Monday was a good day. There’d been a whole weekend of disappointing football, but that was ok because of friends and tailgates and Mic Check. And then on Monday, IJM called.
Y’all. I have a job. It is in Manila in the Philippines, and I leave somewhat soonish.
I could not be more excited. Manila is huge and layered and everything I want in a new city, and I cannot wait to get to know the place.
I’ll be doing all the same communications work that I would have been in that other place too, which mainly consists of “storytelling.” I get to spend a lot of time interviewing survivors and making sure their stories are told. Oh, and isn’t it fun that I get to talk about the specific city and all that this round?
The work in Manila is more focused on sex trafficking of underage girls and sexual violence than forced labor, so it’s got an extra level of gut-wrenching to it. But things are actually happening there, changing there. I can’t wait to join the fight. According to IJM’s website: “We have secured the conviction of more than 100 traffickers, rapists and other criminals in the Philippines, in trials that have lasted as long as nine years.”
I’ll miss this of course. I’ve enjoyed being home and getting to spend so much time with my family, but I am so ready to go. There’s a lot more information on what International Justice Mission does in the Philippines below (not graphic, but also maybe not for sharing with my little cousins *cough* Aunt Christi).
Hey Y'all. 