Amnesty International is an organization with over 1.1 million members from around the world. Last year one of my friends started an Amnesty International group in our school. At first I wasn't sure what AI was about, but I joined. Members work together to fight for human rights, which were written in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

AI groups receive letters describing people who are persecuted because of their beliefs, religion or identity. Each member writes a letter on behalf of the prisoner to a government official. It doesn't seem as though one letter could change anything, but when thousands of letters are received from all over the world, that does make a difference. Thousands of victims of human rights' abuses are saved every year due to the work of Amnesty International. If you would like more information call 800-AMNESTY or check out their web site: www.amnesty-usa.org.