Best Melody Curtiss Podcasts (2024)

1
The Compelling Power of Altruism: Joy and Anger in the Face of Injustice. 23:13

21d ago23:13

23:13

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…

1
Empowering Sierra Leone's Midwives and Health Workers: Charting the Future of Newborn and Maternal Health 58:12

1M ago58:12

58:12

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 bl…

1
Orphanage Trafficking - A Real Life Horror Story 1:11:32

2M ago1:11:32

1:11:32

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…

1
Season 3, Episode 1 - Together for Global Health takes a continuity of care maternal health mission to Sierra Leone 35:44

3M ago35:44

35:44

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 conversations with thought leaders in the field of child welfare, global health and international missions to the …

1
HCW's Teacher's Learning Collaborative - A Model for Multi-cultural Collaborative Mission 1:06:48

8M ago1:06:48

1:06:48

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 a…

1
Training - Essential Lessons for Ethical Mission Deployment. 46:21

8M ago46:21

46:21

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…

1
Continuity of Care in Health Systems in majority world countries: The struggle is real. With Dr. Carol McIntosh and Yasmine Vaughan 1:17:36

10M ago1:17:36

1:17:36

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 an…

1
Doctors on Medical Mission - We Are Receiving As Much Good As We Can Give! 17:19

10M ago17:19

17:19

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 Carriacou, Grenada. She graduated from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction a…

1
Care Leading: The Experiences of Adults Reflecting on the Legacy of Being Raised in Good Orphanages. 20:55

10M ago20:55

20:55

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 …

1
Jennifer Stevens from Good Birth Network at HCW Rising Tides Global Health 2023 34:20

11M ago34:20

34:20

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 quali…

1
Diving Deep into Localization with Doug Fountain of CCIH 1:24:06

11M ago1:24:06

1:24:06

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 Fo…

1
Rising Tides 2023 - Excerpts from the Together for Global Health Conference in Washington, D.C. 26:34

12M ago26:34

26:34

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 spea…

1
Certified Ethical! 52:38

1y ago52:38

52:38

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…

1
Secrets Uncovered and Mysteries Explained - Why Research Matters in Child Welfare 52:59

1y ago52:59

52:59

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 …

1
Part 3 of 3-part episode. Interview with Care-leader and Author Emmanuel Nabieu about his memoir My Long Journey Back Home 43:22

1y ago43:22

43:22

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. Warning, the content of the first two episodes …

1
My Long Journey Back Home - Emmanuel Nabieu’s interview about his pivotal book - PART TW0 44:53

1y ago44:53

44:53

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 episodes. Warning, the content in this and the prior episode can be disturbing as it truthfully depicts the violence and brutalit…

1
TRIGGER WARNING. WAR and MURDER Part 1 Author Interview - Emmanuel Nabieu, My Long Journey Back Home 42:18

1y ago42:18

42:18

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 th…

1
HCW Rising Tides 2023 - Together for Global Health in DC on March 3rd & 4th 40:16

1y ago40:16

40:16

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…

1
Called by God to Serve Orphans and Vulnerable Children; Brandon Stiver 1MillionHome 54:18

1y ago54:18

54:18

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 adv…

1
Yes, Melody, We Can Change the World! Helping Children Worldwide Staff Plan for 2023 and beyond...! 54:30

1+ y ago54:30

54:30

Laura, Nabs, Yaz and Melody talk about their love for Helping Children Worldwide, and changing the world together! Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

1
How Health Disparity Threatens Lives - Dr. Aruna Stevens; Chief Medical Officer of Mercy UMC Hospital, Sierra Leone 39:13

1+ y ago39:13

39:13

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 …

1
Part B of two part discussion - A New Vision to End Family Separation and Increase Child Prosperity in 23 countries. 1:08:37

