“Already 923 million people worldwide are undernourished, and there
are more than 9 million deaths
related to hunger each year.” Stated Compassion
International, a non-profit organization that seeks to help those stuck in
poverty. Many non-profit organizations are seeking to help alleviate
poverty around the world. Providing food, shelter, and clean water are many
ways that these organizations are reaching out to help those that need help. In
doing so, they are able to help people by tangibly meeting the needs of the
community.
One such organization is Refuge
Incorporated. This group of five individuals has decided to make a change in
the world in an unusual way. Their hope is to create a face to this sad reality
of poverty for many individuals. Refuge Inc.’s main mission is to motivate
and inspire people to take action in their own communities and begin to change
the apathetic and selfish mentality of the fabric of society.
The means of motivation and
inspiration came from a 35 minute long
documentary about Cebu a village in the Philippines.
Jared Bletcher, one of the five involved, stated that it originally began when
he was approached by the president of an organization called The Rescue
Ministries. This organization does ministry work in the Philippines and wanted
to promote their ministry in the United States through film with the help of
Jared.
“After some prayer, it
became clear to me that going was the right decision. The work their ministry
is doing in the Philippines is really great-I wanted to be able to help them
anyway that I could.” Bletcher commented. From there, he and his friend, Adam
Collins made the journey to the Philippines.
There the impact of a
lifetime begin, "Please remember me" was the cry of meaning, “wanting
simply to be known to other people- they want community and love.” Jared
stated. For a little while the two boys stayed with children that had been
rescued by the Wesley Home for Youth (WHY). However, in order to truly
understand the situation at hand meant actually living in the trash dump and in
the mountains for several days with some of the families. He went on to say, “It
was important to us that Adam and I witness and be a part of the struggle of
extreme poverty as much as possible.” Bletcher discussed
Refuge: Children of the Trash by saying, “This film was the best way I could
have fulfilled that request of remembrance. Now the whole world can know their
story.” A story of people full of poverty, struggles, and pain, but also of the
opportunity for hope and a new beginning.
Dealing with the
controversy of what has come to be known as “poverty porn”, Jared matter-of-factly
states, “We're just sharing a story of a child in Cebu with the hope that it
will mean something to you too. That's really it. The content of the film may
come off as "poverty porn" to a US audience member, but these are
very real lives we show in the movie.”
In preparation for this amazing opportunity,
Jared and Adam focused on beginning the birthing process of the organization.
Discussing things like the name and the logo started an intense, quiet sequence
of events that led up to their trip, “I wanted the
kids to be the focus of the project, not the documentary.” It was only till
Adam and Jared got back that they began discussing this project with others.
From there, Refugee Inc. grew in size and support. Jamison Price joined the
team as an editor, who, after two months, was joined by Laken Kimsey who was
the final editor. From there, Michael Oppizzi came on the team as a writer and
musician just two months before the premiere.
In between school,
jobs, and college life, the team began a regiment of working in between 3-9
hours a day. To help them relax they would have soccer balls and footballs they
could kick or throw around, even playing video games. “Working on a scene, looking at hundreds of camera angles and shots
for 8 hours straight, you begin to feel legitimately a part of the this
person's life in Cebu.” Said Jared, “I can quote our entire movie, but that
doesn't make it any less real or meaningful to me. In fact, it is more
meaningful to me every time I watch it.” In remembrance of this challenging time, Jared
muses, “It was just a very chill, creative atmosphere in the office. I think
our support our team had from everyone and the school
made all the difference in the world. I doubt the film would have ever
been finished within that support.”
What started off as a chance to
help advertise for an organization, resulted in amazing growth and impact not
only for this group, but for the generation around them. Discussing the change in his and the groups
lives, Jared agrees, that they matured and says “My motivations and aspirations
have changed as a result, and I think that's the case for almost the entire
team. Even the successes and failures with this single project have really
experienced our team in ways we never expected, be it financial management,
team organization, marketing, filmmaking, high impact community engagement
practices, or product design - we've had to learn a lot. We've loved it.”
Refugee Incorporated is all about going beyond
the social movements and presenting a personal face and real stories. Real
stories of those stuck in poverty and the hope that can be created. Hope that
can come from varies sources, from non-profits, to individuals, to raising
awareness by creating an documentary that is meant to spark thought.
For more information about how you can help support a child in need through Compassion International, go to their website at
http://www.compassion.com/.
"Let us be the ones who say we do not accept that a child dies every three seconds simply because he does not have the drugs you and I have. Let us be the ones to say we are not satisfied that your place of birth determines your right to life. Let us be outraged, let us be loud, let us be bold." -Brad Pitt
