Bridging Cultures

When parents are too busy trying to make ends meet and feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, it's often difficult to have mental, physical and emotional bandwidth their children may need.  Escuchar con Amor, in Costa Rica, offers counseling and spiritual guidance to give parents the confidence they need as well as nutritional food for their families.  Costa Rica Mission Projects, throug...

Before a child can even begin to learn anything, they must feel safe and they must feel loved.  Oftentimes, we focus on teaching when a child isn't in a position to learn anything.  In today's episode, we'll hear from Lisa Holliday who has spent the past 30 years working with families and children that have experienced trauma in a variety of ways.  Learn from her personal and professional insights...

When you have hope, you can dream the impossible and actually make it a reality!  Meet Reegan, the CEO of the global south for Zoe Empowers.  Since 2007, Reegan has led the way for thousands of orphan and vulnerable children to not only survive, but to thrive.  You'll hear the story of Rahab and how she not only has become a successful business woman, but she cares for her siblings and is helping...

Everyone loves change!  (said no one ever) In today's episode, you'll hear more from Nabs & Olivia on how they were able to get everyone on board to transition the orphanage into family-based care.  Their success has allowed them to continue reaching out to more street children and helping them reintegrate into family.  Where at one time they were limited by their orphanage capacity, they are now...

Meet Nabs and Olivia, two survivors from the Sierra Leon Civil War. Nabs was a homeless child and Olivia was a local leader that wanted to help the many street children.  This is the first in a 2-part series on how the civil war in Sierra Leon created thousands of orphans.  In an effort to care for all of these children, orphanages began.  You'll hear their stories on how they experienced the war 

In Episode 2 you'll hear from Amanda, a local leader in Ciudad España, Honduras that spends hours helping vulnerable families.  Amanda leads a sponsorship program at the Juan Wesley School in an economically poor area of Honduras.  Many single parent families that can barely make ends meet can't afford school for their children.  Sponsors help close the gap between what the families can pay and wh...

Welcome to Season 3!  We will be talking with our global partners on innovative ways of caring for orphans and vulnerable children in ways that help children to grow and thrive.  Episode 1 will take you through a very quick tour on the history of orphan care as we prepare to launch into this new season.

Why is hunger still a global problem in 2022?  This week you'll hear from Jake Seager, a senior at Kansas State University majoring in global food systems.  He'll share why solving food insecurity is a wicked problem and how different organizations are starting to turn the tide.  BUT, it's going to take all of us doing our part to come close to helping the most vulnerable become food secure.

Being fed is more than just ensuring there is food on the table.  It's connecting with others in a shared meal or even connecting with others across some dirt.  In this episode, you'll hear from Alicia Ellingsworth from the KC Farm School in the creative ways they've found to address multiple types of hunger, not just the hunger that food can conquer.

COVID affected food insecurity globally, and in informal settlements like Mooiplaas, it hit hard.  By starting with food baskets, a "relief" response to a disaster, over time, they bridged towards long-term solutions.  Hear from our partners in South Africa as they share the challenge and their solution!

In Honduras, children often need to choose between joining a gang or going hungry.  Take a listen to Celeste, one of the local leaders in Honduras, and her solution to addressing hunger in her community.

Hear from our local leaders in Haiti as they describe their community efforts to combat chronic food insecurity & deforestation in one fell swoop.

Permaculture creates a holistic sustainable food system based upon the needs of the people, the land where the food is grown, and weather in that location.  You'll get to hear from Biswick again as he digs deeper into the impact of solving food insecurity for thousands of families in  Malawi - forever!

This season we will be diving into the complexity of food insecurity around the world and in our communities.  In today's episode, you will hear from Rachel Ibok, a Community Engagement Coordinator at Harvesters (a Community Food Network in Kansas City) as she introduces the challenges that hunger and food insecurity present in the Kansas City community and around the globe.

Bloopers, nuggets of wisdom, and deep connections make up the final episode of Season 1.  You'll hear from our partners in South Africa, Puerto Rico, Malawi, Honduras, Haiti, and Costa Rica.  It's a conglomeration of snippets of conversations that didn't make the other episodes, but needed to be heard.  Join us in our final bonus episode which we wanted to call "Nuggets from the Cutting Room Floor...

Are you ever frustrated that people from different viewpoints can't get along?  Especially if they are religious leaders?  This week we'll get to know Josue Andre from Haiti and he'll share how he's gotten voodoo priests, catholic priests, and protestant pastors to all sit around the same table together to make a difference in their community.  He'll share his community development work that is ha...

When disasters strike - natural or man made - people want to help.  Sometimes, it's a small disaster that a community can, and should handle on their own.  Sometimes that "help" turns into a secondary disaster.  Sometimes the help lasts too long and turns into dependency.  But sometimes, it's just what a community needs to help them recover and get back on their own two feet.  Join us as we take a...

Sawubona:  "I see you" in Zulu is often used as a greeting, but it's more than just for politeness.  Sawubona means you recognize the worth and diginity of the person you are encountering.  Meet Wil, originally from the US, but has lived most of his life in Costa Rica.  Sawubona is a meaningful word to him and shapes how he interacts with others.

"Lots of organizations have literally killed Malawians by giving handouts to them....what they need is knowledge, not food."  Luwayo Biswick from Malawi says he can end hunger for a family in 3 weeks.  And not only does he say it, he's proven it.   To learn more, visit www.cor.org/bridgingcultures for Shownotes and join our Bridging Cultures Facebook group!

Only 46% of Malawians live within reach of healthcare.  Mercy, the founder of Wandikweza, works hard to bring healthcare closer to the people by training local leaders in preventative care, overseeing nurses on motorcycles, and mobile medical clinics.  She tells powerful stories on the importance of building strong relationships and empowering local leaders.  

Today you will hear from partners in Malawi, South Africa, and Haiti.  What's wrong with dependency and does it effect progress - personally and community wide?  Take a listen to community game changers as they share stories explaining why dependency is so detrimental to future success.

Meet Hugo - a Malawian that received his degree in economics so that he could work for World Bank or another large international organization to make an impact.  BUT, he felt called to start working for the church coordinating community development projects by bringing innovative Malawian organizations together to make a collective impact.  He is preparing to launch his own holistic community deve...

Empowerment of local leaders is a game-changer.  We begin by hearing from Carol Cartmill who unpacks what empowerment means in international development work.  Next we'll journey to Malawi where you'll hear stories from Hugo Ngwira and Funny Nkhoma and their perspective as to why empowerment can break generational poverty.  Stories that are inspirational and encouraging, although some heartbreakin...

Making an impact in someone's life is one of the most meaningful goals you could have.  Take a listen to Milton and see how he strives to bring about good changes in communities around the world by investing in the lives of the people that live there.  Check out our Shownotes to learn more and find ways that you can make a difference too!

Strong & trusting relationships are the foundation of every partnership, whether they be personal or professional.  Without a solid relational foundation, communication can be misinterpreted, partnerships can be fractured, and progress will be stalled.  Join us as we dig deeper into the importance of relationships as we hear from Hugo & Mercy in Malawi, and Milton in Honduras.  Check out our Shown...