Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000216A
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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 00:23 to making a difference in the lives of children 00:25 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. 00:41 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, 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 Early when we were married, 01:22 Nick and I spent time over in India, 01:25 and we were working for a mission, 01:27 another mission organization for about six months. 01:29 And one of the opportunities 01:31 we had was to be in one of the schools 01:33 where children were being sponsored 01:36 by Child Impact International in receiving education there 01:39 as well as clothing, food, shelter. 01:42 And at that time we were given the opportunity 01:45 to meet kids that still needed sponsors, and have... 01:49 We were able to meet and pick a kid 01:52 that we wanted to sponsor personally at that time. 01:56 So we got to meet him, 01:58 I think play a little, maybe a little cricket with him, 02:00 gave him a little bit of a gift, and even though... 02:04 Since then the child that we're sponsoring has changed. 02:08 That's how we started, 02:09 and have decided to continue to sponsor a child 02:11 through Child Impact International. 02:14 I'd say that if you are interested 02:15 in sponsoring a child, 02:18 I think it's a great opportunity, 02:20 and so you certainly should. 02:22 There's so many mission fields in the world, 02:24 you know, the kid who lives just down the street from you, 02:26 that's a mission field, your own children, 02:28 your own family, that's a mission field 02:31 but, you know, 02:32 we were called to go into all nations and make disciples. 02:35 And when you sponsor a child for a Christian education, 02:40 you know, it's more than just giving them education, 02:42 teaching them also about Christ, 02:44 and the plan of salvation. 02:46 And so, you know, it's gonna benefit that child, 02:49 it's gonna benefit that child's community 02:51 and, you know, the money that we spend 02:55 every month to support this child, 02:57 it's an easy sacrifice for us 02:59 but it makes just the world of difference in their lives. 03:03 Sponsoring children in activities 03:08 like these mission schools and opportunities 03:11 is a tremendous way to help form the character 03:15 of young people as they look to the future. 03:18 They will never forget their association 03:22 in a Christian environment. 03:23 And by God's grace, many of them will become 03:26 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:29 It is absolutely a powerful witness 03:33 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 03:36 and so many other organizations 03:39 that help young people to find Jesus. 03:44 Sponsoring a child not only has short-term effects, 03:48 but it has a long-term effect. 03:51 Sponsoring a child 03:53 is investing in the character of a young person for eternity. 03:57 We're taping this right here in Myanmar, 04:01 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, 04:04 and about one-third of the students 04:07 or one quarter of the students 04:09 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 04:12 People who become workers in God's church, 04:16 people who make an impact in the community 04:19 have been people who have been sponsored. 04:22 Your sponsorship 04:23 is absolutely an investment in the future of the church. 04:36 Hi, my name is Jaime Jorge, 04:38 and I am excited to be an Honorary Ambassador 04:41 for Child Impact International. 04:43 I've had the privilege of visiting India and Myanmar 04:47 with Child Impact, 04:49 and I am here to share with you some very exciting stories 04:53 as well as some important information. 04:56 Now I have with me Jim, the CEO of what used to be Asian Aid. 05:01 Jim, how long have you been with this organization 05:04 and why the change to Child Impact International? 05:08 Well, Jaime, I've been in the role of CEO 05:11 for just over 10 years now 05:14 and this was a big decision for us. 05:18 But the key reasons 05:19 why is a lot of people don't realize 05:23 that India and Bangladesh are Asia. 05:25 Yes. 05:26 There's a lot of confusion as to what Asia is 05:29 and a lot of the Asian countries, 05:31 oriental countries, we don't operate in. 05:35 Secondly, we want to show a difference 05:38 between Asian Aid Australia and Child Impact 05:42 because we are two totally separate organizations. 05:48 We also believe that we should grow outside Asia. 05:53 So the name change gives us the ability 05:56 that when we're ready to grow into other countries. 05:59 But most important, the name reflects what we do. 06:02 Yes. 06:04 The name reflects 06:05 that we're impacting on the lives of children. 06:08 So we think it's far more relevant 06:10 and will support our growth strategy. 06:13 Now I've had the privilege of knowing you 06:15 and working with you now for a number of years, 06:18 and I have seen how much this organization 06:21 has grown in that time. 06:23 Can you tell me where you're from originally, 06:25 you have kind of a different accent, 06:27 and what you used to do 06:29 before coming to now Child Impact International? 06:32 Well, I'm a New Zealander, 06:33 and I married an American lady from Tennessee, 06:38 and originally she was to move to New Zealand which she did, 06:42 but just somehow we ended up back in Tennessee. 06:45 But prior to that for 30 years, 06:48 I owned the largest 06:50 promotional marketing company in New Zealand. 06:53 So I had a wee bit to do 06:55 with promoting organizations and companies 06:58 and also marketing. 07:00 So that was my background. 07:02 And then when I came to the States, 07:04 I got asked to be put on the board 07:07 of what was then Asian Aid. 07:09 And so I took a six-month contract 07:12 to restructure Asian Aid at the time. 07:15 Well, I'm 10 years into that six-month contract. 07:19 Well, and it's made a huge difference 07:20 for this organization. 