Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000500A
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00:14 Child Impact International is an organization giving help.
00:18 Previously called Asian Aid, 00:20 Child Impact International is an organization 00:22 fostering permanent positive change 00:25 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:27 and their communities. 00:28 Child Impact is committed to making a difference 00:31 in the lives of children and those who are in need, 00:34 serving communities in India, 00:35 Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, 00:39 and will soon expand to other countries. 00:41 For the last 50 years, 00:43 Child Impact has invested in the futures of people 00:46 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 00:48 Driven by the dedication to helping those 00:51 who have the least, Child Impact is an organization 00:54 focused on the welfare of children, 00:56 implementing diverse development projects 00:59 and sponsoring thousands of children. 01:01 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 01:04 to providing an education for orphans, 01:06 deaf, and the blind children, 01:08 giving them a sense of place, a home. 01:11 But above all, Child Impact 01:13 is an organization giving hope, 01:15 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 01:18 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 01:21 This is Hope In Motion. 01:25 Hi, my name is Jaime Jorge, 01:28 and I am excited to be an Honorary Ambassador 01:30 for Child Impact International. 01:33 I've had the privilege of visiting 01:35 India and Myanmar with Child Impact, 01:38 and I am here to share with you 01:40 some very exciting stories 01:42 as well as some important information. 01:45 Now I have with me Jim, 01:47 the CEO of what used to be Asian Aid. 01:50 Jim, how long have you been with this organization and why? 01:54 the change to Child Impact International? 01:58 Well, Jaime, I've been in the role of CEO 02:01 for just over 10 years now 02:03 and this was a big decision for us. 02:07 But the key reasons 02:09 why is a lot of people don't realize 02:12 that India and Bangladesh are Asia. 02:15 Yes. 02:16 There's a lot of confusion as to what Asia is 02:18 and a lot of the Asian countries, 02:20 oriental countries, we don't operate in. 02:25 Secondly, we want to show 02:27 a difference between Asian Aid Australia 02:30 and Child Impact because we are 02:33 two totally separate organizations. 02:37 We also believe 02:39 that we should grow outside Asia. 02:42 So the name change gives us the ability 02:45 that when we're ready to grow into other countries. 02:49 But most important, the name reflects what we do. 02:52 Yes. 02:53 The name reflects that we're impacting 02:55 on the lives of children. 02:57 So we think it's far more relevant 02:59 and will support our growth strategy. 03:02 Now I've had the privilege of knowing you 03:04 and working with you now for a number of years, 03:07 and I have seen 03:09 how much this organization has grown in that time. 03:13 Can you tell me where you're from originally, 03:15 you have kind of a different accent, 03:17 and what you used to do before coming to now 03:19 Child Impact International? 03:21 Well, I'm a New Zealander, 03:23 and I married an American lady from Tennessee, 03:27 and originally she was to move to New Zealand which she did, 03:32 but just somehow we ended up back in Tennessee. 03:35 But prior to that for 30 years, I owned the largest 03:39 promotional marketing company in New Zealand. 03:43 So I had a wee bit to do with promoting organizations 03:47 and companies and also marketing. 03:50 So that was my background. 03:51 And then when I came to the States, 03:54 I got asked to be put on the board 03:56 of what was then Asian Aid. 03:59 And so I took a six-month contract 04:01 to restructure Asian Aid at the time. 04:04 Well, I'm 10 years into that six-month contract. 04:08 Well, and it's made a huge difference 04:10 for this organization. 04:11 Can you tell me what some of your future plans are? 04:16 Well, I think the key plan 04:17 is to grow our sponsorship program. 04:20 As you know, we sponsor children 04:23 in a number of countries, very large in India, 04:27 Bangladesh, and now Myanmar, and Myanmar is the old Burma, 04:32 we're also in Nepal and Sri Lanka. 04:34 And that sponsorship program takes a child based on need 04:38 and puts them in an Adventist mission school. 