Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000204A
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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 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, 00:30 Sri Lanka, Myanmar, 00:32 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 is proving infinite returns, 00:42 driven by the 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 expands from child rescue operations, 00:57 to providing an education for orphans, deaf, 01:00 and the blind children giving them a sense of place, 01:03 a home, but above all, 01:05 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 Hello. 01:22 My name is Jim Rennie, 01:23 and I'm the CEO of Child Impact International, 01:26 and I've been in this role for over 10 years. 01:30 I just wanted to tell you a little bit 01:32 about our organization. 01:34 It used to be called Asian Aid, 01:37 and it started in Australia just over 50 years ago. 01:41 And now we are based in Collegedale, Tennessee. 01:45 We are registered 501c3 charity, 01:49 and we're members of ISI and OCI. 01:53 Our organization operates in India, Bangladesh, 01:56 Sri Lankan Nepal, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea, 02:00 and later in the year 02:01 we'll be expanding to other countries. 02:05 Public evangelism is banned or limited in these countries. 02:09 So Adventist mission schools 02:11 are one of the main keys to outreach. 02:15 Our main activity is child sponsorship, 02:18 where we take a needy child and place them 02:21 in an Adventist Mission School. 02:24 Child sponsorship is a unique way of being involved 02:27 in the mission field every day, 02:30 as we take a child based on need 02:32 and give them an education. 02:35 Normally, they may not get an education, 02:37 and we give them hope by giving them an education 02:41 in an Adventist Mission School. 02:43 There are different types of sponsorship, 02:46 these include a day student 02:48 who's just a child that walks from their home 02:51 to the Adventist Mission School, 02:53 and that's $25 a month, there is a boarder, 02:56 who boards at the Adventist Mission School 02:59 and that's $38 a month, 03:01 and then we have our special needs children 03:04 who are blind, deaf, or orphans which are $48 a month. 03:09 Not only does sponsorship give them an education, 03:13 but it also gives that family hope, 03:15 knowing that their child is receiving an education. 03:19 So not only does it benefit the child and the family, 03:23 but the key thing was that it also has an impact 03:26 on the mission school's finances, 03:29 as this is guaranteed income for their child. 03:33 Our funds go direct to the mission school, 03:36 so we can assure you or the donor 03:38 that they are being used for the correct purpose. 03:41 There are two ways 03:42 you can become involved in sponsorship, 03:45 you can sponsor your own particular child 03:48 and you'll receive information about the child, 03:52 you'll receive reports 03:53 and you will even receive letters from your child, 03:57 and so you are directly connected to a specific child. 04:02 The other way you can give, 04:03 if you don't want to sponsor a child, 04:05 is to contribute to the unsponsored child fund. 04:09 Right now we have over 400 unsponsored children 04:14 and that is a big need for us. 04:16 We also fund three orphanages, 04:19 including Sunrise Home in India. 04:22 Sunrise Home has over 150 orphans, 04:26 and we funded 100%. 04:28 I really love going there 04:30 because these kids have been given a home. 04:33 Many of them come from terrible backgrounds. 04:36 Some have been found on railway stations. 04:39 And so Sunrise Home gives them a future, gives them a hope, 04:44 and gives them an education. 04:46 Sunrise is located in rural India with a farm, 04:49 and it's certainly a home that gives these children hope, 04:53 and education, and a future life. 04:56 We are really proud of what our donors have done 04:59 with Sunrise Home 05:00 and over the years we've seen it grow. 05:02 And now we see the older children 05:05 that have really made progress through the years. 05:08 And I just want to thank the donors 05:10 that really helped us at the start 05:12 with building Sunrise Home 05:14 and for the progress that it's made. 05:17 Child Impact supporters also funded school for the blind, 05:21 and a school for the deaf 05:23 run by the Adventist Church in India. 05:26 These are very unique special schools, 05:29 as they take special needs children 05:31 from poor villages 05:33 and give them a specialized education 05:36 in an Adventist Mission School environment. 05:39 These children would have had no hope, 05:42 we've actually found blind children chained in a house 05:46 because their parents didn't know how to deal with them. 05:49 These special schools are making a real difference 05:53 and really need help throughout the whole year. 05:57 Operation Child Rescue is a Child Impact project 06:01 that is involved in rescuing, mainly trafficked children 06:05 that are in the high risk category. 06:08 In Bangalore, India 06:10 we have our rescue program, 06:12 which rescues young ladies from brothels 06:15 and we also run a rescue home for these girls. 06:19 This year we will also have a rescue program 06:22 from children from beggary and slave labor in factories. 06:26 You can give to specific projects 06:28 like the blind school, the deaf school, 06:31 or Operation Child Rescue, 06:33 or as I said previously you can sponsor a child. 06:37 A key part of my job is visiting the field 06:40 so that we can do the correct planning, 06:43 and also to visit the projects that we're involved in. 06:46 And it's just a true privilege to be able to sit down 06:50 and meet the children that we sponsor 06:53 and that we help. 06:54 They're just so excited to see you, 06:56 and they are so appreciative of the donors 06:59 and the work that they do, 07:01 and most of them are very happy in their school. 