Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000209A
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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, 00:28 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 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 spans from child rescue operations 00:57 to providing an education for orphans, 00:59 deaf 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. 01:19 Our television series Hope in Motion 01:22 has been a big success, 01:24 and we want to continue to share with you 01:27 some of the field stories 01:28 that we have filmed over the years. 01:31 So just from time to time it may refer to Asian Aid 01:35 as we reflect on these great stories 01:38 as we share them with you. 01:43 Nepal, sandwiched between two Asian giants 01:46 China and India 01:48 is a landlocked sovereign state in the Himalayas. 01:51 The mountain range in the north 01:52 is home to eight of the world's tallest mountain peaks, 01:55 including the highest point on earth, Mount Everest, 01:58 thus making it popular for mountaineering. 02:01 Hinduism is practiced by over 80% of the population 02:05 making it the country 02:06 with the highest percentage of Hindus. 02:08 With the birthplace of Buddha located in this region, 02:11 Nepal is also historically linked with Buddhism 02:14 making it culturally very rich. 02:17 However, Nepal is also economically challenged 02:20 and is home to some of the poorest people 02:22 on the planet. 02:24 In this economically backward environment 02:26 and harsh terrain 02:27 where infrastructure and transport is unavailable, 02:30 women become the beast of burden. 02:33 Economic difficulties and cultural perceptions 02:36 have made women of Nepal suffer silently. 02:39 The condition is called uterine prolapse. 02:43 Yes, this is something very interesting 02:44 because this condition of uterus prolapse 02:47 is not so common in most of the countries. 02:50 But interestingly in Nepal 02:52 it is very common to see uterus prolapse in women. 02:57 And the reason, we don't know exactly the reason, 02:59 but over here the ladies have to carry a lot of weight, 03:04 so weight carrying also provide 03:07 the incidents of prolapse more high, 03:11 also having more children 03:13 also provide more incidents of having this problem. 03:17 So it is multi-factorial, 03:20 we cannot point to only one thing. 03:23 But what we know is that in Nepal, 03:26 it is very common to have this problem. 03:29 Uterine prolapse is a condition in women 03:31 where their uterus just falls off their body. 03:34 We learn that one of the main reasons 03:36 women get prolapsed 03:37 is because they are forced to carry heavy loads. 03:40 Sometimes around 50 kilos strapped around their forehead 03:44 pressing down on their neck. 03:45 Often they have to continue with this heavy labor 03:48 right after childbirth. 03:49 The stress and pressure this puts on their lower back 03:52 is so dangerous, 03:53 and their delicate bodies cannot support their uterus. 03:57 We cannot go into the detail of what is the condition 04:00 but having this condition affect the woman 04:03 in an extreme way, 04:06 to the extreme that sometimes the husband leave them 04:10 because of the marital problem that they may have. 04:14 So yes, it is a very 04:17 incapacitating condition for the woman 04:19 and affects not only the woman but also the entire family. 04:23 In this patriarchal society, women suffering from prolapse 04:26 are ashamed for their condition, 04:28 and they don't want to come forward 04:30 and suffer in silence for decades. 04:32 The psychological impact this has on their wellbeing 04:35 affects their already battered physical condition. 04:38 Thousands go undetected and when they are discovered, 04:41 they become outcasts, excluded, 04:43 and deserted by their husbands and families. 04:48 Today, women suffering from uterine prolapse 04:51 have hope. 04:52 Over the last 10 years, 04:53 Child Impact International has funded a program 04:56 along with Scheer Memorial Hospital 04:58 to identify these women wherever they are 05:01 and facilitate surgeries 05:03 and provide much needed preventive health education. 05:06 Well, we're partnering with Scheer Memorial Hospital 05:09 because we truly believe 05:10 they're doing a wonderful job in the community. 05:14 It's the only Adventist hospital in Nepal. 05:17 It's a critical part of the church in Nepal. 05:21 And they now have the facilities 05:25 to do the prolapse operations. 05:28 And so our funding program is very valuable to them 05:33 because they have plenty of capacity. 05:35 And so for us, it's very rewarding 05:39 not only to make the change of lives with the women, 05:45 but also we're able to help the institution 05:48 in gaining work and doing work in the community. 05:52 Here at the hospital, 05:54 we have done a lot of prolapse operations. 05:57 I think... 05:58 I forget how many years we've been doing it now, 06:00 maybe 10 or 11 years, but during that time, 06:03 we have now operated on between 8,000 to 9,000 ladies. 06:07 And to see the difference it makes, 06:09 you know, I just can't imagine 06:13 how these women like to spend one... 06:15 I remember one lady, she told us 06:17 that she had been walking around with this prolapse 06:20 hanging out of her body for 50 years. 06:29 All throughout its history, 06:31 Scheer Memorial Hospital has been privileged 06:33 to host a number of medical professionals from abroad 06:36 who volunteer their time and expertise conducting camps. 06:40 This has benefited thousands of people 06:42 from the local community, especially women. 06:45 This week, a group from Sydney Adventist Hospital 06:48 from Sydney, Australia 06:49 is here conducting prolapse operations. 06:52 If you save these women have it fixed, 06:54 not have that prolapse any more, they're so happy. 06:57 They hug us, they kiss us, they want to shake our hand, 07:01 they want to touch us, 07:02 and it's just humbling, very humbling 07:06 because we're so grateful now within our society 07:10 that you just don't realize how hard it is for them here 07:15 to be working under the circumstances 07:17 they got to work under. 