04:41 And I have to be honest with you, 04:43 the need is overwhelming. 04:45 Yes. 04:46 The church is continually coming to us and saying, 04:48 "Can you help us with more children?" 04:51 And so the growth of that sponsorship program 04:55 is key for us moving forward. 04:57 Yes. 04:58 Because it not only impacts on the life of the child, 05:02 it impacts on their family but it's also key funding 05:06 for these Adventist mission schools. 05:09 So sponsoring a child has a big impact 05:12 on the number of aspects of the child, 05:15 its family, and the school. 05:18 And to be honest, the need is overwhelming. 05:20 Yes. 05:22 We also support four orphanages, 05:25 school for the blind, 05:26 and a school for the deaf in India. 05:29 And the other important area 05:31 that we're starting to get involved in is a program 05:34 that we have called Operation Child Rescue, 05:39 trafficking of girls, the use of boys in beggary 05:43 and slave labor. 05:44 Yes. 05:46 To be honest, in Indian it's so huge, 05:48 it's just overpowering. 05:50 But we are so excited 05:52 that we can be one of the ministries 05:54 involved in this program. 05:56 So we want to build that program also. 05:59 Yes. 06:00 Well, I've been with you to Myanmar 06:02 where I saw that children 06:04 attend the schools there, 06:06 and then they come back home, and share the gospel 06:09 with their families, and their families 06:11 are being baptized, and this is in a country 06:12 where you can't do public evangelism. 06:15 So this is truly a number of different 06:17 outreach opportunities to get people 06:20 to learn about Jesus Christ. 06:22 Now what does this mean, this change, this growth, 06:26 this vision for the current donors 06:29 of Child Impact International 06:31 and the prospective new ones 06:32 that may be thinking about coming on board? 06:35 Well, to begin with, 06:36 for the existing donors nothing really changes. 06:40 We're still located in Ottawa 06:44 in Tennessee near Chattanooga. 06:47 We still retain the same staff. 06:49 We retain the same policies, the same board, 06:53 but we want to do things better. 06:55 We want to represent the children better, 06:58 we want to increase the communication 07:00 between the child and the projects 07:02 we do with the donor. 07:04 So the use of mobile phone technology, 07:07 the use of Facebook, 07:09 and we want to share the stories 07:12 with those people that are supporting us. 07:14 So we want to step up how we support the children 07:19 but also deliver value to the donors. 07:22 Asian Aid is now Child Impact International 07:26 and what is going to happen is simply fantastic. 07:30 More young people are going to come to know Jesus Christ, 07:33 they're going to have hope and a future, 07:35 and you have the opportunity to be a part of it. 07:38 Would you join us? 07:40 Imagine with me for a moment 07:42 that you're a small child living on the streets of India, 07:45 the sandals on your feet lost their comfort weeks ago, 07:49 your favorite shirt just got another hole. 07:52 It's sad, mommy died last year 07:54 but what makes you feel even worse 07:57 is that your dad chose not to be your dad anymore. 08:00 Hey, I'm Shawn Boonstra, 08:02 Honorary Ambassador for Child Impact International, 08:05 an organization that is a supportive ministry 08:08 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 08:10 You know, previously called Asian Aid, 08:12 they're making an exciting change 08:14 to Child Impact International in order to grow. 08:18 Something like 15 to 25 million little girls and boys in India 08:22 share similar stories to the one I just told you. 08:25 Many are orphaned at a young age 08:27 with little food to eat and no hope. 08:30 Child Impact serves to bridge the gap 08:32 between hardship and education. 08:36 It's a unique ministry that serves children in poverty 08:39 in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 08:44 Over three and a half thousand children 08:47 are provided an Adventist education 08:49 and lives are changed 08:50 through the numerous development projects. 08:53 Working in these countries, 08:55 Child Impact has come face to face 08:57 with issues like child slavery, poor or no education, 09:01 child trafficking, abandoned babies, 09:05 lack of clean water, and a high number of orphans. 