In Haiti if you are going to advocate for child protection you will quickly run against the root of the problem – the fact that often parents are absent. For Magalie Boyer, who has spent her lifetime advocating for the rights of children in Haiti, that’s a problem that can’t be answered by a policy or law. It’s a moral, individual transformation. One that begins with pastors.

The Micah Scholars spent an afternoon listening, responding, and working with Boyer, who has spent much of her career as the Director for Child Protection Advocacy for several international NGO’s.

There were two main focuses Boyer’s presentation. The first was the Biblical basis for why child protection is needed, and what steps to take to protect children – adopting a child protection policy, forming a child protection committee, writing a code of conduct, and making sure that everyone who is in a position of authority or interaction with children is trained on child protection.

The second focus was advocacy. That’s where Boyer believes pastors are the key, “People often say changes start from the bottom up. I think in Haiti, some changes have to start at the top.”

So for our 43 Micah Scholars, that change starts with them.