What keeps me from quitting

Running a non-profit can be really hard. I want to quit more days than not. I started Just1 six years ago as a 21 year old with big dreams and very little experience (read our full story here). Wide-eyed and full of hope of all the ways I could help make a difference in the world, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In time I realized running a non-profit wasn’t as glamorous as I thought. Many days I’m drowning in paperwork I don’t understand, having to face my fear of asking people for money over and over, and feeling so overwhelmed that all motivation is gone before I finish my morning coffee.

BUT. Every time I’ve come close to giving up, something inside me tells me, keep going, for the one.

That one phrase — for the one — literally haunts me. It’s woven into the fabric of Just1, it’s our why, it’s our heartbeat.

The one child is worth fighting for. Saiboku — the 11-year-old girl who was rescued from forced childhood marriage and from a physically and emotionally abusive father — is worth fighting for.

When I want to throw in the towel and get a “normal” job that’s easier and comes with a real, guaranteed salary, I see Saiboku’s face (pictured above).

Saiboku is now 19, living in her own apartment, and finishing cosmetology school. She’s grown into a vibrant and successful young woman. She’s one life, transformed.

And there are millions of other “ones” just like Saiboku that need rescue. For each one of them, I’ll keep fighting. While this is my story, I bet you have a similar story. Who is your “one”? Is it the homeless man you pass on the way home from work? Is it a single mom who lives three houses down from you? Is it a child with special needs at your church? Whoever your “one” is, keep fighting for them. Because if we all keep fighting for “one,” all of our ones will turn into hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and then millions.

Friends, the only way to change the world is by changing the world of one life, and then another, and another.

We need you in this fight for the one. Join us here.

Purchase our new “for the one” sweatshirt here! All proceeds help us rescue and protect children from exploitation.