Hero Spotlight

This page is devoted to highlighting various cool people in IV who are putting their faith into action through social justice issues.

Roya Zahed with International Justice Mission
From January, I am taking on the position of Communications Intern with the International Justice Mission (IJM) in Cambodia.

For nine months, I get to intern for this human rights agency whose mission is to: secure 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.

The Cambodia office focuses on cases related to sexual violence and forced prostitution. It has never had a Communications intern, so I’m the nervous newbie. My tasks will include organizing media inquiries, conducting interviews, writing stories and producing brochures. This opportunity to be an international reporter or sorts is exactly what I have dreamed of. CNN, BBC, the UN… maybe in the future. But for right now, IJM is the right fit.

My life has been in preparation for an opportunity such as this. I’ve always prayed for God to continually shape my heart like His so that I can see the world like He does. I feel like His pulse drove me to apply to IJM on a whim, His pulse grew my heart for the cause and His knowledge of who I am and my dreams has prepared a way for me to go.

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To support her financially, the easiest and fastest way is to go online to http://www.ijm.org/getinvolved/internshipsupport.  From there, simply click on the link on the right hand side of the page for “Support an International Fellowship or Internship.” Select ‘Roya Zahed’ from the drop-down menu when you enter your donation information. If you do not see her name in the designation menu, you can type in her name in the “Comments” box.

Rachel Ogimachi on Pipeline and GEAR Up

I’ve struggled with “social justice.” There’s so much injustice in the world and I’ve spent a lot of time feeling overwhelmed, helpless, resentful and guilty. But over the past year, I realized that “fighting injustice” doesn’t have to look like saving the world with lofty ideals and heroic sacrifices; maybe it’s just about putting myself in positions to fall in love with God’s people.Over the past few years, I’ve fallen in love with working with middle school students. Last year, I took a Pipeline Seminar on Refugee communities and tutored in a 7th-8th grade ELL (English Language Learners) class at McClure Middle School. Learning about refugee issues in the classroom made me feel overwhelmed, but getting to know the refugee kids in that class helped me turn that burden into genuine care. Growing to care about those kids inspired me to invest in kids from under-served areas out of a place of love rather than guilt.

Over the summer, I worked as a group leader at UW GEAR UP’s summer camps. 9th and 10th grade students from primarily low-income areas all over the state came to these camps to experience a taste of college and to learn more about how to get there. GEAR UP was really great because I became passionate about a bunch of kids who might’ve otherwise remained a statistic to me. Getting to know and care about different kinds of people has helped me see people that God is passionate about in the statistics of injustice and respond accordingly.

I would definitely encourage you to take the initiative to put yourself in positions to fall in love with God’s people. I think God has entrusted each of us with different parts of his heart and part of our job is to pro-actively represent God’s love to those people he has given us a special passion for. And the great thing is, it’s up to God to provide the power for real change. We don’t have to be powerful, just obedient. If you’re interested in tutoring, check out Pipeline’s website at http://www.washington.edu/uwired/pipeline/. And GEAR UP will be looking for new group leaders soon!
(http://depts.washington.edu/gearup/overview/index.html)

Sean Yeung on Acting on AIDS

How did I get involved with Acting on AIDS? I’m not really sure. It found me. I ran into it via my roommate Scott, who was one of two students at some sort of initial AoA meeting organized by someone (I still don’t know who). I went to the 2nd meeting with him, and after seeing the need and having the motivation to destroy apathy, stayed on board.  I am not here because I am passionate about AIDS or the medical field or anything like that, but more because there is an obvious need.

AIDS is an enormous global issue. And it’s not just the disease itself that kills. The stigma and culture surrounding it, the economic backlash, the generations devastated, an existing lack of infrastructure, no clean water… entire countries overrun by this one thing. You’ve heard this. But no one seems to take it seriously. And not enough people care.  And don’t sit back and give me crap about governments being corrupt, or tribalism as the root cause, or that the victims themselves are to blame. It’s a complex issue, but really, it comes down to people. One on one. They need help, and we’re idly watching them die, instead focusing on our careers or existing lives?

Jesus cared and cares, so you should too.
Sean

First know. Actions will follow.
actingonaids.org
tusubira.org
kiva.org
emiusa.org
lifewater.org