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IMAGINE a youngster caught in the crossfire of civil
war in Liberia, and orphaned by that tragedy. Picture a nine year old girl
in Nepal chipping rocks all day in a gravel pit, to provide for her little
brother and herself.
Now picture what could happen if these children had a
chance to dream. What would they hope for? What kind of lives would they
imagine?
This is the premise of An
Orphan’s Dream, which will premiere in
Kelowna at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Mary Irwin Theatre, March 8 at 7
pm.
The documentary was produced in Kelowna, profiling the
lives of two orphans whose lives were changed dramatically by the
intervention of ordinary people.
Durga was rescued from a rock quarry by
volunteers from a Canadian non-governmental organization, Hope For The
Nations (HFTN). She was given the first chance in her life to attend
school. Today, she’s 20 years old and doing well.
“Now she has a future with a lot of hope and
dreams,” said Samantha Walker, a Vancouver-based photographer who
captured the story of Durga in Nepal.
The other story is set in Africa. Phillip, after losing
his parents in war, went through heart-rending experiences – but
eventually connected with HFTN. He became the top student at the University
of Johannesburg.
Kelowna-based singer and songwriter Andrew Smith
travelled to Africa to meet Phillip. “I didn’t know what I was
getting into,” admitted Smith, but he agreed to try to tell
Phillip’s story on a different level, through song.
The film records a poignant scene where Phillip tries
to describe finding his slain family; but words fail him, and he says
simply that the sights will stay with him forever. He summarized the years
of fending for himself by saying: “You can’t see beyond this
cloud of poverty.”
Smith will perform a mini-concert during the evening,
and DVDs of the movie and Smith’s music will be available.
HFTN was started by Okanagan businessmen in 1994, to
focus on children at risk around the world. Today it works in 18 nations,
in partnerships with other groups. It achieved special consultative status
with the United Nations in 2002.
Establishing children’s homes for orphans and
giving them a taste of home life has proven to be the foundation for
success, said Nick Arkle, a Kelowna businessman who was one of the
founders.
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Education and work training for the children helps them
achieve independence. “More than a rescue operation, HFTN works in
partnership to see ‘the least of these’ become tomorrow’s
leaders,” said Arkle.
Ralph Bromley, president of HFTN, noted the
group’s single passion is to change the world of the child at risk.
“This passion is fueled by the firm conviction that this is, indeed,
the heartbeat of the God we love and serve,” he said, adding:
“How can we not intervene when children are the world’s most
unprotected species? How can we look the other way?”
The film is being aired in conjunction with Global
Citizen Kelowna, a grassroots effort that hosts a week of workshops,
competitions and cultural events, to focus on ordinary people making an
extraordinary difference.
This year’s events, scheduled March 6 – 13,
focus on issues identified by the United Nations: extreme poverty;
universal primary education; gender equality; maternal and under-five child
mortality rates; the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria; and
environmental sustainability.
Contact: globalcitizenkelowna.org.
– Dorothy Brotherton
March 2009
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