Optimistic Voices
Vital voices in the fields of global health, global child welfare reform and family separation, and those intent on conducting ethical missions in low resource communities and developing nations. Join our hosts as they engage in conversations with diverse guests from across the globe, sharing optimistic views, experiences, and suggestions for better and best practices as they discuss these difficult topics.
From Village to Nursing: Monjama's Journey of Resilience
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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 the first time. Despite having no prior schooling, her natural abilities flourished as she was double-promoted through her studies. When the CRC transitioned from residential care to family-based su...
The Hidden Problems with Child Sponsorship Programs: A $3.29 Billion Industry Under Scrutiny
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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 welfare experts are increasingly critical of this popular fundraising approach.
Dr. Farrell explains how sponsorship programs often create an...
Twice Orphaned: The MaMaw's House Story - Why Sponsorship Doesn't Save the Care Leaver.
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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 pursued adoption. Despite gaining full legal guardianship in Sierra Leone's courts, their hopes were crushed when U.S. immigration...
When Baby Blues Turns Deadly - Maternal Mental Health: Breaking the Silence & Sharing Prevention
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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 fetuses. Addressing this is a pathway to reducing stillbirths, preeclampsia, infant malnutrition, and physical health outcomes.
The conversation illuminates how mothers i...
The Global Village Unites for a Child: Musu's Story
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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 Musu's condition using a newly acquired EKG machine. Through the Child Reintegration Center's family strengthening program, Musu already had access to medical ca...
Empowering Midwives: The Key to Saving Lives
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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 newborn care and postpartum hemorrhage management.Â
In our conversation, we explore the significance of mental health awareness among healthcare providers, h...
Tiny Miracles: The Story of Joseph
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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 saved Joseph's life and that of his mother, Nancy.
As we unravel this powerful narrative...
A Child's View: Ishmael - Acts of Mercy in Sierra Leone
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The 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 rural areas where poverty is extreme
• The successful surgical intervention for Ishmael's hernia
• The fusion of medical care and emotional support duri...
Season 3, Episode 1 - Together for Global Health takes a continuity of care maternal health mission to Sierra Leone
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Welcome 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 deep conversations with thought leaders in the field of child welfare, global health and international missions...
Radical Collaboration and Redefining Mission - We're all grown up now...
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Curious about how sustainable development models can transform entire communities? Our latest episode promises to unravel this by sitting down with Melody Curtis, the inspiring Executive Director of Helping Children Worldwide. Discover how her organization transitioned from temporary relief to an empowerment approach, fostering resilient communities and strong families. Melody shares uplifting success stories of families gaining independence, and our program strategist Laura emphasizes the value of local expertise, highlighting the key role communities play in driving long-term change.
Rethinking mission work? We definitely are, and this episode challenges the traditional...
Empowering Transformation: Shifting Global Leadership to the Global South for Better Answers
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Explore the power of transformation and empowerment in this special retrospective episode of Optimistic Voices. Join Dr. Laura Horvath, Emmanuel Nabeu, and Yasmin Vaughn as we promise to uncover the compelling journey of Helping Children Worldwide (HCW) through 2024, celebrating remarkable milestones and visionary shifts in global leadership. We reflect on standout episodes that shed light on crucial topics like maternal and child health improvements in Sierra Leone, transitioning care leavers to adulthood, and fostering dynamic partnerships between NGOs and churches. Our discussions dive deep into the empowerment model, highlighting a pivotal movement from...
Be the Change: Taking the Lead in Child Welfare in the Global South
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Join us on a transformative journey as we explore the profound shift from orphanage care to family-based support in Sierra Leone and beyond. Featuring insights from George Kulanda, the case management supervisor at the Child Reintegration Center, and David Titus Musa, a senior consultant at the Center, this episode promises a deep dive into the complexities and triumphs of reintegrating children into family environments. From engaging with orphanage leaders to collaborating with governments and civil society organizations, David shares his inspiring transition from the confines of orphanage walls to advocating for family reintegration...
Volunteering Beyond Borders: The Reality and Impact of Peace Corps Service in Sierra Leone
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Ever wonder what it truly means to be a part of the Peace Corps, especially in a country with such a rich history like Sierra Leone? Our guests, Nat Kofi Abu-Bonsrah, a current volunteer, and Michael Lee, a returned volunteer and president of Friends of Sierra Leone, share their inspiring journeys. Nat provides a unique perspective on his role in sustainable development, while Michael reveals the continued commitment of Friends of Sierra Leone to foster positive change and collaboration between nations. Their stories shed light on personal motivations and the broader impact of...