07:22 Can you tell me what some of your future plans are? 07:26 Well, I think the key plan 07:28 is to grow our sponsorship program. 07:31 As you know, we sponsor children 07:34 in a number of countries, 07:36 very large in India, Bangladesh, and now Myanmar, 07:40 and Myanmar is the old Burma, 07:42 we're also in Nepal and Sri Lanka. 07:45 And that sponsorship program takes a child based on need 07:49 and puts them in an Adventist mission school. 07:52 And I have to be honest with you, 07:54 the need is overwhelming. 07:55 Yes. 07:56 The church is continually coming to us and saying, 07:59 "Can you help us with more children?" 08:02 And so the growth of that sponsorship program 08:05 is key for us moving forward. 08:07 Yes. 08:09 Because it not only impacts on the life of the child, 08:12 it impacts on their family but it's also key funding 08:17 for these Adventist mission schools. 08:19 So sponsoring a child has a big impact 08:23 on the number of aspects of the child, 08:26 its family, and the school. 08:28 And to be honest, the need is overwhelming. 08:31 Yes. 08:32 We also support four orphanages, 08:35 school for the blind, 08:37 and a school for the deaf in India. 08:40 And the other important area 08:41 that we're starting to get involved in is a program 08:45 that we have called Operation Child Rescue, 08:50 trafficking of girls, 08:51 the use of boys in beggary and slave labor. 08:55 Yes. 08:56 To be honest, in Indian it's so huge, 08:59 it's just overpowering. 09:01 But we are so excited 09:02 that we can be one of the ministries 09:05 involved in this program. 09:07 So we want to build that program also. 09:09 Yes. 09:11 Well, I've been with you to Myanmar where I saw 09:13 that children attend the schools there, 09:17 and then they come back home, 09:19 and share the gospel with their families, 09:20 and their families are being baptized, 09:22 and this is in a country where you can't do public evangelism. 09:25 So this is truly 09:27 a number of different outreach opportunities 09:30 to get people to learn about Jesus Christ. 09:33 Now what does this mean, 09:35 this change, this growth, this vision 09:38 for the current donors of Child Impact International 09:41 and the prospective new ones 09:43 that may be thinking about coming on board? 09:46 Well, to begin with, 09:47 for the existing donors nothing really changes. 09:52 We're still located in Ottawa in Tennessee near Chattanooga. 09:57 We still retain the same staff. 10:00 We retain the same policies, the same board, 10:04 but we want to do things better. 10:06 We want to represent the children better, 10:08 we want to increase the communication 10:11 between the child and the projects 10:13 we do with the donor. 10:15 So the use of mobile phone technology, 10:18 the use of Facebook, 10:20 and we want to share the stories 10:22 with those people that are supporting us. 10:25 So we want to step up how we support the children 10:29 but also deliver value to the donors. 10:33 Asian Aid is now Child Impact International 10:36 and what is going to happen is simply fantastic. 10:40 More young people 10:42 are going to come to know Jesus Christ, 10:44 they're going to have hope and a future, 10:46 and you have the opportunity to be a part of it. 10:48 Would you join us? 10:51 Imagine with me for a moment 10:53 that you're a small child living on the streets of India, 10:56 the sandals on your feet lost their comfort weeks ago, 11:00 your favorite shirt just got another hole. 11:03 It's sad, mommy died last year 11:05 but what makes you feel even worse 11:07 is that your dad chose not to be your dad anymore. 11:11 Hey, I'm Shawn Boonstra, 11:13 Honorary Ambassador for Child Impact International, 11:16 an organization that is a supportive ministry 11:18 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 11:21 You know, previously called Asian Aid, 11:23 they're making an exciting change 11:25 to Child Impact International in order to grow. 11:29 Something like 15 to 25 million little girls and boys in India 11:33 share similar stories to the one I just told you. 11:36 Many are orphaned at a young age 11:38 with little food to eat and no hope. 11:41 Child Impact serves to bridge the gap 11:43 between hardship and education. 11:46 It's a unique ministry that serves children in poverty 11:49 in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 11:55 Over 3,500 children 11:57 are provided an Adventist education 11:59 and lives are changed 12:01 through the numerous development projects. 12:04 Working in these countries, 12:06 Child Impact has come face to face 12:08 with issues like child slavery, poor or no education, 12:12 child trafficking, abandoned babies, 12:15 lack of clean water, and a high number of orphans. 12:19 This list is not short on challenges, 12:22 yet the needs are being met. 12:24 You know, my family sponsors Sheila, a young lady 12:27 at the Sunrise Orphanage in India. 12:30 For the past couple of years, 12:31 I'm proud of how my family 12:33 has been able to impact her life for the better. 12:36 Word has it, she just started college. 12:40 What I've come to understand 12:42 is that the children Child Impact supports 12:45 are more than just names, or faces on a screen, 12:48 or a flyer, 12:50 they're people with a story, 12:52 a story whose ending has not been written, 12:56 instead another chapter is being composed. 12:59 It reminds me of something that Jesus once said, 13:02 "Whatever you do 13:03 for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, 13:06 you do for Me." 13:08 Join me and others like me throughout the world 13:12 who are sponsoring a child monthly 13:14 to provide like Jesus did, 13:16 to support like Jesus did, to love like Jesus did. 13:21 You too can make a lifelong impact 13:23 on the life of someone 13:25 who is waiting for you to say yes. 13:27 Yes, today you will consider sponsorship 13:30 right now with Child Impact or one of our other projects. 13:34 Yes, to give hope to a precious child today. |
Revised 2019-08-01