Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000206A
|
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 00:25 and those who are in need, serving communities in India, 00:28 Nepal, Bangladesh, 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 has proven infinite returns, 00:42 driven by the dedication to helping those 00:44 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. 01:21 At Adventist mission schools like this one in Bangladesh, 01:25 Child Impact International sponsors hundreds of children. 01:29 We often think that sponsorship 01:31 only impacts on the life of the child, 01:34 but it's much wider than that. 01:36 It impacts on the parents and on the community. 01:39 But more important, it impacts on the school. 01:42 It becomes valuable income for the school and, 01:46 then in turn, 01:47 it impacts on hundreds of other children. 01:49 I just ask that you would consider 01:52 sponsoring a child with Child Impact 01:54 or supporting one of its valuable projects 01:57 that will improve education 01:59 and Adventist mission schools like this one right here. 02:30 Bobbili, a small rural town in Andhra Pradesh, India, 02:33 has nothing to offer to a visitor. 02:36 Its streets, often bustling and chaotic, 02:39 are typical of rural towns in India. 02:44 Poverty is widespread, 02:45 and people struggle to meet ends 02:47 doing menial jobs 02:49 and often tending to paddy fields 02:50 owned by landlords. 02:59 Visits to villages around here only amplify one's perception 03:03 of abject poverty people live in on a daily basis. 03:06 But it is in this despairing and gloomy environment, 03:09 we often get to see and experience 03:11 hopefulness and optimism. 03:21 Over the last 15 years, 03:23 Child Impact International 03:25 has undertaken numerous development work 03:28 in and around the Bobbili area. 03:30 The Sunrise Children's Home, 03:31 situated about ten miles from Bobbili, 03:34 is one such project 03:35 that gives orphaned and abandoned children 03:38 an ideal place to live and learn. 03:52 Ten-year-old Akhil Mutaka 03:54 and his younger brother Charan 03:55 were orphaned at a very early age 03:57 and came to live at Sunrise Home two years ago. 04:01 Their family belongs to a tribal community 04:03 who live in the mountainous region 04:05 bordering the states of Odissa and Andhra Pradesh 04:07 in southeastern India. 04:10 This is Akhil and Charan's Auntie's house, 04:13 they're living here... 04:14 Actually they're up on the mountains, 04:15 live up on the mountains, they came down. 04:20 This is a very poor village. 04:22 And this village, no water facilities, 04:24 no agricultural facilities. 04:27 Total people are depending on the forest products. 04:29 They collect the forest products 04:31 and they survive. 04:32 In the afternoon, every afternoon, 04:34 they'll eat some porridge, 04:35 there's no rice or no other stuff 04:37 to fill their stomachs. 04:38 The night time only they'll cook 04:40 some little bit rice 04:42 and some vegetables, and they'll eat. 04:44 Every day, they eat one meal. 04:51 The majority of children at Sunrise Home 04:54 come from tribal villages and communities around Bobbili, 04:57 and the home is well regarded in and around Bobbili 05:00 because of Child Impact's development work 05:02 among the tribal people. 05:04 A few years ago, 05:05 Child Impact had conducted a vocational training program 05:08 for young men and women from the tribal community. 05:11 It was during one such project that Raj Varma, 05:14 Field Officer of Child Impact came across Akhil and Charan. 05:19 In 2014, 05:20 I came to this village for tribal development project, 05:24 so that time the Child Impact International 05:27 wants to do some development project 05:29 for the tribal people, 05:31 improve their living standards and the livelihood. 05:34 So that time, these ladies showed these children 05:39 and explained their story and requested me 05:43 to take them to the Sunrise orphanage. 05:47 Raj Varma had learned from the boys' relatives 05:49 that their father had fallen from a tree and had died, 05:52 and the boys came to live with their aunts 05:54 who took turns to look after them. 05:56 When inquired about 05:57 the whereabouts of their mother, 05:58 Raj Varma was told that she had died of malaria. 06:02 Seeing their pitiable living conditions, 06:04 he brought Akhil and Charan to Sunrise home. 06:07 It was at Sunrise, 06:08 the boys revealed the real whereabouts of their mother. 06:12 According to my knowledge, when I asked the children, 06:15 when I'm writing the story, 06:18 Akhil, elder one, he said, 06:21 "My mother went away with another man." 06:24 I felt very sad and very bad. 06:27 Children when they grow up, 06:29 they won't have love towards the parents. 06:32 When they grow up, parents will come. 06:35 When the mother comes, when the children see them, 06:39 what respect they will have. 06:41 Parents they will never have the respect 06:43 because she just left and went away. 06:47 And immediately 06:48 when the children told like that, 06:50 I felt very bad and very sad also, 06:52 but as a mother, I'm giving them love. 06:56 And they know I am the mother, 06:58 so they love me and I too love them. 07:01 Now they're very happy. 