"I Grew up in an Orphanage in Africa" - From Orphanage to Adulthood: Resilience and Adaptation in Sierra Leone's Care Leavers
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What happens when five remarkable young adults transition from the regimented life of an orphanage to the uncharted reality of post-orphanage life? Join us on Optimistic Voices as we welcome these inspirational individuals who grew up at the Child Rescue Center Orphanage in Sierra Leone and now stand as influential care leaders. From navigating transportation challenges and irregular meal times to adapting to a lack of protection and electricity, their stories are a testament to resilience and adaptability. Gain insights into their journey and the broader implications for care reform for orphans and...
Engage Your Church with NGOs; Pastors Provide Perspective on Uniting Communities
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What if your church could transform lives across the globe while strengthening your local community? Discover how two Virginia pastors, Reverend Gina Anderson-Cloud and Reverend Jason Duley, have achieved this through enduring partnerships with NonProfits such as She Believes in Me, CornerStone, Backpack Buddies, and Helping Children Worldwide. Hosted by Emmanuel Nabieu, this episode of the Optimistic Voices Podcast takes you behind the scenes of church/nonprofit collaborations that make a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families.
Explore the remarkable stories of transformation in Sierra Leone and...
A Return to African Ideals: Revolutionizing Child Welfare in Sierra Leone
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Why do African social workers believe that it is essential that local governments, foreign donors, and parents understand that children living in orphanages should be returned to family homes? Join us as we explore the profound journey and epic revelations of two social workers devoting their careers to making this change across the continent of Africa, starting with orphanages in their own country. David Musa and Rosamund Palmer from the Child Reintegration Center (CRC) in Bo, Sierra Leone discuss the experience of change, and the unexpected areas of resistance, and what they find i...
Leaving Sponsorship Behind - Pitfalls and Benefits.
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Discover the unforeseen ripple effects of child sponsorship programs with Dr. Laura Horvath, Jared Scheppman, and Kelly Strong as we dissect the challenges and triumphs in philanthropy's evolving landscape. As we navigate this complex terrain, our guests reveal how well-intentioned aid can sometimes miss the mark, inadvertently creating dependencies that hobble the very communities they intend to uplift. With a watchmaker's precision, we analyze the intricacies of international aid, focusing on the necessary shift from quick fixes to sustainable, community-driven development.
The journey toward ethical advocacy is fraught with obstacles, yet...
Redefining Aid: The Journey from Child Sponsorship to Community Empowerment
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Part One:
Discover the transformative power of reimagined humanitarian aid in our latest episode of Optimistic Voices. Join me, Dr. Melody Curtis, along with experts Dr. Laura Horvath, Jared Scheppman, and Kelly Strong, as we share our journey from traditional child sponsorship models to a new paradigm that champions community empowerment. We're peeling back the curtain to reveal the ethical dilemmas and strategic decisions that are reshaping the way we support vulnerable children around the world.
The narrative of child sponsorship is being rewritten, and you're invited to listen...
The Compelling Power of Altruism: Joy and Anger in the Face of Injustice.
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When Barbara Sprout accompanied her daughter Kim to Sierra Leone on a mission trip with their church, little did she know it would mark the beginning of an incredible journey, not just for Kimberly, but also for her and her husband Rick, filled with deep connections and life-altering experiences. Rick joined a volunteer crew at the church to pack a container filled with hospital equipment in 2007 to ship overseas to Mercy Hospital in Africa, then traveled years later, humbled to see how his one mundane act had helped to save lives. Today's episode f...
Empowering Sierra Leone's Midwives and Health Workers: Charting the Future of Newborn and Maternal Health
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Step into the heart of Sierra Leone with us on Optimistic Voices, where Carrie Jo Cain from CHAMPS imparts her wisdom on neonatal mortality and the life-saving power of evidence-based training. Through our conversation, we celebrate a major leap in maternal and child health, with 80 trainees now armed with the expertise to tackle challenges like bleeding after birth and birth asphyxia. Witness the embodiment of hope as these professionals, with Carrie Jo's guidance, forge a path towards a healthier future for mothers and their newborns.
Joining us with tales from the...
Orphanage Trafficking - A Real Life Horror Story
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When Americans and others living in the global north (aka Westerners) think about trafficking, they tend to have an image of a child being kidnapped by a bad guy, and then sexually exploited. While that is certainly a trafficking issue, there are all kinds of child trafficking. You may not have heard of orphanage trafficking before today, but it is real and real life horror story happening all around the world, every single day.
It is a genuinely horrific idea to contemplate. It is, simply put, the use of children as...
HCW's Teacher's Learning Collaborative - A Model for Multi-cultural Collaborative Mission
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Host Dr. Laura Horvath is joined by Short Term Mission Leader for the Teachers' Learning Collaborative, Sharon Gardner from Grapevine, Texas
Sharon is the project lead teacher. She has traveled six time to participate in Short Term Mission in Sierra Leone, every year since 2016 with the exception of HCW's Covid restricted travel period. Sharon is also a 2018 recipient of the Grapevine-Colleyville Foundation Star Teaching Award Grant and the US team lead author of the shared curriculum developed by the collaborative, and currently the First UMC Colleyville HCW Partnership Representative, working with loc...
