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Optimistic Voices

Helping Children Worldwide; Dr. Laura Horvath, Emmanuel M. Nabieu, Yasmine Vaughan, Melody Curtiss

63 episodes

1 week ago

Send us a text The remarkable journey of an 11-year-old girl named Em demonstrates the life-changing power of cross-border collaboration in child protection. When Em was trafficked from her home in Liberia to Sierra Leone under false promises of education, she instead found herself forced into domestic labor and street selling. After becoming separated from her trafficker and lost on the streets, local authorities connected her with the Child Reintegration Center (CRC). Through counseling se...

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Social Sciences

All content for Optimistic Voices is the property of Helping Children Worldwide; Dr. Laura Horvath, Emmanuel M. Nabieu, Yasmine Vaughan, Melody Curtiss and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Send us a text The remarkable journey of an 11-year-old girl named Em demonstrates the life-changing power of cross-border collaboration in child protection. When Em was trafficked from her home in Liberia to Sierra Leone under false promises of education, she instead found herself forced into domestic labor and street selling. After becoming separated from her trafficker and lost on the streets, local authorities connected her with the Child Reintegration Center (CRC). Through counseling se...

Show more...

Social Sciences

Episodes (20/63)

Optimistic Voices

Cross-Border Collaboration Brings Trafficked 11-Year-Old Em Back to Her Family

Send us a text The remarkable journey of an 11-year-old girl named Em demonstrates the life-changing power of cross-border collaboration in child protection. When Em was trafficked from her home in Liberia to Sierra Leone under false promises of education, she instead found herself forced into domestic labor and street selling. After becoming separated from her trafficker and lost on the streets, local authorities connected her with the Child Reintegration Center (CRC). Through counseling se...

1 month ago

23 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Measuring What Matters: The Challenge of Defining Empowerment

Send us a text What does it really mean to empower people? Beyond buzzwords and good intentions lies a complex reality that social impact organizations grapple with daily. This conversation with researchers Dr. Thomas Cray and Dr. Sarah Neville dives deep into the messy, thought-provoking questions that challenge conventional thinking about empowerment. The discussion takes us beyond simplistic notions of "teaching a man to fish" to examine whether we're creating the fishing holes people nee...

1 month ago

1 hour 31 minutes

Optimistic Voices

From War to Medicine: The Resilience and Brilliance of Dr. Aruna Stevens - A Child's View Episode

Send us a text What happens when tragedy and opportunity collide in the life of a child? Dr. Aruna Stevens' story answers this question with breathtaking resilience and hope. Born just before Sierra Leone's devastating civil war, Aruna's childhood was shattered when his father was killed and his extended family of twenty separated. He experienced homelessness, hunger, and the daily struggle for survival in a community where healthcare was virtually non-existent—where people routinely died fro...

1 month ago

18 minutes

Optimistic Voices

The Science and Faith of Bouncing Back: Nicole Wilke on Resilience

Send us a text What makes some children overcome unimaginable trauma while others struggle to recover? Is resilience something you're born with, or can it be cultivated? These questions drive our fascinating conversation with Dr. Nicole Wilke, author and Director of Research at Christian Alliance for Orphans. Drawing from her extraordinary background—growing up in a family that fostered 70 children and personally experiencing severe health challenges as a teenager—Nicole brings professional ...

2 months ago

1 hour 3 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Party in the Back: Your Superhero Cape Belongs to Someone Else

Send us a text The difference between helping and hurting often comes down to one critical question: are we empowering and dignifying people or creating dependencies and disabilities? In this eye-opening conversation with Sheree Reece, Global Missions Director for a UMC Mega Church - Church of the Resurrection, Laura and Yaz unpack the profound shift happening in mission work worldwide—moving from traditional charity models that often foster dependence to sustainable approaches that build gen...

3 months ago

1 hour 6 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Hannah's Story - Broken to Brave: A Father's Fight to Bring His Children Home

Send us a text What happens when a struggling father refuses to let disability define his family's future? Hannah Smith's remarkable story reveals the transformative journey from family separation to triumphant reunion in post-war Sierra Leone. Hannah's story begins in hardship—her disabled father, a determined blacksmith, made the heartbreaking decision to place his children in an orphanage when he couldn't provide basic necessities. Though initially grateful for education and proper care a...

3 months ago

22 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Playground to Battleground: Stolen Ukrainian Children. The Dark Reality and Secret Purpose of Russia's Evacuation of Children from the War Zone

Send us a text The systematic abduction and militarization of Ukrainian children by Russian forces represents one of the most devastating yet underreported aspects of the ongoing war. In this eye-opening conversation, Ukrainian historian and religious scholar Vladyslav Havrylov reveals the shocking scope and calculated nature of Russia's deportation campaign targeting Ukrainian youth. His research with the Institute of World History at Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences and his work docu...

4 months ago

59 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Rooted in Reality: Simulating Life on the Edge of Extreme Poverty

Send us a text Ever wondered what life is really like for families living on the edge of extreme poverty? Most of us have only seen poverty through statistics or images, but a new immersive experience called "Rooted in Reality" is changing how we understand this complex reality. When a team of college students traveled to Sierra Leone to develop this groundbreaking poverty simulation, they discovered something profound. People experiencing poverty don't define their situation primarily by th...

4 months ago

1 hour 12 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Tiny Princess: How One Brave Voice Saved an Abused Child.

Send us a text Princess was just six years old when someone finally spoke up about the abuse she was suffering. That brave act by a Child Reintegration Center alumnus became the first link in a chain of compassionate interventions that would transform her life. Reverend Olivia Fonney, Director of the Child Reintegration Center in Sierra Leone, takes us through Princess's journey from trauma to healing. When Princess first arrived at the CRC, she was understandably confused and frightened. Ra...

