Armed with only a heart full of compassion and a willingness to serve God, Maisie Fook took a leap of faith when she began Asian Aid in 1966. She could not have known how God would multiply her efforts. Today, as we look back on our 40 years, we thank God for our family of donors and sponsors who sacrifice to make Asian Aid's work possible and we give praise and honour God for the way in which He has guided Asian Aid through the years.

In the early 1960s Maisie saw an ad in a magazine inviting people to sponsor a child in a developing country. She loved the idea and wondered if it could be done through the Adventist Church. She wrote to an orphanage in Korea and joined as a sponsor of two delightful orphan children. A few years later, Maisie and Dennis had the idea of adopting the children and in 1966, with this in mind, Maisie visited Seoul in Korea.

She was so impacted by what she saw, that on her return, with help from husband Dennis and the Long and Hon families, Maisie registered Asian Aid to get the shipping concessions needed to send clothing and blankets. Soon after the team began sending clothing to Korea, they identified needs in Vietnam and children were sponsored there until it was no longer possible due to the fall of Saigon in 1975.

With a willingness to go where God called, Maisie heard of the enormous need in Bangladesh and in 1977 began working with Leon Powrie, then Director of SAWS (now ADRA). Asian Aid established a food distribution centre in the refugee camps of Bangladesh and began to consider other needs. Access to education became a focus and sponsorships began. 1979 saw the Asian Aid team step in to save Monosapara school which was destined for closure. Asian Aid Sponsors ensured its survival and today, Monosapara is one of the largest Adventist Schools in Bangladesh, helping to transform hundreds of lives each year.

In 1980, Pollywog was established to train slum women and help them generate an income through embroidery. Pollywog continues in Dhaka to this day, changing lives through training and the opportunity to earn an income with dignity.

Helen Eager worked as a volunteer with Maisie and established the Hunter Valley Branch of Asian Aid in Cooranbong in 1981. Helen eventually took up the reigns when Maisie finally retired in 1989 and was instrumental in building Asian Aid's work in India and later Pakistan. She helped establish schools for the blind, the hearing impaired, the Elim School and Home and she has played a key role in the support of Sunshine Home and School over the years.

Asian Aid began to work in Nepal in the late 1980s, establishing Zenith School and the Nepal Children's Home. Mobile health clinics and a program for poor women suffering from uterine prolapse were established more recently as part of Asian Aids work there.

In the 1990s, with the support of a very generous donor in the USA, Monosapara School in Bangladesh was rebuilt and another large academy, SAMS was also built in the North. Today, each of these campuses provide an education to over 700 boys and girls - these children have been given a gift many would never have experienced otherwise.

In 2002, after years of renting, a permanent home was built for the School for the Hearing Impaired in Kollegal, India. A new school for the Blind followed shortly after. With the generosity of ASI, major donors and a very special partnership with Maranatha Volunteers International, the new Blind School was opened November 21, 2003, Bobbilli, India. Today, 160 blind and partially sighted students receive an education there.

In 2005, a long anticipated extension was added to the school for the Hearing Impaired and work commenced on a second floor for Elim School and Home which was opened in September 2006. The same year, Asian Aid embarked on an education project in Sri Lanka and today, Asian Aid sponsors a small group of needy children in that country.

In March of 2006, the new Immanuel School in Jeypore was opened - made possible by Marantha Volunteers and a band of very dedicated donors. This school has capacity for 700 students and just 8 months after opening, already has over 600 students. What an important opportunity for these children in this remote area of Orissa, India.

How God has blessed! From very humble beginnings sponsoring just two children, to now, where the Asian Aid family around the world sponsors over 6500 children in Adventist schools and also plays important role in providing clean water for villages, basic health care, vocation training and tertiary education for nurses and teachers. We remain committed to showing God's love to those in need.

As we consider our past, the Asian Aid team is enormously grateful to each person who has contributed over the years. Some sponsor a child, some pray for our work, some volunteer their time, some sponsor projects and others partner directly with us overseas. Whatever your contribution, we say thank you! All that has been achieved has only been possible because of your willing sacrifice. We pray that Asian Aid will continue to be an organization of ordinary people doing extraordinary things together for God!

Above all, we give thanks to our awesome God for His amazing love and goodness to Asian Aid and we place our trust in Him to guide and lead our future.