Training - Essential Lessons for Ethical Mission Deployment.
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Your Optimistic Voices Podcast Host, Yasmine Vaughan, discusses appropriate training for Short Term Mission (STM) Teams to ensure ethical missions with Guest, Andrea Kroeze. Helping Children Worldwide engages with individuals interested in short and long term missions overseas and provides training for STM deployment.
In our Season One episode with Eli Oswald of Faith to Action "Do No Harm" we discussed ethical STMs in orphan response. In our Season One episode with Tory Ruark of Standards of Excellence "Certified Ethical" we discussed the 7 Standards of Excellence in STM. In today’s Epi...
Continuity of Care in Health Systems in majority world countries: The struggle is real. With Dr. Carol McIntosh and Yasmine Vaughan
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Dr. Carol McIntosh was born in Brooklyn, NY although her family roots are based in Carriacou, Grenada. She graduated from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction and obtained her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical School in 1987. Dr. McIntosh is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. For many years, Dr McIntosh has served in medical missions to Grenada, the Eastern Caribbean, and Sierra Leone; with the latter working as a board...
Doctors on Medical Mission - We Are Receiving As Much Good As We Can Give!
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 At our Rising Tides conference in March, Dr. Carol McIntosh presented on being a giver and a receiver of medical missions.Â
Dr. Carol McIntosh was born in Brooklyn, NY although her family roots are based in Carriacou, Grenada. She graduated from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction and obtained her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical School in 1987. Dr. McIntosh is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and is a Fellow of the American College of Ob...
Care Leading: The Experiences of Adults Reflecting on the Legacy of Being Raised in Good Orphanages.
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Jennifer Suma Tharmu and Emmanuel “Nabs” M. Nabieu reflect on their shared and individual experiences of being rescued orphans living in a good orphanage, and the good and bad legacies of that childhood.
Certified Nursing Assistant at Medstar Hospital.
One of the first 40 children recruited and taken to live in the Child Rescue Centre Orphanage at the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War. Jennifer stayed at the orphanage for 10 years. She got access to education, healthcare, and food while also missing connecting with her mom, siblings, and...
Jennifer Stevens from Good Birth Network at HCW Rising Tides Global Health 2023
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Yasmine Vaughan shares another incredible breakout session from HCW’s Rising Tides 2023 Together for Global Health.
This informative session on the practice of midwifery in low to middle income countries was conducted by Jennifer Stevens.
Midwifery centers are a community-based approach to addressing maternal mortality by increasing access to quality care that strengthens health systems, provides an enabling environment for midwifery and eases the burdens on hospital beds by providing right-sized care. Learn more about this approach, and why it is important.Â
 Jennifer Steve...
Diving Deep into Localization with Doug Fountain of CCIH
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In this episode host Yasmine Vaughan will be following up on our 2023 Rising Tides Conference, held in Washington, DC in early March. The attendees voted on a session they would like to do a deeper dive into, and this is the session that was chosen from the conference was "localization."
So today we are going to talk about localization with Doug Fountain.Â
Doug Fountain serves as Executive Director for Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH). Previously, he was Vice President for Strategy and Impact for Medical Teams International (MTI). Be...
Rising Tides 2023 - Excerpts from the Together for Global Health Conference in Washington, D.C.
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Host Yasmine Vaughan is joined by the Rising Tides Global Health conference support Intern, Tanatswa Sambana to share tidbits of interest they gleaned from the expert presentations at the Rising Tides 2023: Together for Global Health conference, which was held in Washington, DC on March 3-4 2023. Over the course of a day and a half, conference speakers shared a wealth of information on sustainable practices to care for the most vulnerable, including community participatory practices, and international partnerships to train local communities. Their presentations focused on different ways that organizations can contribute t...
Certified Ethical!
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Certified Ethical!
Mission Excellence and Standards for Global Mission Deployment
Last year we did an episode with Ellie Oswald from Faith to Action focused on the importance of ethical missions in regard to the safety and protection of children. In that episode, we talked broadly about ethical approaches to short-term mission trips, and introduced the 7 standards of excellence in mission. On today’s episode, we will go through in more detail these 7 steps and discuss why they are important for churches, charities, and other organizations to consider when do...
Secrets Uncovered and Mysteries Explained - Why Research Matters in Child Welfare
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We can't fix anything if we don't know what's wrong!
