Karen Lewis is wary of placing herself in the spotlight. She is part of a team -- a committee -- so finds it embarrassing to be singled out. There again, she recognizes that publicity is good for the cause she serves: protecting and caring for street children in seven facilities in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and, most recently, Mongolia.
The Street Children Committee was founded in 1998 by the Rev. Jacques LaPointe of the Franciscan Chapel Center in Roppongi, together with other concerned individuals of various nationalities, faiths and denominations. The following year, SCC was recognized as an affiliate to ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking), and quickly began participating in its worldwide activities.
Karen became involved in SCC after her husband's work in pharmaceutical research and development brought her to Japan. "I'm from Detroit in Michigan, with a background in nursing. But the last time I worked as a nurse was in 1989. I was in Ohio, working for a hypertension and diabetes program for low income families when we welcomed two children into our family, one after another."