“If you are comfortable, ask [your representatives] if they would be comfortable if you could pray for them. Ask for blessings and wisdom on them, the senator, and all who work in the office. Pray for protection for their families.”
— Tracie Miranda Hess, World Vision Volunteer Advocate
We love summer: It’s the time for lemonade, beach trips, and planning for in-person meetings with your representatives (obviously)!
Members of Congress enjoy summer too. In August, they travel to their home states, which means it’s the perfect time for World Vision Volunteer Advocates to schedule meetings to talk about big issues, like the Ending Violence Against Children Resolution and the Keeping Girls in School Act. And our Online Action Network helped pave the way for these meetings to be successful!
In July, World Vision advocates sent 11,732 emails asking their representatives to support the Ending Violence Against Children Resolution!
These emails are a huge help in making representatives aware of an issue, which is vital when Volunteer Advocates schedule meetings with them. Speaking of meetings…
We had four meetings already happen in July! Thank you to Tracie M.H. and Cheryl R. in Pennsylvania and Preston J. in California who met with their representatives about the Keeping Girls in School Act. And thanks to Wanda G. in Texas for kicking off the meetings about the Ending Violence Against Children Resolution. Y’all are amazing!
Ending violence against children report
July also marked the release date for World Vision’s report, Small Cracks, Big Gaps: How governments allow violence against children to persist. This report talks about the progress, and the barriers, toward ending violence against children around the world.
We as Christian advocates want to make the safer world for children because of our Biblical call to welcome little children (Mark 9:37) and seek justice (Isaiah 1:17). But even without these convictions, there are more than enough reasons to making ending violence against children a priority. Violence perpetuates poverty and keeps economies from growing, and without intervention, the cycle of violence can continue for generations.
The report explores the repercussions of violence and how to effectively address them. For advocates interested in this topic, take a look at the full report or our shortened version.
Looking toward August…
In August, be on the lookout for more information on the Keeping Girls in School Act and the importance of reducing gender disparity in schools. Whether you sent an email, prayed for people around the world, or met with your representative, thank you for encouraging our leaders toward wise, compassionate decisions that fight root causes of poverty and help kids and families thrive!
Once again this month, we pray that the Holy Spirit, our advocate, would guide our efforts and encourage us to be brave in speaking out for justice.
We’re looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the World Vision advocates in August!
Interested in joining the World Vision Volunteer Advocate Community and meeting with your representatives? Sign up below and we’ll reach out with more information!
Top photo: Tracie Miranda Hess and Cheryl Brooks Ryan meet with Senator Toomey’s district representative, Amber. (Photo courtesy Tracie Miranda Hess)