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Where do you get the kids from?
Because we have been operating for so long now we have many sources. Sometimes it is school teachers who refer kids to us and sometimes it can be our older kids who know of other needy kids. Sometimes pastors will refer children to us. Parents will contact us directly at times as well. But we never take kids unless they really want to come.
What are the basic qualifications of a child that you accept into the homes?
They must be poor and they should be academically pretty sound. If the child has problems at home (through no fault of their own) then we will have a stronger tendency to choose them. We should sense too that they are quality kids who will make the most of the opportunity that we are giving them. In Kathmandu our boys also must sit an academic exam.
What do you do with children who misbehave?
Firstly we assess if there are particular reasons why they may be playing up. We are very skilled at handing out extra work duties too!! If misbehaviour persists then we will call their guardians. At the end of each school term the guardians are given written notification about the child over the past term. If there is sufficient need, then we will and do send children back home.
Do you think that it is right to split kids up from their families?
Sometimes we think that it is the lesser of two evils. Many of our kids would not advance academically, socially or spiritually if they lived at home. Some of our kids come from unsafe environments. Unlike the west it is a normal part of life (especially in Buddhist cultures) for a son to leave home to get both an education and care at the Buddhist temple anyway. Hence coming to live with us in this regard is not out of the normal. We do however seek to identify young people who may be struggling living with us and will discuss this with their family.
Do you have children who do not behave well and must be sent home?
Yes. This is particularly difficult for all of us. An extreme example of this was when some of the girls played up and despite calling their parents in they continued to misbehave. So we had to send them home. We heard later that almost as soon as one of them arrived home she was “married off” as a minor wife to some businessman. Other girls have seemingly entered the sex trade as well. Sending kids home is a last resort, especially when it comes to the girls.
Does Empower Asia operate its own schools?
No. In all our countries the kids go to government schools except in Nepal where the standard of government education is so low that we send them to private schools instead.
Do the children get to see their parents and if so, how often?
The kids go home during the hot season break from around mid March to mid May. Also in October they go home for 2 or 3 weeks. Parents regularly phone kids and sometimes visit. It is not our intention to separate children from the parents. However, you do have to remove some kids who come from abusive backgrounds.
How strong is the whole Christian teaching thing at the house? And how do you feel about the fact that you are doing all of this and cutting across their own religious values?
Something that may surprise you is that the majority of our kids are not really into Buddhism anyway. Instead they want to get an MP3 player and a mobile phone; they want girlfriends and boyfriends and the latest pair of Nikes even though they are poor. Consumerism rules! Let me be clear. We do not force, embarrass or pressure kids to become Christians and we seldom ever have an “altar call.” Even if we wanted to use pressure tactics they probably would not work.
The vast majority of Bible teaching is done by our indigenous people and not by westerners or foreigners.
Yes, the Christian teaching is quite strong. The kids already have a deep background in religious thought before they come to us, so there is no need to try to convince kids about the spiritual world etc. We are not interested in criticizing Buddhism to the kids or trying to make light of Buddhist monks or anything like that.
We come more from the point of view that Buddhism is a philosophy that teaches us to do good. But Jesus helps us to be good and will forgive us when we do wrong. Whilst we do not mix Buddhism with Christianity it nevertheless should be said that Buddhism does have a lot that is good about it. We use those good aspects to lead the kids on to Jesus. Through Jesus’ forgiveness our kids no longer need to make merit, be scared of spirits and can have confidence in their future both now and into eternity.
Do you work with governments or do you quietly do your own thing?
In Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal we are registered under the various governments. In Burma we are not registered. This is because they would not register us even if we tried. We have been told, too, that we will be making trouble for ourselves if we identify ourselves with the government. Operating somewhat subversively like this is not appealing to us.
Where does your money come from to run these homes?
Our monthly budget is getting close to NZ$20,000 per month. Some of the money comes from churches but most comes from average families.
Do you have homes that have both boys and girls living together?
No! There would be way too many complications.