07:02 This say, "Mama, you don't send us to home. 07:06 We don't want to stay there." 07:09 It is not uncommon for a single parent 07:11 in tribal communities to abandon their children 07:14 when his or her spouse dies. 07:16 And the children's relatives don't reveal the whole story 07:18 because they are ashamed of the truth 07:20 and are unwilling to reveal the customs and practices 07:23 that are prevalent in their community 07:25 that may seem bizarre and cruel to an outsider. 07:29 Well, I don't think we can understand 07:31 the life of an orphan. 07:32 They may not know who their parents are 07:35 or they may know the tragic circumstances they come from. 07:39 So we not only give them an education, 07:41 we give them a home, 07:43 but we give them hope, we give them a future, 07:46 and just for a child knowing that they've got a future, 07:49 knowing that they've got some way 07:50 they can go in their life 07:52 makes a huge difference to them. 07:55 And we're just so excited 07:56 that we can be a part of making that total difference. 08:02 If they didn't come to Sunrise Home, today, 08:04 they might be somewhere, no one knows, 08:07 no educational facilities, no proper facilities, 08:10 and also no food. 08:12 Even though they fill their stomach 08:14 with some porridge, 08:16 that's not a valuable food. 08:18 Yeah, not valuable food, 08:20 most of the children are malnutritious. 08:24 There is no children... 08:26 if they didn't come to Sunrise Home, 08:28 by this time the children might have been disappeared. 09:00 Sunrise Home has given Akhil and Charan 09:02 a sense of belonging, a sense of place 09:05 that is safe and comfortable. 09:06 A place where they don't feel like they're orphaned 09:09 or abandoned. 09:10 Thanks to Akhil and Charan's sponsors, 09:12 Child Impact is giving them a new life at Sunrise Home 09:16 and giving them an opportunity to receive a proper education. 09:20 Really, I want to thank Akhil and Charan's sponsors 09:24 for playing an important role in their lives. 09:27 And now they're very happy here. 09:29 I'm only the caretaker who is taking care of them 09:31 and molding them, 09:33 but there are important persons 09:34 who had given them the good life. 09:38 Well, when I go to Sunrise Home, 09:40 children like Akhil and Charan just come running towards you. 09:45 They're just so happy to see you. 09:47 It's as if they have a sense 09:49 that you are a part of their family. 09:52 And it's one of the most rewarding aspects of the job 09:55 that I have. 09:57 And I'm very grateful that I've had this experience 10:00 of having children just so happy beaming, 10:03 and if you saw them when they first come in 10:05 to where they are now, 10:07 we're not only giving them education 10:09 but we're making their lives. 10:11 We literally become a part of their family. 10:14 And it's just so exciting. 10:17 And I'm just so grateful 10:19 that I can be a part of this work 10:21 that the donors do. 10:29 Today, Child Impact International 10:31 is reaching out to children in need. 10:33 And for brothers like Akhil and Charan, 10:35 Sunrise Home is a safe haven, 10:37 providing not just their basic needs 10:39 and an opportunity for an education 10:41 but giving them parental love and affection, 10:44 a chance and a hope for a brighter future. 10:48 Coming where I do from America, 10:52 I knew, I've read, I've heard the stories, 10:56 I've seen the film clips, 10:59 but until, until you walk... 11:09 Until you walk on these sidewalks of the home 11:14 where the children are staying 11:16 and you see what is going on in their faces, 11:22 you can be assured that a good work is happening, 11:26 that you can rest assured that lives are being changed, 11:31 children are being made happy. 11:34 And it was a powerful experience 11:36 that allayed any concerns that I have about the value 11:43 that I am getting for my sponsorship. 11:46 There's no problem. 11:48 I just love, love what's going on. 11:59 Sponsoring children in activities 12:03 like these mission schools and opportunities 12:07 is a tremendous way to help form the character 12:11 of young people as they look to the future, 12:14 they will never forget 12:16 their association in a Christian environment. 12:19 And by God's grace, 12:21 many of them will become 12:22 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 12:25 It is absolutely a powerful witness 12:28 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 12:32 and so many other organizations 12:35 that help young people to find Jesus. 12:39 Sponsoring a child not only has short-term effects 12:44 but it has a long-term effect. 12:47 Sponsoring a child is investing 12:49 in the character of a young person for eternity. 12:53 We're taping this right here in Myanmar 12:56 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary. 13:00 And about one-third of the students 13:02 or one-quarter of the students 13:05 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 13:08 People who become workers in God's church, 13:11 people who make an impact in the community 13:14 have been people who have been sponsored. 13:17 Your sponsorship is absolutely an investment 13:22 in the future of the church. |
Revised 2019-05-06