5 months ago

17 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Rising Tides Catalyzing Change: Part 2. Beyond Orphanages: The Global Shift to Family-Based Care

Send us a text The global movement to transition children from orphanages to families is gaining momentum, but significant challenges remain. In this thought-provoking episode, David Titus Moussa hosts a conversation with Stephen Usembe, a care leaver and founder of Kenya Society of Care Leavers, and Phil Aspergren, executive director of Casa Viva in Costa Rica, as they unpack key insights from the recent Rising Tide Conference. Stephen shares his unique perspective as someone who grew up in...

5 months ago

57 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Rising Tides: How Family Care Is Replacing Institutions

Send us a text Child welfare is undergoing a profound transformation worldwide as organizations shift away from institutional orphanages toward family-based care models. But what does this transition actually look like on the ground? How can we redirect well-intentioned support toward solutions that truly serve children's needs? This eye-opening conversation brings together true pioneers in the global care reform movement. Stephen Ucembe draws from his lived experience growing up in a Kenyan...

5 months ago

54 minutes

Optimistic Voices

From Village to Nursing: Monjama's Journey of Resilience

Send us a text Discover the remarkable journey of Monjama, a young woman from rural Sierra Leone whose life trajectory shifted dramatically through education, family reconnection, and dedicated support. Left fatherless in a remote village without schools or healthcare facilities, Monjama's future seemed predetermined by generational poverty—until intervention changed everything. At just seven years old, Monjama entered the Child Reintegration Center (CRC), encountering formal education for t...

6 months ago

27 minutes

Optimistic Voices

The Hidden Problems with Child Sponsorship Programs: A $3.29 Billion Industry Under Scrutiny

Send us a text Child sponsorship seems like the perfect way to help vulnerable children abroad – for just $30 a month, you get photos, letters, and the satisfaction of changing a child's life. But what if this model is causing unexpected problems? In this thought-provoking episode, we dive deep into the $3.29 billion child sponsorship industry with Dr. Hunter Farrell, author of "Congregational Mission." Having operated our own sponsorship program for years, we explore why global child welfar...

6 months ago

36 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Twice Orphaned: The MaMaw's House Story - Why Sponsorship Doesn't Save the Care Leaver.

Send us a text When Jen Conrad first sponsored a child in Sierra Leone, she never imagined it would lead to adoption proceedings, heartbreaking visa denials, and eventually creating a groundbreaking program that's changing lives across the country. Her story reveals the hidden aftermath of institutional care that few people consider: what happens when orphaned children become adults? After traveling to Sierra Leone multiple times and forming deep bonds with two siblings, Jen and her husband ...

7 months ago

40 minutes

Optimistic Voices

When Baby Blues Turns Deadly - Maternal Mental Health: Breaking the Silence & Sharing Prevention

Send us a text Dr. Abdullahi Jawobah takes us deep into the critically overlooked world of maternal mental health, where his groundbreaking research reveals a staggering statistic: approximately 50% of pregnant and lactating mothers in Sierra Leone experience psychological distress. This silent epidemic has far-reaching consequences not only for mothers but for their unborn children, as Dr. Jawobah explains how stress hormones cross the placenta to affect gene expression in developing f...

7 months ago

48 minutes

Optimistic Voices

The Global Village Unites for a Child: Musu's Story

Send us a text Sixteen-year-old Musu Sangu faced a devastating diagnosis in Sierra Leone—a life-threatening heart condition requiring specialized surgery unavailable anywhere in her country. With her heart functioning at just 20% capacity and given only a 40% chance of survival, Musu's future looked grim. But what followed was an extraordinary demonstration of global compassion that would save her life. The journey began at Mercy Hospital in Sierra Leone, where Dr. Aruna Stevens identified M...

7 months ago

18 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Empowering Midwives: The Key to Saving Lives

Send us a text Welcome to a transformative episode that dives deep into saving lives through improved maternal health in Sierra Leone. We share inspiring stories from a recent training conference in Kenema, focusing on the critical role midwives play in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. You'll hear from Matron Mary Augusta Fuller, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, who shares insights on the vital need for comprehensive training programs for midwives, addressing both essential n...

8 months ago

49 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Tiny Miracles: The Story of Joseph

Send us a text Join us for a deeply inspiring episode that follows the miraculous journey of baby Joseph, born against all odds in a rural clinic in Sierra Leone. This episode highlights the intense realities faced by healthcare workers like midwife Hawa Zoker, caught in a life-or-death situation while managing multiple deliveries. Tune in to hear about the pivotal moment when help arrived in the form of Canadian nurses, who brought both medical expertise and critical supplies that ultimately...

8 months ago

20 minutes

Optimistic Voices

A Child's View: Ishmael - Acts of Mercy in Sierra Leone

Send us a textThe episode shares Ishmael's inspiring journey from pain to healing through the compassionate care provided by Mercy UMC Hospital. Listeners learn how community support and dedicated healthcare professionals can create incredible transformations in children's lives.• Ishmael's broken body and his mother's desperate journey for help • Dr. Morie Vandi’s commitment to serving underserved communities • Mercy's outreach program and how important it is in providing medical care to rur...

9 months ago

11 minutes

Optimistic Voices

Season 3, Episode 1 - Together for Global Health takes a continuity of care maternal health mission to Sierra Leone

Send us a textWelcome to the first episode of Season of the Optimistic Voices podcast of Helping Children Worldwide. This is a REBROADCAST of Episode 1, Season 3, because we are once again heading to West Africa on this collaborative mission to save the lives of mothers and infants - and going upstream in our mission to prevent unnecessary orphanhoods from occurring.We help children worldwide by strengthening and Empowering Families and communities. This podcast is for people interested in de...

10 months ago

37 minutes