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.
Episodes
41 episodes
Volunteering Beyond Borders: The Reality and Impact of Peace Corps Service in Sierra Leone
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 Bansara, a current volunteer, and Michael Lee, a returned volunteer and president of F...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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41:05
"I Grew up in an Orphanage in Africa" - From Orphanage to Adulthood: Resilience and Adaptation in Sierra Leone's Care Leavers
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 Ch...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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1:10:46
Why Your Church Should Engage with NGOs; Longtime Pastors Provide Perspective on Uniting Communities with Love and Service
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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1:04:17
A Voices from the Global South Episode. Why the Move from Orphanages to Family Homes is an African Ideal: Revolutionizing Child Welfare in Sierra Leone
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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55:36
Leaving Sponsorship Behind - Pitfalls and Benefits.
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, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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42:53
Redefining Aid: The Journey from Child Sponsorship to Community Empowerment
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 j...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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42:55
The Compelling Power of Altruism: Joy and Anger in the Face of Injustice.
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, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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23:13
Empowering Sierra Leone's Midwives and Health Workers: Charting the Future of Newborn and Maternal Health
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 lea...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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58:12
Orphanage Trafficking - A Real Life Horror Story
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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1:11:32
Season 3, Episode 1 - Together for Global Health takes a continuity of care maternal health mission to Sierra Leone
Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of the Optimistic Voices podcast of Helping Children Worldwide. We help children worldwide by strengthening and Empowering Families and communities. This podcast is for people interested in deep ...
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35:44
HCW's Teacher's Learning Collaborative - A Model for Multi-cultural Collaborative Mission
Host Dr. Laura Horvath is joined by Short Term Mission Leader for the Teachers' Learning Collaborative, Sharon Gardner from Grapevine, TexasSharon is the project lead teacher. She has traveled six time to participate in Short Term...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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1:06:48
Training - Essential Lessons for Ethical Mission Deployment.
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 shor...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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46:21
Continuity of Care in Health Systems in majority world countries: The struggle is real. With Dr. Carol McIntosh and Yasmine Vaughan
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 he...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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1:17:36
Doctors on Medical Mission - We Are Receiving As Much Good As We Can Give!
At our Rising Tides conference in March, Dr. Carol McIntosh presented on being a giver and a receiver of medical missions. Dr. Carol McIntosh was born in Brooklyn, NY although her family roots are based in...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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17:19
Care Leading: The Experiences of Adults Reflecting on the Legacy of Being Raised in Good Orphanages.
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 Assis...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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20:55
Jennifer Stevens from Good Birth Network at HCW Rising Tides Global Health 2023
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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34:20
Diving Deep into Localization with Doug Fountain of CCIH
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:24:06
Rising Tides 2023 - Excerpts from the Together for Global Health Conference in Washington, D.C.
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 con...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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26:34
Certified Ethical!
Certified Ethical!Mission Excellence and Standards for Global Mission DeploymentLast 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 prot...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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52:38
Secrets Uncovered and Mysteries Explained - Why Research Matters in Child Welfare
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 importa...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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52:59
Part 3 of 3-part episode. Interview with Care-leader and Author Emmanuel Nabieu about his memoir My Long Journey Back Home
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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43:22
My Long Journey Back Home - Emmanuel Nabieu’s interview about his pivotal book - PART TW0
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. Although the interview took place during a single session, we elected to break it into several episod...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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44:53
TRIGGER WARNING. WAR and MURDER Part 1 Author Interview - Emmanuel Nabieu, My Long Journey Back Home
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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42:18
HCW Rising Tides 2023 - Together for Global Health in DC on March 3rd & 4th
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 chall...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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40:16