07:20 Karen is part of a volunteer group 07:22 Open Heart International from Sydney. 07:24 These are medical professionals 07:26 who go to various developing countries each year 07:28 conducting medical camps. 07:30 For Karen and her team, 07:32 camps such as these may seem just another day's work, 07:35 but it has a profound impact on these women 07:37 who suffer from prolapse. 07:39 And for the volunteers, it's an opportunity 07:41 to make a difference in their own humble ways. 07:44 Volunteering to me, 07:47 it's emotional. 07:49 You all get very drawn in to what they don't have 07:52 and what we can do to them. 07:53 We might think we're just doing 07:55 what we do every day back at home, 07:57 but for them it's life changing. 08:00 And even though it might seem just a drop in the ocean, 08:05 for 80 to 90 women in the 10 days 08:08 that we are here operating, it changes their lives 08:11 and that change of life for these people 08:14 that makes it emotional. 08:17 Scheer Memorial Hospital is overwhelmed 08:20 with the inflow of women needing surgeries 08:22 for uterine prolapse. 08:24 Without these volunteers, 08:25 it will be a tough task to facilitate them all. 08:28 In the hospital, we have 200 to 300 surgeries 08:31 will be there in the year. 08:32 Out of 200 to 300, we have 30 to 40% of surgery 08:37 will be done the uterine prolapse. 08:40 The only thing that is stopping us 08:42 to doing more, 08:44 it is basically the financial aspect. 08:46 If we have more funding, we can do even more. 08:49 Over half a million women 08:51 are suffering from prolapse in Nepal, 08:53 and Scheer Memorial Hospital is a place they can come 08:56 to get it fixed and ease their suffering. 08:58 The good news is spreading among women in Nepal. 09:01 The more women are identified, educated, 09:04 and brought to these camps, 09:05 the more women are willing to come out 09:07 and seek medical care. 09:09 This one here, her name is Puneswari, 09:12 and she actually has... 09:14 Because she has been so grateful 09:16 for what has happened in her life, 09:17 she has now brought 25 more ladies 09:21 who have had operations. 09:23 And I think that's really special. 09:25 And so they just... 09:26 When we told them we were having a filming today, 09:28 they were just so thrilled to think 09:30 that they could come and say 09:31 how grateful they are for the transformation 09:34 that's happened in their lives. 09:38 Well, it's changed their lives, 09:40 and now that they can walk comfortably, 09:42 they're able to work and help and care for their families, 09:46 it's just, it's a totally transforming thing 09:49 that I think we just wouldn't understand 09:52 unless we had actually been 09:54 through the same experiences they have been. 09:56 And for this lady to bring 25, I think that's really something 10:00 because that shows how grateful she is 10:03 for the operation that she has had. 10:10 Today, Adventist missions like Scheer Memorial Hospital, 10:14 organizations like Child Impact International, 10:16 and the goodwill of hundreds of volunteers 10:18 and missionaries is making a difference 10:21 and bringing a healing touch to women in Nepal 10:24 transforming their lives every single day. 10:26 Together it is possible 10:28 to facilitate this transformation 10:30 for these grateful women. 10:31 It is possible to put smiles back on their faces. 10:35 Just to hear them say, "Thank you." 10:44 They are a nation, 10:46 they are so loving and thankful. 10:49 And if I can just help a little bit, 10:51 I'll keep coming back. 11:03 A key mission school in Bangladesh, 11:06 where Child Impact has many sponsored children 11:09 has an urgent need for a multipurpose building. 11:13 The current building, which you can see here, 11:15 is over 20 years old and was poorly constructed. 11:19 It is extremely dangerous. 11:22 I'm Jim Rennie, CEO of Child Impact International. 11:27 And recently I visited the school 11:29 and I was able to confirm with an engineer 11:32 that traveled with me, 11:34 the critical state of the building. 11:36 The school Kellogg-Mookerjee Memorial Seminary 11:40 has over 450 students, 11:43 including, as I said, many sponsored by Child Impact. 11:47 The school is a key mission outreach 11:50 and serves a very poor community. 11:53 Simply put, this building is dangerous. 11:56 We need to build a new three storied building. 11:59 And in this building, 12:00 it will house over eight classrooms, 12:04 a science laboratory, a school library, 12:07 school administration offices, 12:09 but more important a new English medium school 12:13 right at the front adjoining the road 12:16 where we have multi level English training school. 12:20 This will attract fee paying day students 12:23 and will drive urgently needed revenue for the school. 12:28 The total cost including the fed out, 12:30 library, science lab, 12:32 and English training school is about $520,000. 12:37 And to date, 12:38 Child Impact has reached $350,000. 12:42 Right now we're asking you to help us, 12:45 any amount would be great. 12:47 But the exciting thing is 12:49 that we have a generous donor who will match $1 for $1. 12:53 So each $1 you give will be turned into $2. 12:57 If you give $1,000 he will match it with $1,000. 13:02 It includes large or small donations. 13:05 We are able to double your giving. 13:07 This is a very special school that serves a poor community 13:11 and has over 50 orphans. 13:14 The need for the classrooms, library, science lab 13:17 is critical to the children graduating. 13:20 The English training school 13:23 will be critical revenue for the school. 13:25 Realistically the current building is dangerous 13:28 and must be replaced. 13:30 Please help us 13:32 with a special Bangladesh Building Appeal. 13:35 You can go to our website 13:37 and donate to the Bangladesh Building Appeal 13:40 or you can ring our office. 13:42 Thank you. |
Revised 2019-05-16