Protecting the Innocent and Saving the Defenceless

During my early days as Lumiere Charity Director I opened a communication sent by a desperate seeker for help.
Within I found a stark account of the assistance their village group needed as they hid in the forest, having been driven from their homes which had been razed by fire.
A pregnant woman, overcome by the flight, had given birth in the forest depths to a tiny premature newborn.
Those forced to hide for their life had no money, no food and no shelter.
And the perpetrators of the violence, crazed with blood lust, were scouring the environs to find them.

And they had found one. A family member had taken a photo of the twelve year old girl once they had departed.
An innocent little face lay on the leafy forest floor, her eyes closed, the pigtail she had so carefully braided that morning still somewhat in place.
Her arms were upraised towards her face in seeming plea or prayer.
Her wrists had been tied tightly with wire during the gang rape and torture, her hands cut off afterwards.
The rest of her body had been placed on fire as her murderers had left. 
The fire had eventually smouldered out, leaving her face and arms almost untouched by its ravages.
The wave of emotion that swept over me as I saw this photograph haunts me to this day.

Since then I have been seen videos of partically decapitated babies and toddlers, tortured and then hacked to death.
I have seen how their relatives have been crazed with unspeakable grief.
Reports of children sold or kidnapped into sexual slavery from tragically young ages, children hanged with rope from ceilings.
And other atrocities so inhuman that it is not decent to repeat them.

Peace on earth. Goodwill to humanity. 
As we move purposefully into the year, we need to continue unceasing work for justice, to protect the innocent and save the defenceless.
Perhaps Divine Providence has led you to read these words.
As an individual, I cannot save the world.
But I can help the people in my world - the people who surround me, the people of whom I hear, the people with whom I interact every day.
If each of us does what we can in our own personal worlds, we can change the world.

In the spirit of Lumiere, is there anything you can do to help?
Perhaps you could pledge to help one innocent affected by war, injustice, violence to rebuild his or her life.
We can financially adopt a child or adult and put them through school and post graduate education; education releases people from the poverty trap.
We could sponsor a Doctor Without Borders in his or her work of mercy.
Or we can offer our services gratis in a situation requiring pro deo assistance to financially destitute.
We can ensure donations of blankets and food reach those in need.
We can assist with refugee camps.
There are so many actions that can be done.

Why not pledge to do one?