There is something irrepressible in the human spirit that seeks joy and celebration, even in the midst of trials. By now, we’ve all seen a post on social media where a couple gets married on Zoom, or a child has a quarantine birthday complete with friends and relatives driving by, honking and waving signs. In these posts we see who we are, people who choose to celebrate, hope and live!
This week, we go to Bolivia where our team protects children from sexual violence. In spite of the seriousness of the work, each staff member has a matraca, a noise maker, perched on their desks. When the “crackcrackcrack!” rings out, everyone immediately stops their work and spins their matracas in response as they come together to rejoice in good news.
In mid 2019, the good news they were celebrating was the 150th sentence they’d won over the past the 14 years. But they were celebrating more than the milestone — it’s what the milestone means.
The 150th conviction means that there are two young girls, 11 and 13 years old, whose aggressor can’t harm them anymore.
150 convictions mean there are hundreds of children who are safe, and hundreds more who will never be harmed in the first place.
150 convictions mean that a justice system that was once not working to protect its own people is now coming alive to be a force for good within Bolivia, for generations to come.
150 convictions is an amazing milestone, but it’s just the beginning. In Bolivia, and all around the world, there are people who are not safe, there are children who are exploited and there are vulnerable individuals who need the justice system to work for them. With your help, we won’t stop. There so many more celebrations ahead.