09:08 This list is not short on challenges, 09:11 yet the needs are being met. 09:14 You know, my family sponsors Sheila, 09:15 a young lady 09:17 at the Sunrise Orphanage in India. 09:19 For the past couple of years, I'm proud of how my family 09:22 has been able to impact her life for the better. 09:26 Word has it, she just started college. 09:29 What I've come to understand 09:31 is that the children Child Impact supports 09:35 are more than just names, or faces on a screen, 09:37 or a flyer, they're people with a story, 09:42 a story whose ending has not been written, 09:45 instead another chapter is being composed. 09:49 It reminds me of something that Jesus once said, 09:51 "Whatever you do for the least 09:53 of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you do for Me." 09:58 Join me and others like me throughout the world 10:01 who are sponsoring a child monthly 10:03 to provide like Jesus did, 10:05 to support like Jesus did, to love like Jesus did. 10:10 You too can make a lifelong impact 10:13 on the life of someone who is waiting for you 10:15 to say yes. 10:16 Yes, today you will consider sponsorship right now 10:20 with Child Impact or one of our other projects. 10:23 Yes, to give hope 10:25 to a precious child today. 10:30 Our television series Hope In Motion 10:32 has been a big success and we want to continue 10:36 to share with you some of the field stories 10:39 that we have filmed over the years. 10:41 So just from time to time, it may refer to Asian Aid 10:45 as we reflect on these great stories, 10:48 as we share them with you. 10:58 The beautiful landscapes, its people, 11:01 the colors and customs, that's India in a nutshell. 11:14 Child Impact International 11:16 has been working in this vast land 11:18 since its very beginning, 11:19 which is over 50 years ago now. 11:22 Primarily focused on child sponsorship, 11:24 Child Impact also has been instrumental in building 11:27 many children's homes and schools 11:29 to complement its sponsorship program. 11:32 The Immanuel English School in Jeypore 11:34 in the state of Orissa is one such school 11:37 that has undergone a transformation. 11:39 We just feel surprised how the things have changed. 11:45 Everything was just like the hill that you see behind, 11:51 full of bushes and unwanted plants. 11:54 So nobody from town ever thought that 11:58 there can be something here, but God has blessed this place 12:02 and we can see a great change. 12:07 Starting with around 50 children and few staff, 12:10 all under just one building, 12:12 the school has now developed into an expansive campus. 12:16 The larger facility made it possible 12:18 to bring in more children from the tribal communities 12:21 as well as nearby villages. 12:23 As the news of the new facility spread, 12:25 many more children from Adventist 12:27 and non-Adventist families 12:29 desire to be educated at the new school. 12:35 Many in rural India 12:37 struggle to earn two dollars a day, 12:39 their only way of earning a living 12:41 is grazing their livestock or working in the fields. 12:44 Here poverty passes on from generation to generation 12:48 and education is not an option. 12:51 I mean some parts of India really seem to be growing 12:53 and really, you know, 12:55 India seems to be really coming up as they say. 12:57 But when you go to the villages and the slums, 13:00 they have not improved in all the years that, 13:03 you know, that I've been coming to India 13:04 which is now more than 30 years. 13:07 You know, when you go to the villages 13:08 and you see, enter some of the slums 13:10 and you see how bad, you know, 13:12 the conditions are that the people 13:14 and the children are living under 13:15 because there's often 13:17 it's not that they don't want to work 13:18 but there's just not enough work available. 13:22 Although a majority of them 13:23 cannot afford to send their children to school, 13:26 they do view education as a catalyst for change. 13:29 Sixty to seventy percent 13:31 we are dependent on the sponsorship 13:36 because majority of this children are poor 13:39 and they don't have any support. 13:44 Without the support of any sponsorship, 13:47 those children would not be here. 13:50 Today, about 2600 children in India 13:53 are sponsored by Child Impact 13:55 and because of their commitment to the welfare of children, 13:58 especially children from tribal communities 14:01 and villages. 14:02 These children are reaping 14:03 the benefits of an Adventist education. 