What Can We Learn From The Most Vulnerable?

October 28, 2015

By Elise Ditta, Director of Communications for ASJ-US

I can recite the Association for a More Just Society’s goal backwards and forwards, to be “Brave Christians trying to make the system of laws and government work for the most vulnerable…”, but sometimes as I sit in my air-conditioned cubicle day after day, I forget what this really means.

What does it mean to be vulnerable in Honduras? Often it means living on the edge of the city, perched on a mountainside with no access to public services like water or electricity. It means not knowing where your next meal will come from. It means dealing with shockingly inadequate healthcare services, if there are any at all. And it often means living in fear, not knowing where to turn when you’re a victim of violent crime.

All of these things are realities for Clara* and her four children. When my coworker, lawyer Cristian Rivera, and I visited Clara in her two-room home, she described this last reality vividly as she recounted the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she caught her husband sexually abusing their 12-year-old daughter, Marta. She knew she couldn’t let the abuse continue, but she didn’t know where to turn. Poor Hondurans like Clara rarely look for help from police who too often act as criminals themselves. And Clara’s poverty made her extra vulnerable, Cristian notes, “In many cases, women won’t report their husbands because they are the ones supporting them financially.”

But Clara told us how she refused to give up, knowing she had to protect her daughter. She made her way to the Public Prosecutor’s office to report her husband. They took down her testimony but didn’t act, another too common result of a justice system where poor victims cannot afford to pay a lawyer to push the case forward.

But Clara and Marta found an ally in the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS). When Cristian and psychologist Ada Doblado heard about the case, they worked quickly to remove Marta from the home. Her father was still living there, and she was in danger. After taking this immediate step, ASJ worked with police detectives to gather forensic and witness evidence and obtained an arrest warrant. Marta’s father was convicted in June of last year and is now in prison.

Justice for people like Marta and Clara is rare in a country like Honduras, but ASJ victories in this case, and dozens like it, show that justice for vulnerable people is possible. I have seen over and over again that vulnerability does not mean cowardice. It just means that individuals don’t have access to the system of justice and security like many others do. My coworkers at ASJ act as the bridge to justice for many vulnerable but brave people who believe they deserve what we all deserve—our government’s protection from those who wish to harm us.

And Marta, despite the horrors she suffered, is excited to move forward, “I want to be a doctor!” she says, and then her little brother pipes up, “I want to be a lawyer!” This makes Clara and Christian laugh with delight. A delight that comes from months of working as a team of brave advocates so that Marta can hope again.

*Name changed to protect individual’s privacy and security.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Let's Keep Moving Forward

May 1, 2025

Choosing defiant hope over fear.

ASJ Supporting Students’ Learning in Honduras

By Elizabeth Hickel • April 29, 2025

Earlier this month, The Banner published a story written by Our Shared Ministr y by Karina Guevara and Elmer Salinas . The authors showcase the work that ASJ-Honduras is doing to help and support students in Honduras. Karina and Elmer tell the story of Genesis Garcia, an 8-year-old, whose family struggles to find consistent jobs. "Genesis Garcia Baquedano is 8 years old and lives with her older brother, Anderson, and their parents in Honduras. Her parents work hard to support their family. Genesis’s father is a painter who struggles to find consistent work, and her mother is a street vendor who spends long hours away from home." According to Karina and Elmer, although Genesis is a good student, she was struggling with reading, writing, and math. This is where the ASJ-Hondurans' program, Strong Communities , comes to be a blessing. "Through God’s grace, Genesis and her family were able to join the Strong Communities program facilitated by World Renew’s local partner, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, because the Spanish translation is Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa). Through the program, Genesis attended academic support sessions, where she impressed her tutors with her perseverance and enthusiasm. Now, Genesis’s teachers praise the program for the significant progress Genesis has been making at school." We are blessed to be able to help kids like Genesis and her family to be able to achieve their dreams and goals. You can read the full story HERE and learn more about the ASJ-Honduras Strong communities program HERE