Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000203S
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00:02 Child Impact International is an organization
00:05 that gives hope 00:06 and fosters permanent, positive change 00:08 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:10 and their communities. 00:13 Countries include Zambia, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, 00:18 Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. 00:20 Child Impact's investment 00:22 in the lives of more than 3,500 children 00:24 continues to yield infinite returns. 00:27 Outreach spans from child rescue operations 00:30 to providing an education 00:31 and a home for deaf and blind children and orphans. 00:35 Above all, Child Impact's sponsors 00:38 give hope to the ones who need it the most. 01:09 The Immanuel English School in Jeypore, India 01:12 is a boarding school that has over 700 students. 01:15 This large school facility was built in 2006 01:18 largely to support and educate poor tribal children 01:21 from Adventist backgrounds in this region. 01:39 Eight-years-old Suraj Harijan 01:41 is a second-grade student at the school 01:43 and a Arun Panda, the school principal 01:45 took us to the village 01:46 where we met with Suraj's mother Pramila. 01:49 Her husband had died two years ago, 01:51 and soon after the family came 01:53 to live with Suraj's grandparents. 02:09 Suraj father was suffering from fits 02:12 and he was taking so many medicines 02:15 but there are no cure. 02:18 So one day he went to a nearby pond, 02:20 and he suddenly he was attacked with fits, 02:24 and he fell down there, there was less water, 02:26 but there was no one around, and he was drowned in the pond. 02:30 And that is how he expired 02:33 and after that her mother is staying with her brother 02:37 in the nearby village. 02:41 Fits is what epilepsy 02:43 is commonly referred to in India. 02:45 Suraj's father suffered a convulsion 02:47 while he was bathing in a village pond. 02:49 Although the water was only knee deep, 02:51 there was no one around to help 02:53 and he drowned leaving Suraj's mother widowed 02:56 at a young age. 02:58 The life of a widow in our Indian culture, 03:02 especially those women who are in a small village, 03:06 a traditional village, it is very, very difficult. 03:10 Life becomes almost like a curse we can say, 03:14 where the widows 03:16 they have to depend on someone for any little help, 03:20 they become helpless. 03:21 And the more children they have, 03:23 the more burden they have. 03:25 And in some families, 03:26 the in laws or their brother-in-law, 03:28 sister-in-law, they never take care of them. 03:31 And indeed, they try to put, 03:35 you know, negative allegations on the widow 03:39 and every one since there is no husband, 03:42 they feel that they can say anything 03:44 because there is no one to support them. 03:46 So their life becomes really tragedy. 03:49 So being a woman, I know how they undergo, 03:54 what sigma they undergo 03:55 in the Indian traditional village. 04:11 Although, they had a house of their own, it was unlivable. 04:14 Monsoon rains had destroyed 04:16 a portion of their tiny thatch roofed mud house 04:19 and living in it was impractical and insecure. 04:22 Unable to repair the house 04:24 and not having a safe place to live 04:26 Suraj's mother moved into her brother's house. 04:31 When husband dies, the mother is not secure, 04:37 and the main breadwinner for the family is the husband. 04:40 So after husband dies, the mother was helpless. 04:44 Suraj's uncle 04:46 who has recently joined as a staff in our school, 04:51 he told us 04:52 that his sister's condition is pathetic, 04:57 and especially the children need help. 05:00 And so he was the one who contacted us 05:05 and then we were able to get Suraj 05:09 to come to this institution, 05:10 and we are happy that he is sponsored. 05:13 And now Suraj is studying in this institution. 05:17 Suraj's uncle Manoj Dayalu 05:20 had just joined as a teaching staff 05:22 at the Immanuel School during this time, 05:24 and he requested the school administration 05:26 to help his nephew get admission at the school. 05:29 If Suraj did not come to the school to study, 05:34 he would have spent his childhood 05:37 roaming around in the village and playing. 05:40 After few years, he would've helped his mother, 05:45 he would have done some work, 05:47 and he would have spent his remaining life 05:51 as a daily laborer. 05:55 Suraj is small now, 05:57 but I could see how he is very active 06:01 and clever child, studious child 06:02 is doing very good in his studies. 06:04 And in near future, 06:06 I know he will stand on his feet, 06:08 and he's going to take care of his mother 06:10 and the little sister that he has. 06:12 And the mother also need not to depend on his brother 06:15 or other relatives and this boy is, 06:17 I'm sure he's going to take care of his mother 06:19 and his little sister when he grows up. 06:24 Suraj is fortunate to have received sponsorship 06:27 through Child Impact. 06:28 Sponsorship for boys like Suraj 06:30 is like lighting a candle in the darkness. 06:32 And his sponsor has lit this candle 06:34 not only for him 06:35 but for his widowed mother as well. 06:38 When we talk about children and helping children 06:40 and impacting on children, 06:42 you know, Child Impact is only the conduit. 06:46 We help you, the sponsor, connect with the child, 06:51 and the two of you are the people 06:53 that transform this world. 06:55 So we are here to serve you as sponsors 06:58 to do the best for you. 07:00 Ensure that the policies and the guidelines 07:02 and the procedures are in place. 07:04 So what you give out of your generosity 07:07 is used to the best effect. 07:10 They impact the child 07:11 in the most profound way possible 07:14 and create the best opportunities. 07:16 So to our sponsors, you are on one side, 07:19 the key player in this whole picture, 07:21 and the child is the other. 07:22 We are just the canvas. 07:24 You guys paint the picture. 07:26 So thank you for your sponsorship. 07:28 It is making a brighter picture for all these children. 08:00 She says, "In these villages 08:03 and everywhere widows life is very difficult. 08:06 And I was struggling 08:08 but someone whom I don't know 08:11 came forward to help my son Suraj 08:14 to get an education in good school. 08:18 So like me there are so many in surrounding villages 08:22 and everywhere and they too are struggling. 08:25 I wish more people will come forward 08:28 and give such help 08:32 as they have given to my son. 08:35 And I would like to thank all of them." 08:36 That is what she said. 08:44 The growing realization of the need 08:46 to support many such single parents 08:48 and their children can be overwhelming, 08:50 but it is reassuring to know that with sponsorship, 08:53 we can go about making a difference one day at a time. 08:58 Today, Child Impact continues to fulfill its commitment 09:02 to the welfare of children who are in need, 09:04 providing them education through sponsorship, 09:07 giving them hope, and a chance for a better life. 09:22 Imagine with me for a moment 09:25 that you were a small child living on the streets of India. 09:28 The sandals on your feet lost their comfort weeks ago, 09:31 your favorite shirt just got another hole. 09:34 It's sad, mummy died last year 09:36 but what makes you feel even worse 09:39 is that your dad chose not to be your dad anymore. 09:43 Hey, I'm Shawn Boonstra, 09:44 honorary ambassador for Child Impact International, 09:47 an organization that is a supportive ministry 09:50 of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 09:52 Something like 15 to 25 million little girls and boys in India 09:56 share similar stories to the one I just told you. 10:00 Many are orphaned at a young age 10:01 with little food to eat and no hope. 10:04 Child Impact serves to bridge the gap 10:06 between hardship and education. 10:10 It's a unique ministry that serves children in poverty 10:13 in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 10:18 Over 3,500 children 10:21 are provided an Adventist education 10:23 and lives are changed 10:24 through the numerous development projects. 10:27 Working in these countries, 10:29 Child Impact has come face to face 10:31 with issues like child slavery, poor, 10:34 or no education, child trafficking, 10:37 abandoned babies, lack of clean water, 10:41 and a high number of orphans. 10:43 This list is not short on challenges, 10:46 yet the needs are being met. 10:48 You know, my family sponsors Sheila, 10:50 a young lady at the Sunrise Orphanage in India. 10:53 For the past couple of years. 10:55 I'm proud of how my family has been able 10:57 to impact her life for the better. 11:00 Word has it, she just started college. 11:04 What I've come to understand 11:05 is that the children Child Impact supports 11:09 are more than just names or faces 11:11 on a screen or a flyer. 11:13 They're people with a story, 11:16 a story whose ending has not been written. 11:19 Instead, another chapter is being composed. 11:23 It reminds me of something that Jesus once said, 11:25 "Whatever you do for the least 11:27 of these brothers and sisters of Mine, 11:29 you do for Me." 11:32 Join me and others like me throughout the world, 11:35 who are sponsoring a child monthly 11:37 to provide like Jesus did, to support like Jesus did, 11:42 to love like Jesus did. 11:44 You too can make a lifelong impact 11:47 on the life of someone 11:48 who is waiting for you to say yes. 11:50 Yes, today, you will consider sponsorship 11:53 right now with Child Impact, or one of our other projects. 11:57 Yes, to give hope to a precious child today. 12:12 Sponsoring children in activities 12:16 like these mission schools 12:18 and opportunities is a tremendous way 12:22 to help form the character of young people 12:25 as they look to the future. 12:27 They will never forget their association 12:30 in a Christian environment. 12:32 And by God's grace, 12:33 many of them will become 12:35 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 12:38 It is absolutely a powerful witness 12:41 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 12:45 and so many other organizations 12:48 that help young people to find Jesus. 12:52 Sponsoring a child not only has short-term effects, 12:57 but it has a long-term effect. 13:00 Sponsoring a child is investing 13:02 in the character of a young person for eternity, 13:06 that we're taping this right here in Myanmar 13:09 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, 13:13 and about one-third of the students 13:15 or one-quarter of the students 13:17 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 13:20 People who become workers in God's church, 13:24 people who make an impact in the community 13:27 have been people who have been sponsored. 13:30 Your sponsorship is absolutely an investment 13:34 in the future of the church. |
Revised 2020-08-14