Where I was
As far back as I can remember, fighting injustice has been a burning passion in my life. In my early twenties, that passion sent me toward serving vulnerable populations in urban settings and ultimately into professional ministry. I was always intentional about fusing my faith with a passion for helping those in need and inspiring others to do the same. But after several years, I came to a point where I felt the need to rekindle the passions of my early adult years and dedicate my life in a full-time way to fighting injustice.
What I saw
In 2006, a friend of mine who started a non-profit focused on rescuing and providing aftercare for trafficked kids invited me to join him on a trip to SE Asia to see first-hand some of the work they were doing. That trip had a profound affect on me and became the catalyst for me to focus on fighting the injustice of child exploitation and trafficking in a relentless way.
While on that trip, I got to see how important the work of rescuing and providing aftercare for trafficked kids is, but it also made me realize the need for prevention – we had to find a way to stop this injustice from happening in the first place.
What I wanted to do
After returning from that trip, I was determined to create greater awareness of this issue and work toward its prevention and combat crimes against children. In 2009, with the help of a group of passionate people, I established iEmpathize, an organization committed to impacting youth and empowering people with empathy and action.
Where I am now
Our mission is to evoke empathy and empower people to eradicate child exploitation. Our focus is prevention, intervention, restoration, and advocacy. Leveraging media to communicate these concepts creates a powerful medium through which we can educate and engage strategic demographics as well as culture on a large scale.
Most recently, we’ve been developing material and providing opportunities for people to identify where child exploitation intersects with their lives and helping them see how they can make a difference in their communities.
For more information about iEmpathize or to better understand how you can help end child exploitation in your community, please visit iEmpathize.org.