14:06 Devoki Moharia, a science teacher 14:09 at the Emmanuel English School was a former student here. 14:13 I finished my BSc degree in college 14:16 and I'm very much interested in science 14:19 because I was good at science. 14:21 In this school I teach mostly 8th, 9th, 10th. 14:25 I teach them chemistry and biology. 14:29 Devoki was one among the first batch of children 14:32 to be brought to the school from neighboring villages 14:34 when Helen Eager and some of the staff 14:36 from the school visited these villages. 14:39 I sent messages to the church pastors 14:43 if there are any children from poverty level 14:47 and wherever there are no schools. 14:50 So many names came from different churches. 14:55 Then first I went to some orphan children, 14:59 then I came to know that there are two girls, 15:03 very small girls nearby Kotpat town. 15:06 So I went there and I met 15:09 with her father of Devoki. 15:13 Then her father was not willing to send the girl here 15:18 because there was no boundary around 15:21 and there was only one building built by Asian Aid. 15:25 Then when I went 15:26 she was the smallest among the two. 15:30 Then she started crying not to take photo. 15:33 I carried her, I gave her a chocolate. 15:37 Then I make her to stand, 15:39 then I took a photograph for Mummy Eager, 15:42 and that's how I found her. 15:45 I was very happy thinking 15:46 that I'm going to go to a school, 15:48 a hostel, English medium. 15:50 No one knows in my school what it means, 15:52 they don't know how to talk in English and all. 15:54 So I was very happy that I will be the person 15:56 to learn English and all. 15:58 So when I came here, 15:59 first two, three days, I was nervous, means, 16:01 I used to remember parents, all this thing. 16:03 And only one single building was there and no boundary. 16:07 It was like jungle. 16:08 And jungle means I really get very, very scared of that. 16:12 And no boundary, no, nothing, only one building was there. 16:15 Boys, girls, staff, everyone in same building. 16:18 Doing all the activities, eating, sleeping, studying, 16:21 everything in the same building. 16:23 From right at the beginning 16:25 when the school was just one classroom, 16:27 then with the vision of Helen Eager, 16:29 and supporters like Garwin McNeilus, 16:32 this school sprouted into an institution 16:35 that now has, I think about 700 children. 16:38 And of those 600 are sponsored. 16:40 And now we see the success stories coming through. 16:43 Devoki, who was right at the school when it started, 16:47 she did her education at the school, 16:49 then she went away to university, 16:51 and now she's come back as a science teacher. 16:54 It's just so fantastic to see the difference 16:57 that has made with her, 16:58 but also with the children that are here. 17:02 If it weren't for the timely intervention 17:04 of Child Impact International and people like Helen Eager, 17:08 Devoki Moharia's life would have seen misfortunes 17:11 of so many young girls like her in her village. 17:15 Life in rural India is simple. 17:17 People live in close quarters and as one unit. 17:24 During the day, they either go to the fields 17:27 or graze what little livestock they have. 17:30 And there is a clear order of social precedence 17:32 based on gender 17:34 and women have little or no say in its structure, 17:36 often leading to unjust practices and misery. 17:40 In villages parents are uneducated 17:42 and they don't send their children 17:46 when they are small to the school. 17:48 So that is the reason I never went to school. 17:51 In villages that is a rule that when a girl is grown up, 17:55 she should be given in marriage to someone. 17:59 So in my case also it would have been like that 18:01 if I had not have been come to the school and study. 18:03 By this time I would have got married, 18:05 having children and all those things. 18:09 Child marriage is a common practice in South Asia 18:12 and it is more prevalent in India. 18:14 According to United Nations Children's Agency, UNICEF, 18:18 18% of the girls are married by the age of 15. 18:23 Although Indian law has made child marriage illegal 18:26 and the practice is in decline in recent years, 18:28 customs and traditions dictate life in rural India. 18:31 It is like so in Devoki's village, Basuli. 18:36 At present I don't have any of my friends to my age. 18:39 Only I am the girl in my village. 