Fight Injustice with Compassion

Seeking Justice in India has surpassed all my wildest expectations. For the past two years, leading the Loose Change drive at PLMS has been one of the most cherished experiences I have had in education. Still, the people we helped rescue were known only through words, pictures and others’ stories.

To meet the lawyers who battle the Indian legal systems, to sit with the investigators who enter the brothels and the brick kilns, round up the victims and lead them to freedom, to learn from the aftercare workers who hold the young girls in their arms and teach entire villages to stand up to injustice on their own…it’s more than words can describe.

The IJM staff were blessed by us as well. The director of the Bangalore office said to us, “It’s a great encouragement to us when you’re here. You could be doing a lot of other things.” True, but for these 11 days, there was no place else I would rather be.

Posted throughout the walls of each IJM headquarters is this mission statement:

The Mission of the International Justice Mission is:
To Protect People from the Violent Forces of Injustice
By Securing Rescue and Restoration for Victims
And Ensuring Public Justice Systems Work for the Poor

Every day, they work to rescue those the world has forgotten and they do so with love, mercy and compassion. They live out the words of India’s humble spiritual leader, Ghandi. “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”

My hope is that the students, the teachers, the staff and the entire Sammamish community recognize that the oppressed, through the courageous work of IJM, need our help, both in India and around the world.

“You Must Be the Change You Want to See”
Mahatma Ghandi