This past March, I had the incredible opportunity to travel with American Jewish World Service (AJWS) to a poor village in El Salvador. The group I went with consisted of eight of my fellow peers, my school's headmaster and founder, Rabbi Danny Lehmann, as well as another faculty member. The villagers live in small homes for the most part consisting of three rooms: a kitchen, often outside of the house, an eating/sleeping area and a bedroom. Life in Ciudad Romero is far from easy, but the people have an extraordinary way of finding happiness in everyday life.

Our work in and around Ciudad Romero was primarily agricultural. We traveled to two local farms and helped farmers with their work. One day consisted of digging holes into the dry earth, planting bean seeds and finally filling those holes with chicken manure and lime. Another day we harvested green beans for making fertilizer for other plants. Later in the week, we helped dig the foundation for a community center. The center will act as a safe house for the villagers in the case of a flood, earthquake or tremor.

My El Salvador experience was unique because it combined education and social action; not only are participants working to end poverty, they become well-educated about the social and economic situations in the communities where they work.  

Each evening we had a lesson about social justice. One of the most important lessons was on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) bill. This bill allows U.S. products easy passage into El Salvador so that citizens can buy food inexpensively. As a result, however, many local farmers are no longer able to sell their own products and lose their business. Working on their farms allowed us not only to help these farmers—it provided us with a invaluable portrait of others' lives, one that could never be taught in the classroom

Unlike many Americans, Salvadorians are not searching for more; rather, they are satisfied with what they have. Yet, it is not only satisfaction—it is pride and joy. The villagers take pride in their heritage and want to share it with the world. While I went to El Salvador to give my assistance to its citizens, I know that what they gave me was equally as valuable.

The citizens of Ciudad Romero gave me the inspiration to tell my friends and family about my experience and to do my part to ensure social justice for all people of the world. Social justice is not simply about giving people what they need to survive, but what they need to be happy. I do not know any Spanish, and yet, I was able to communicate with the children of the village with smiles and laughter—the universal language. Since I have been privileged with the opportunity to travel to El Salvador, it is my obligation as a global citizen, and more so as a Jew, to tell the word about the injustices people suffer everyday.

When you finish reading this article, I urge you not to simply click back and continue with your day. Rather, I hope that you take the ideas of social justice to heart and take a step to making a difference. Maybe you will give this article to a friend. Maybe you will start a fundraiser for impoverished Latin American countries. Perhaps you will volunteer in your own community or even abroad. The possibilities are endless.

No matter what you decide to do, remember that all it takes to make a difference is to spread the word. Make enough noise, and maybe the children of villages like Ciudad Romero around the world will be able to hear it.

Ben is a junior at Gann Academy in Waltham, Mass. He is the co-founder of a student group called Students Taking Action which informs his school community about violations of social justice around the world.