18:41 All are younger to me. All have got married. 18:45 By now she would have got married... 18:47 If she would not have studied here, 18:49 by now she would have got married. 18:51 So by now she would have been lost that way. 18:54 But now she is in God's hand. 18:57 She is doing wonderful. 19:00 Although Devoki grew up in a boarding school at Jeypore 19:03 and went to college in bigger cities, 19:05 she has not forgotten her roots 19:07 and is always happy to visit her family and her village. 19:12 Yeah, I feel really happy 19:13 because I'm born and brought up in this village. 19:16 And even though I stay in town or something now 19:19 but I still have love for my village, 19:21 for my family members. 19:23 I feel very happy when I come back 19:24 to my home and see them. 19:30 Devoki is the only girl to have successfully 19:32 received a college education 19:34 from her village, and in a community 19:36 where women have little or no say, 19:38 she is treated with utmost respect. 19:43 We feel very proud. 19:44 Whenever someone comes to visit us, 19:46 we always tell them about our daughter. 19:48 When she comes here, we are very happy and proud. 19:51 The realization that there are 19:53 many more children out there 19:54 who yearn for a good education can be discouraging. 19:57 But it is reassuring to know that with sponsorship 20:00 we can go about making a difference one day at a time. 20:04 When we are at home 20:06 sometimes we are not getting three meals to eat. 20:09 No good place to sleep. 20:11 So when schools are that like this school, 20:14 they're providing meals, education, everything. 20:16 Sponsors... 20:17 they are struggling hard to educate some other's lives. 20:21 That is something very great to understand. 20:23 Since sponsorship was there I studied. 20:28 So I'm so much grateful to my sponsor. 20:31 And to me it's really wonderful just to see the changes, 20:34 you know, when you see a child come looking dirty, 20:38 and unhappy, and know that nobody cares about them, 20:42 and then after a very short time 20:44 to see the transformation, 20:45 and then after a few years to see them really doing well, 20:50 I think that's what makes it worthwhile. 20:52 Devoki although having better offers 20:54 to teach outside in bigger cities 20:56 has come back to teach in the place 20:58 that gave her a new chance in life. 21:00 Actually, my education, 21:03 my foundation started from here. 21:05 So I thought first let me serve to my place, 21:09 the place where I belong to, where I have got my foundation. 21:12 Whatever talent I have let me show to those people 21:15 so that those students also will learn about that. 21:18 I feel proud because whatever I did for her, 21:23 I have got the fruit. 21:38 Today Child Impact International 21:40 continues to fulfill its commitment 21:42 to the welfare of children who are in need 21:44 and to provide them with an education 21:46 through sponsorship, giving them hope 21:48 and a chance for a better life. 21:52 So they're building lives. 21:55 Students and children they are in darkness. 21:58 They are receiving the light in their lives. 22:01 If they are at home the lights are been off or gone away 22:05 but once they come here 22:06 their light of their lives is being on. 22:10 I think that... 22:11 I feel since I was in this school, 22:14 I'm blessed to be in this position today. 22:21 I've been in this position over eight years now 22:24 and the privilege that I have in my role 22:26 is being able to visit the children that you, 22:30 the donors, support. 22:31 And as I meet them, I see the difference 22:34 that you make in their lives, 22:36 the difference you make in 22:37 where they live in their village, 22:39 the difference you make with their education. 22:41 And then finally when they get a job... 22:44 Just the other day in India, we met a bank manager. 22:47 He was brought up as a sponsored child 22:50 from a very poor village 22:52 and now he has a successful job, 22:54 he has a family, 22:56 and he is impacting the lives of others. 22:58 And, in fact, the amazing thing is 23:01 he is now sponsoring two children 23:03 in one of our programs. 23:06 This is an important time of year, 23:08 it's a time of year where we share 23:09 and where we give gifts to our loved ones and friends 23:13 but it's also an important time of year 23:15 for us here at Child Impact. 