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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 their lack of material resources – they define it by feelings of powerlessness, inferiority, and hopelessness. "We feel like garbage that other people throw out," one person shared during a World Bank study. "We don't matter to the world and it is our destiny to be poor."

This mindset revelation transformed the team's approach. Rather than creating a simulation focused solely on material deprivation, they crafted an experience that plunges participants into the emotional reality of poverty – the impossible choices, the systemic barriers, and the cumulative stress of living without safety nets. During beta testing, participants emerged feeling "incredibly stressed" and "very anxious," gaining valuable insight into the psychological toll of poverty.

What makes Rooted in Reality uniquely powerful is its authenticity. Every scenario is based on real stories gathered from families in Bo and Freetown, Sierra Leone. The team worked closely with case managers at the Child Reintegration Center and staff at Mercy Hospital to ensu

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Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

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A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

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Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

____

Organize a Rooted in Reality mission experience for your service club, church group, worship team, young adult or adult study. No travel required. Step into the shoes of people in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Helping Children Worldwide takes you into a world where families are facing impossible choices every day.

Contact support@helpingchildrenworldwide.org to discuss how.

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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. Rather than place her in the dormitory setting of their interim care facility, Reverend Olivia made the compassionate decision to take Princess into her personal quarters - recognizing that institutional care, however well-intentioned, cannot replicate the warmth of a family environment.

Despite their best efforts to prepare Princess's biological parents for reunification, initial attempts failed when they couldn't keep her safe from her abuser. This setback led to placement with a foster parent - a nurse who provided Princess with stability, nurturing, and specialized care for her emotional needs. This therapeutic environment became the foundation for Princess's remarkable transformation.

Today, Princess is thriving. She's confident, expressive, and truly connected to her family after successfully reunifying with her prepared biological parents. She attends school regularly, has developed a love for reading, and dreams of becoming a teacher. As Reverend Olivia powerfully states, "No child is ever too lost or too broken to find her way back to love and stability."

Princess's story reminds us of the critical importance of speaking up when we see abuse, the power of trauma-informed care, and how communities working together can change a child's life trajectory. What role might you play in protecting the vulnerable children in your community? Subscribe now to hear more stories of resilience and hope on Optimistic Voices: A Child's View.

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

___________

Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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 institutional care, emphasizing the critical need for research and data to drive meaningful policy change. "When we know better, we have a responsibility to do better," he reminds us, highlighting how institutions isolate while families embrace. The experts discuss how poverty, misguided funding models, and entrenched attitudes continue to separate vulnerable children from families that could care for them with proper support.

Phil recounts a powerful story of transformation: when 26 adolescents in a well-run children's home were asked what they wanted most, every single one answered, "I want to live in a family." This led to a complete transition from institutional care to family placements for all 26 youth—proving that change is possible even in challenging circumstances. He challenges listeners who support orphanages not to withdraw funding, but instead to use their influence to ask important questions and encourage transition toward family-based solutions.

The conversation explores practical strategies for redire

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

___________

Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

____

Organize a Rooted in Reality mission experience for your service club, church group, worship team, young adult or adult study. No travel required. Step into the shoes of people in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Helping Children Worldwide takes you into a world where families are facing impossible choices every day.

Contact support@helpingchildrenworldwide.org to discuss how.

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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 orphanage to advocate for family care through Hope and Homes for Children and Transform Alliance Africa. Phil Aspegren shares his remarkable journey from orphanage founder to family care champion as Executive Director of Casa Viva, supporting transitions across Latin America. Together with host David Titus Musa of Sierra Leone, they unpack myths about orphanages that perpetuate family separation.

The statistics are sobering: for every three months in an institution, a child loses approximately one month of development. Yet there's tremendous hope in the successful transitions happening worldwide. We hear about a Honduran children's home that reunified all 40 children with families, then redirected their resources to support 125 vulnerable families in the community, preventing separations before they happen.

Whether you're a donor, volunteer, or simply care about vulnerable children, this conversation presents a compelling vision for reform. Family isn't just a nice option – it's essential.

Family is the foundat

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

___________

Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

____

Organize a Rooted in Reality mission experience for your service club, church group, worship team, young adult or adult study. No travel required. Step into the shoes of people in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Helping Children Worldwide takes you into a world where families are facing impossible choices every day.

Contact support@helpingchildrenworldwide.org to discuss how.

