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I am so excited to announce that starting September 1, I will be working with the International Justice Mission (IJM) as a field intern in one of their South Asian offices! My passion and longing to fight global injustice will be lived out during my full year abroad. For me, my motivation comes from Jesus and his love for “the least of these” and his call to serve them. I’m honored to partner with Him in this capacity on such a global scale
I could not be more thrilled!
My journey:
A few years ago, I had the profound privilege of studying abroad for a semester in beautiful Chiang Mai, Thailand—the land of good food and big bugs! Exclusion and exploitation of marginalized people groups was a main course of study encompassing sex trafficking, labor bondage and statelessness.
During my time in Thailand,
1. I learned not only the symptoms of these major issues, but also the perpetuating, systemic roots in this region of the world.
2. As an intern, I partnered with an organization that sought to provide driveable roads and healthy drinking water to villages which were overlooked by the government and other agencies due to ethnicity.
3. I worked as an ESL teacher to grade-school level students, because knowing English meant an individual was more likely to have a bright and viable future.
A year later, I traveled to Sierra Leone and participated in real-life development work. In some of the most impoverished communities existing today, we conducted a baseline development study for the purpose of providing local leadership tangible tools to develop their communities with needs such as
1. Building roads
2. Providing schools
3. Providing access to more latrines and cleaner water.
The data we collected and the report we put together continues to have lasting impact on the development of these vibrant and resilient communities.
Since receiving my degree in International Development in 2017, I have worked as a Residential Counselor in Community Mental Health. While the mental health field is not my professional dream, the experience I gained is invaluable. The same spirit of resilience and courage I encountered in both Thailand and Sierra Leone is present in the underprivileged population I serve here in Portland, OR.
Sitting in this space of growing as a human giving back to other humans, I feel at the same time “this is what I was made to do.” I felt it in the field in Sierra Leone and in the hills of Thailand I’ve pondered graciously, consistently, and obediently what my next steps in my personal, spiritual, and professional developmental experience would be.
My next steps:
The International Justice Mission is a global organization committed to addressing systemic injustice, specifically focusing on all forms of human trafficking. Humbly, I have accepted the position of Aftercare Intern in one of IJM’s South Asian offices. Research, data collection, and strategy collaboration are the main focuses of my internship. My role will help our field office teams implement best practices for our survivors. Additionally, I will be working on a team that diligently builds relationship between IJM, the local police, and other agencies which are mutually committed to ending labor trafficking.
Logistically, this means I will be living in South Asia while working there for a year. As a volunteer, my work will be unpaid with no source of income. I reach out to you, dear friend, to partner with me in this profound call to address global injustice and to be a source of love, joy, peace, and light to individuals who may have been living in life’s darkest of circumstances. I am more than happy to provide a spreadsheet of my expenses for the year if needed, but roughly $1,250 a month is needed to pay for basic living (rent, food, etc), and $5000 for initial onboarding costs.
If you would like to know more about the work that IJM does, please feel free to contact me! There’s so much to share? Visit their website ! My hope is that this letter is the beginning of a larger conversation.
The fight for global justice is daunting.
Often it feels like the world is moving three steps forward, two steps back. Community is the most powerful driving force for positive, systemic, sustainable change. I urge you to partner with me so that we, collectively, can build upon each other’s strengths and leave the world better than we found it, by impacting one person at a time.
Blessings,
Bekah
I could not be more thrilled!
My journey:
A few years ago, I had the profound privilege of studying abroad for a semester in beautiful Chiang Mai, Thailand—the land of good food and big bugs! Exclusion and exploitation of marginalized people groups was a main course of study encompassing sex trafficking, labor bondage and statelessness.
During my time in Thailand,
1. I learned not only the symptoms of these major issues, but also the perpetuating, systemic roots in this region of the world.
2. As an intern, I partnered with an organization that sought to provide driveable roads and healthy drinking water to villages which were overlooked by the government and other agencies due to ethnicity.
3. I worked as an ESL teacher to grade-school level students, because knowing English meant an individual was more likely to have a bright and viable future.
A year later, I traveled to Sierra Leone and participated in real-life development work. In some of the most impoverished communities existing today, we conducted a baseline development study for the purpose of providing local leadership tangible tools to develop their communities with needs such as
1. Building roads
2. Providing schools
3. Providing access to more latrines and cleaner water.
The data we collected and the report we put together continues to have lasting impact on the development of these vibrant and resilient communities.
Since receiving my degree in International Development in 2017, I have worked as a Residential Counselor in Community Mental Health. While the mental health field is not my professional dream, the experience I gained is invaluable. The same spirit of resilience and courage I encountered in both Thailand and Sierra Leone is present in the underprivileged population I serve here in Portland, OR.
Sitting in this space of growing as a human giving back to other humans, I feel at the same time “this is what I was made to do.” I felt it in the field in Sierra Leone and in the hills of Thailand I’ve pondered graciously, consistently, and obediently what my next steps in my personal, spiritual, and professional developmental experience would be.
My next steps:
The International Justice Mission is a global organization committed to addressing systemic injustice, specifically focusing on all forms of human trafficking. Humbly, I have accepted the position of Aftercare Intern in one of IJM’s South Asian offices. Research, data collection, and strategy collaboration are the main focuses of my internship. My role will help our field office teams implement best practices for our survivors. Additionally, I will be working on a team that diligently builds relationship between IJM, the local police, and other agencies which are mutually committed to ending labor trafficking.
Logistically, this means I will be living in South Asia while working there for a year. As a volunteer, my work will be unpaid with no source of income. I reach out to you, dear friend, to partner with me in this profound call to address global injustice and to be a source of love, joy, peace, and light to individuals who may have been living in life’s darkest of circumstances. I am more than happy to provide a spreadsheet of my expenses for the year if needed, but roughly $1,250 a month is needed to pay for basic living (rent, food, etc), and $5000 for initial onboarding costs.
If you would like to know more about the work that IJM does, please feel free to contact me! There’s so much to share? Visit their website ! My hope is that this letter is the beginning of a larger conversation.
The fight for global justice is daunting.
Often it feels like the world is moving three steps forward, two steps back. Community is the most powerful driving force for positive, systemic, sustainable change. I urge you to partner with me so that we, collectively, can build upon each other’s strengths and leave the world better than we found it, by impacting one person at a time.
Blessings,
Bekah