23:18 And this year for our annual appeal, 23:20 we have four projects that will make a real impact 23:24 with the people that they serve. 23:27 Our first project 23:28 is the Where Needed Most! 23:29 Fund. 23:31 This is a critical fund for Child Impact 23:34 as it not only helps with the operating 23:36 that we do in six countries but it also allows us 23:40 to have a pool of money for emergencies 23:43 which consistently come along. 23:45 Some are small just like medical needs, 23:48 but others are major 23:49 when there's a disaster or a flood. 23:51 We just ask that you consider the Where Needed Most! 23:54 Fund as one of the ones 23:56 that you can support this Christmas. 23:59 Our next project is Operation Child Rescue. 24:02 Operation Child Rescue is a very dramatic project 24:06 that we are involved in Bangalore, India. 24:10 We are partner with a lady 24:12 who has a team that rescues girl 24:15 from brothels and the sex industry. 24:17 It is simply hard to comprehend how many girls 24:21 and children are taken to the sex industry. 24:24 In India, it's thousands every year. 24:27 The same team helps rescue boys from factories 24:31 where they are poorly paid or hardly paid anything. 24:35 And the other aspect of Operation Child Rescue 24:38 is looking after and rescuing babies 24:41 who have been dropped off 24:42 on the side of the road or abandoned. 24:45 Operation Child Rescue is not only saving lives, 24:49 it's giving those children hope. 24:51 Operation Child Rescue is a key project 24:55 for Child Impact International. 24:58 The next project is the Unsponsored Child Fund. 25:01 At any time Child Impact has over 3,500 children 25:06 and we normally have about 500 unsponsored children. 25:10 These are children we have had to take 25:12 because of an urgent need. 25:14 We also need a pool of children available for sponsorship. 25:18 And yes, once a donor can't support 25:21 a child for some reason, 25:23 they go into that pool of children. 25:26 Once the child is in our program, 25:28 we support them whether they have 25:30 a sponsorship or not. 25:32 Supporting the Unsponsored Child Fund 25:35 is a unique way of being involved in sponsorship 25:39 if you don't want the monthly commitment. 25:41 The Unsponsored Child Fund 25:43 is critical to our sponsorship program. 25:47 Child Impact is very excited 25:49 that we can partner with the church in India, 25:52 with a blind school, a deaf school, 25:55 and four orphanages. 25:57 These special homes and schools 26:00 are just so exciting to visit. 26:03 I had one of the most emotional moments of my whole work career 26:07 when one day I visited the blind school 26:10 and a young girl was just arrived 26:12 at the school that morning, 26:14 they had found her in a village, 26:16 and she had been locked in the basement of the house 26:18 for over six years. 26:20 She just sat in the corner, she wouldn't talk to anyone, 26:24 she wouldn't communicate, and she was just totally lost. 26:28 And I thought is there any hope for this child, 26:31 totally blind by the way. 26:33 Well, I went back eight weeks later 26:36 and here she was, I couldn't believe it, 26:39 she was talking to the other children, 26:41 she was playing. 26:43 And then in the evening, it was just so touching 26:45 to see her singing Jesus Loves Me. 26:48 It really was just very emotional. 26:52 And so these children in a country like India 26:56 have a larger need than here 26:58 because when they're home in their village, 27:00 they are rejected, 27:01 their parents don't know what to do. 27:03 So supporting the blind school, the deaf school, 27:07 or the orphanages is a very real way 27:10 in which you can impact the life of children 27:13 who have a huge need. 27:15 We're very grateful at Child Impact 27:17 for the support that you, the donors, give. 27:20 But December is a critical month for us 27:23 and a month where you can give to one of these four funds 27:27 or any of our projects and have a real impact. 27:30 I just ask that you give consideration 27:33 to supporting our year end program 27:36 for one of these four projects. 27:38 You can contact us on our phone by talking to our staff 27:43 and we've put the number on the screen. 27:45 Or you can go online to Childimpact.org. 27:49 That's Childimpact.org 27:52 to see how you can get further information 27:55 or support us at Child Impact international. 27:58 I want to thank you for your support. |
Revised 2018-08-09