Your Hosts, Yamine Vaughan and Laura Horvath talk about everyone’s FAVORITE topic - DATA! Medical professionals understand that monitoring and evaluation is a huge and important part of our work in global health, certainly, but this optimistic voice believes that M&E is as important in the child welfare sector. It seems that everyone in the sector is struggling with how to find ways to capture data that can really tell us whether our interventions are having a posi...
Part 3 of 3-part episode. Interview with Care-leader and Author Emmanuel Nabieu about his memoir My Long Journey Back Home
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This is the final episode in a series. If you have not listened to parts one and two of Pastor Rob Lough’s interview of Emmanuel Nabieu regarding his memoir My Long Journey Home, you should. Emmanuel Nabieu is the HCW Director of Mission Advancement and Partnership Development - whom we all call Nabs.Â
Warning, the content of the first two episodes can be somewhat disturbing in truthfully depicting the violence that Nabs experienced as a child during the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone. Although the...
My Long Journey Back Home - Emmanuel Nabieu’s interview about his pivotal book - PART TW0
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This episode is part two of a series. If you missed part one - you should return to the prior episode and listen to it first.Â
Although the interview took place during a single session, we elected to break it into several episodes. Warning, the content in this and the prior episode can be disturbing as it truthfully depicts the violence and brutality that Nabs experienced as a child during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Part One takes us from Nab’s early childhood through the time of h...
TRIGGER WARNING. WAR and MURDER Part 1 Author Interview - Emmanuel Nabieu, My Long Journey Back Home
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This episode is part one of a series. Although the interview took place during a single session, we elected to break it into several episodes. Warning, the content can be somewhat graphic in truthfully depicting the violence that Nabs experienced as a child during the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone. Part One takes us from Nab’s early childhood through the time of his initial escape from the rebel soldiers who were hunting him.
Emmanuel Nabieu is the HCW Director of Mission Advancement and Pa...
HCW Rising Tides 2023 - Together for Global Health in DC on March 3rd & 4th
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Today’s episode peels back the curtain to show the considerations that are made by organizations around the world when it comes to building sustainable programs, and for those of you getting into this work, may help you understand some challenges you may face and see some gaps in program planning.
Host Yasmine Vaughan is joined by Mariama Massaquoi, a family medicine doctor based in Virginia. Mariama is double board-certified in family medicine and family medicine obstetrics with an MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sh...
Called by God to Serve Orphans and Vulnerable Children; Brandon Stiver 1MillionHome
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Host Dr. Laura Horvath engages in conversation with
Brandon Stiver
SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS
The spiritual side of Orphan Care
https://1millionhome.com/
https://thinkorphan.com/
Brandon has worked in the child welfare and nonprofit sectors for over twelve years. Before joining 1MILLIONHOME, he led a family based care and advocacy program in Tanzania for several years. Brandon has also worked at a Tanzanian orphanage, in the Californian foster care system, at various churches...
Yes, Melody, We Can Change the World! Helping Children Worldwide Staff Plan for 2023 and beyond...!
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Laura, Nabs, Yaz and Melody talk about their love for Helping Children Worldwide, and changing the world together!
Support the show
Helpingchildrenworldwide.org
How Health Disparity Threatens Lives - Dr. Aruna Stevens; Chief Medical Officer of Mercy UMC Hospital, Sierra Leone
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Host Yasmine Vaughan discusses the topic of health disparity in wealthy and poor countries, and wealthy and poor citizens in every country.
Special Guest Dr. Aruna Stevens is the Chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital in Bo, Sierra Leone. Dr. Stevens is a graduate of the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences from the University of Sierra Leone. Since joining the staff at Mercy Hospital, Dr. Stevens has transformed the hospital into one of the top medical facilities in Bo, with over 10,000 patients treated every year by his staff...
Part B of two part discussion - A New Vision to End Family Separation and Increase Child Prosperity in 23 countries.
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Host Dr. Laura Horvath continues her conversation with Katie Milazzo and Lucy Matsumoto of All for One Foundation, as they share with their work in 23 countries, and their experience founding the Child Prosperity Centre in Sierra Leone with a new family support and a focus on child/family reintegration. This is a great episode for those who are thinking of moving away from old models of international aid to promote a shift away from dependency on external donors. Our guests discuss how AFO went about undertaking this sea-change decision to repurpose a gorgeous...
Child Prosperity and All For One - a new deal to stop family separation crisis in Sierra Leone.
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Host Dr. Laura Horvath is delighted to have Katie Milazzo and Lucy Matsumoto on the Optimistic Voices Podcast for this two-part episode.Â
 Lucy is the new Executive Board President of All for One Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on work with orphans and vulnerable children. Lucy has been involved with nonprofit for more than 35 years and was blessed to have been part of a grassroots movement that changed  the paradigm for children with disabilities in the field of play that became an international movement. She was delighted to find All f...