07:04 They certainly have their challenges. 07:06 In recent trips, 07:08 I've been going with some of the children 07:10 and visiting their homes. 07:12 And just recently in Bangladesh, 07:15 which is a very, very poor country, 07:17 I went with a little boy to visit his grandparents. 07:22 His grandparents look after him 07:24 because his parents have gone to work in the city, 07:27 because there's no longer any work for them 07:30 in the town where he comes from. 07:32 The grandparents are very poor. 07:35 But here was their little house, very basic, 07:39 and they had a drink for me and an orange. 07:42 That was all they could afford. 07:44 The reality is they are penniless, 07:46 but they were so appreciative 07:48 of what we are doing for their grandson. 07:51 And they just wanted to thank the donors, 07:55 but it had a big impact on me 07:56 because I really saw the difference we're making, 08:00 not only with the child but with the family, 08:03 and for the village that he comes from. 08:06 I can see the difference that we are making. 08:09 I can see the difference that these donors are making. 08:12 And I just want to tell you that I have total confidence 08:16 in the way we distribute our funds 08:18 and the work that we do. 08:20 Is it perfect? No. 08:22 But I know that by us sending the funds 08:25 direct to the school 08:26 or direct to the project 08:28 that we're doing the best we can 08:31 to ensure the correct use of the funds and the money. 08:35 I'm just so excited that we can carry out 08:38 this important mission in helping children 08:41 and introducing them to Jesus 08:43 through giving them a Christian education 08:46 in an Adventist Mission School. 08:54 Imagine with me for a moment 08:56 that you're a small child living on the streets of India, 09:00 the sandals on your feet lost their comfort weeks ago, 09:03 your favorite shirt just got another hole. 09:06 It's sad, mommy died last year 09:08 but what makes you feel even worse 09:11 is that your dad chose not to be your dad anymore. 09:15 Hey, I'm Shawn Boonstra, 09:16 Honorary Ambassador for Child Impact International, 09:19 an organization that is a supportive ministry 09:22 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 09:24 Something like 15 to 25 million little girls and boys in India 09:28 share similar stories to the one I just told you. 09:31 Many are orphaned at a young age 09:33 with little food to eat and no hope. 09:36 Child Impact serves to bridge the gap 09:38 between hardship and education. 09:42 It's a unique ministry that serves children in poverty 09:45 in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 09:50 Over three and a half thousand children 09:53 are provided an Adventist education 09:55 and lives are changed 09:56 through the numerous development projects. 09:59 Working in these countries, 10:01 Child Impact has come face to face with issues 10:04 like child slavery, poor or no education, 10:07 child trafficking, abandoned babies, 10:11 lack of clean water, and a high number of orphans. 10:15 This list is not short on challenges, 10:18 yet the needs are being met. 10:20 You know, my family sponsors Sheila, 10:22 a young lady at the Sunrise Orphanage in India. 10:25 For the past couple of years, I'm proud of how my family 10:28 has been able to impact her life for the better. 10:32 Word has it, she just started college. 10:36 What I've come to understand 10:37 is that the children Child Impact supports 10:41 are more than just names, or faces on a screen, 10:44 or a flyer, 10:45 they're people with a story, 10:48 a story whose ending has not been written, 10:51 instead another chapter is being composed. 10:55 It reminds me of something that Jesus once said, 10:57 "Whatever you do 10:59 for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, 11:01 you do for Me." 11:04 Join me and others like me throughout the world 11:07 who are sponsoring a child monthly 11:09 to provide like Jesus did, to support like Jesus did, 11:14 to love like Jesus did. 11:16 You too can make a lifelong impact on the life of someone 11:20 who is waiting for you to say yes. 11:22 Yes, today you will consider sponsorship 11:25 right now with Child Impact or one of our other projects. 11:29 Yes, to give hope to a precious child today. 11:42 Sponsoring children in activities 11:46 like these mission schools 11:48 and opportunities is a tremendous way 11:52 to help form the character of young people 11:56 as they look to the future. 11:57 They will never forget 11:59 their association in a Christian environment. 12:02 And by God's grace, 12:04 many of them will become 12:05 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 12:08 It is absolutely a powerful witness 12:11 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 12:15 and so many other organizations 12:18 that help young people to find Jesus. 12:22 Sponsoring a child not only has short-term effects 12:27 but it has a long-term effect. 12:30 Sponsoring a child is investing 12:32 in the character of a young person for eternity. 12:36 We're taping this right here in Myanmar, 12:39 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, 12:43 and about one-third of the students 12:45 or one quarter of the students 12:48 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 12:51 People who become workers in God's church, 12:54 people who make an impact in the community 12:57 have been people who have been sponsored. 13:00 Your sponsorship is absolutely an investment 13:05 in the future of the church. |
Revised 2019-04-25