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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 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 support in 2016, Monjama faced new challenges: reconnecting with her mother while continuing her education.

The podcast welcomes two special guests who bring this story to life. Rosa Saffa, a social worker at the CRC who was herself raised in residential care, shares unique insights into the emotional complexities Monjama navigated. Then surprisingly, Monjama herself joins the conversation, describing her journey from disconnection to rebuilding relationships with her mother and siblings. We hear firsthand about the obstacles she overcame—language barriers, cultural differences, and the emotional work of reestablishing family bonds after years of separation.

Most powerfully, Monjama reveals how she completed nursing school and treated her own mother as her first patient—a profound full-circle moment that exemplifies how supporting one child can transform entire families and communities. As Rosa eloquently states, "If you educate a girl child, you educate a nation."

This episode challenges listeners to reconsider what creates true resilience in vulnerable children. Beyond academic opportunities, Monjama's story demonstrates how family connections provide the emotional foundation and sense of belonging essential for lasting success. Through her journey, we witness the transformative power of holistic support that addresses both educational needs and family relationships.

Ready to be part of someone's journey toward hope? Visit helpingchildrenworldwide.org to learn how

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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 welfare experts are increasingly critical of this popular fundraising approach.

Dr. Farrell explains how sponsorship programs often create an "illusion of relationship" that can undermine family structures and elevate Western donors to an almost divine status. We discuss the uncomfortable realization that for all our good intentions, we may be perpetuating harmful power dynamics. As one Peruvian mother pointedly asked: "How would it feel to you if a foreigner was writing your 11-year-old daughter every month?"

The conversation isn't about condemning those who sponsor children – it's about recognizing sponsorship as a starting point that can evolve into more equitable partnerships. We explore three practical alternatives that address root causes rather than symptoms: supporting community-based programs, pairing international giving with local engagement, and persistently asking "why" about the underlying causes of vulnerability.

Whether you're currently sponsoring a child, considering it, or working in global development, this conversation challenges us to apply the golden rule to our international relationships and reimagine how we can truly support vulnerable children worldwide. Join us for this essential discussion about privilege, power, and the path toward more effective global partnerships.

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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 pursued adoption. Despite gaining full legal guardianship in Sierra Leone's courts, their hopes were crushed when U.S. immigration repeatedly denied visas for their children. Suddenly faced with parenting teenagers across an ocean, Jen discovered an even greater problem - young adults aging out of orphanages had nowhere to go and no skills for independent living.

"There were more resources available for someone coming out of prison than a child transitioning from institutional care," Jen explains. Without basic life skills, budgeting knowledge, or mental health support, these young adults faced nearly impossible odds. When rumors spread that the transition program would be ending and children might be sent back to families unprepared to receive them, Jen knew she had to act. She worked with a local Sierra Leonean NGO, Child and Family Permanency Services, to create a program to assist care leavers suddenly facing life outside the institution with no supports.

Named in honor of her mother who never gave up hope that her grandchildren would come home, Mamaw's House now provides comprehensive support to young adults leaving orphanage care. Managed as a program of an established organization that provides family strengthening, child reintegration and child protection services, Mamaw's House offers care leavers from Sierra Leone orphanages continuing education, connections to find basic housing and necessary services, mentorship from former care leavers, life skills training, and mental h

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

___________

Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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 fetuses. Addressing this is a pathway to reducing stillbirths, preeclampsia, infant malnutrition, and physical health outcomes.

The conversation illuminates how mothers in Sierra Leone express their psychological suffering through culturally specific language—describing their distress as "my heart is spoiled" or "my heart is crying"—rather than using Western terms like depression or anxiety. Dr. Jawobah shares the heartbreaking cultural context where women who undergo cesarean sections may be viewed as "not fit to be women" and mothers whose babies develop malnutrition might be accused of infidelity, creating significant barriers t

________

Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

******

_____

A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

___________

Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

____

Organize a Rooted in Reality mission experience for your service club, church group, worship team, young adult or adult study. No travel required. Step into the shoes of people in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Helping Children Worldwide takes you into a world where families are facing impossible choices every day.

Contact support@helpingchildrenworldwide.org to discuss how.

____________________

Become an episode or show sponsor or an Optimistic Affiliate. Contact us at OVP@helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Or simply support the show with a paid subscription! Use the link below, subscribe and access Paid Subscriber Perks!

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org