In recent days you may have heard news about the growing wave of migrant child labor in the United States. Our ASJ-US team was deeply disturbed to read an expose detailing how migrant children, mostly from Central America, are working in dangerous conditions in factories and farms across this country. We recommend reading the New York Times article; you can access a copy here in English and Spanish.

The investigative piece documents children, many of whom are Honduran and as young as twelve-years-old, making auto parts, roofing, and packing cereal during 12-hour shifts that leave a heavy physical, mental, and emotional toll, and little time for school. These children in communities throughout the U.S., including Grand Rapids, Michigan (where ASJ-US’s home office is located), have few avenues of protection.

Like us, you may have felt a range of emotions while reading the above piece: A cry for forgiveness for not knowing about a heart-wrenching injustice. A desire to identify who’s to blame: employers, sponsors, us as society? A deepened realization of how injustices in Honduras and the U.S. are interconnected. A familiar ache because you or someone you love has experienced these injustices. An anger and frustration at our systemic and individual failings to protect the newest and youngest members of our communities.

Amidst these emotions, we mourn that:

• Many young Hondurans struggle to hope for a better future amidst high levels of corruption, violence, and unemployment. The injustices of the drug trade, colonialism, and economic exploitation have moved many families to make difficult decisions in order to survive. 
• Our current immigration system is broken, making it almost impossible for the average Honduran adult to receive a temporary work visa, even though factories and farms are looking for workers. Current policies like Title 42 also make it harder for families to seek asylum together, leading more children to enter the United States alone.
• We have all become part of this brokenness as we buy products fueled from the unjust labor of children or as we make hiring decisions.

At ASJ, our deepest desire is for Hondurans to experience peace, justice, and flourishing wherever they are. And we believe this lifelong work is not a “Honduran” issue, but rather a mission that requires all of us. The truth is, the U.S. is often a perpetrator of injustices that affect the global communities we care about.

One of our favorite scripture verses is Zechariah 8:4-5, in which God describes a new, transformed Jerusalem where, “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit…, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

We believe this promise also belongs to Honduras, a beloved country with a future. 
At ASJ in Honduras, more than seventy Honduran colleagues work everyday to reduce violence and corruption so that families have opportunities to provide for their children and see them enjoy safety, education, and a promising future in their country. How can we support them in that work?

Here’s where we’re starting. We invite you to join us: