:12:29.08\00:12:31.31
because my parents,
they cannot pay any money.
00:12:31.35\00:12:35.18
For that I thank
them from the heart.
00:12:35.22\00:12:37.65
Sulochana's
emotions are testimony
00:12:41.59\00:12:43.96
to what a simple
gesture of sponsoring
00:12:43.99\00:12:45.99
a child's education can achieve.
00:12:46.03\00:12:49.13
To our sponsors at Child Impact,
00:12:49.16\00:12:51.13
we thank you
for your generosity.
00:12:51.17\00:12:53.23
Every smile we get to
see on the face of a child,
00:12:53.27\00:12:56.40
every anxiety
removed from a parent's life
00:12:56.44\00:12:59.67
and every folded hand
that are grateful bear witness
00:12:59.71\00:13:02.64
to your kindness and goodwill.
00:13:02.68\00:13:04.65
Thank you, you are
making a difference.
00:13:04.68\00:13:07.25
I just got a letter
00:13:16.93\00:13:18.26
from our
sponsored daughter Sheila,
00:13:18.29\00:13:19.96
I've got to tell you,
00:13:20.00\00:13:21.33
there is nothing like
getting one of these letters.
00:13:21.36\00:13:23.70
Our family has
been able to sponsor her
00:13:23.73\00:13:25.60
through Child
Impact International.
00:13:25.63\00:13:27.70
And because of that,
00:13:27.74\00:13:29.07
she's got a great place to live.
00:13:29.10\00:13:30.57
She's got good food,
she's got great clothing.
00:13:30.61\00:13:33.61
Best of all, I now
found out she's in college,
00:13:33.64\00:13:36.81
she's in nursing school.
00:13:36.85\00:13:38.61
There's nothing like
getting a letter like this.
00:13:38.65\00:13:41.78
You need to start
getting these letters too.
00:13:41.82\00:13:43.89
Listen, through Child Impact,
00:13:43.92\00:13:45.49
you can make a huge difference
in the life of a child.
00:13:45.52\00:13:48.82
And I promise
you, it's going to make
00:13:48.86\00:13:50.73
a huge
difference in your life too.
00:13:50.76\00:13:52.86