As most of you know, soon after I graduated from Baylor University I moved to Bangkok, Thailand to serve as an English teacher. During my time in Bangkok and in my travels through South East Asia, the issue of justice continued to press my heart. Poverty, oppression, prostitution and forced labor are just a few of the abuses I witnessed during my time in the region. At times my heart felt overwhelmed, knowing that all I had to offer the victims were my prayers. These experiences confirmed my passion to seek justice in more practical means. This September I will begin a ten-month internship in La Paz, Bolivia with International Justice Mission (http://www.ijm.org/).
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. Since 2000 IJM has been working in Bolivia with cases involving the abuse of street children. Approximately 3,500 children live and work on the streets of the city of La Paz, many fleeing abuse at home. IJM has provided training courses for the Bolivian National Police, equipping them on handling street children cases. An IJM office was established in La Paz in 2005, continuing their work with local government officials to make sure justice is truly served.
As a field office intern, I will assist in office duties, translating documents and informing the local church of IJM’s work. I am eager to return to South America, having and to have a chance to use my “first language” to serve the people of Bolivia. I am certain that this opportunity will provide a greater scope of where the following years will take me.
I look forward to sharing the many experiences in Bolivia with you.