1+ y ago1:08:37

1:08:37

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 thi…

1
Child Prosperity and All For One - a new deal to stop family separation crisis in Sierra Leone. 45:16

1+ y ago45:16

45:16

Host Dr. Laura Horvath is delighted to have Katie Milazzo and Lucy Matsumoto on the Optimistic Voices Podcast for this two-part episode. 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…

1
Taking Attachment Theory Global- A UMaine Honors College Collaboration with Caregivers and Caregiver Trainers. 1:06:11

1+ y ago1:06:11

1:06:11

Host Dr. Laura Horvath interviews the team behind the Attachment Theory Workshops being introduced as a means of bringing the lessons of Trauma-Informed care into low resource environments for social workers who work with primary caregivers taking on the challenges of accepting children into their homes to raise. We’re really excited to introduce y…

1
Short Term Mission - Do no harm means we'll take the time to do it right! 1:07:03

1+ y ago1:07:03

1:07:03

Hosts Yasmine Vaughan and Dr. Laura Horvath: We’re happy to have with us today, Elli Oswald from Faith to Action, to talk about how they share with others best practices in short term missions. In particular, we are eager to have her talk about the importance of ethical missions in regard to safety and protection of children. Elli Oswald is the Exe…

1
ONE HEALTH - everything is connected, animals, plants, planet and humans! 54:53

1+ y ago54:53

54:53

From Rabies, to the Black Plague to Covid-19 to Monkey Pox - babies are subject to many preventable illnesses arising in their environment that can cause death. One Health is a crucial concept in understanding global health as climate change and transnational travel impact local public health issues for vulnerable populations - such as impoverished…

1
Difficult Truths: Life after growing up in a good orphanage. Beneetta Kulah, Liberian Care Leader 32:08

1+ y ago32:08

32:08

Beneeta Kulah lost her father when she was 3 years old. She was placed in a Christian orphanage in Liberia, West Africa, the country where she was born. She lived there for the next twenty years of her life, until she was released to live on her own because she was pregnant. Beneeta Kulah is a Care Leader. She is a courageous woman who grew up in a…

1
Transforming Orphan Care in an Orphan Pandemic: “Pure Religion” with Rev. Dr. Wayne Lavender, CEO, Foundation 4 Orphans 56:00

1+ y ago56:00

56:00

We’ve asked Reverend Wayne Lavender to be our guest on this episode of Optimistic Voices. The Rev. Wayne Lavender, Ph.D., is a United Methodist pastor currently serving as the executive director of the Foundation 4 Orphans and faculty member in the political science department at Quinnipiac University. He earned his Ph.D. from George Mason’s School…

1
Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Program 1:05:45

1+ y ago1:05:45

1:05:45

Host Yasmine Vaughan Interviews Dr. Carrie Jo Cain, Dr. Solomon Samura, and Dr. Benjamin Banguara in Sierra Leone, West Africa on their work to understand the causes of child mortality and impact global health and child survival rates. CHAMPS works in Mali, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Bangladesh and is moving into India and Nig…

1
Teachers’ Learning Collaborative - A new way for educators to engage in ethical Short Term Mission 34:54

1+ y ago34:54

34:54

Host Yasmine Vaughan speaks with three educators from Virginia and Texas on their experiences in participating in the Teachers’ Learning Collaborative with teacher-leaders from Sierra Leone. Sharon Gardner, from Grapevine, Texas, is the project lead teacher, and has been traveling to participate in Short Term Mission in Sierra Leone five times sinc…

1
A Methodist Church Grassroots Initiative - “A Strong Family for Every Child" 1:14:49

1+ y ago1:14:49

1:14:49

In this episode, guest host Rev. Tom Berlin, Senior Pastor of Floris UMC in Herndon, Virginia, and co-founder of the mission of Helping Children Worldwide, interviews a panel of representatives from the UMC Strong Family for Every Child initiative. The panelists include Emmanuel Nabieu Director of Mission Advance and Partnership from Helping Childr…

1
What is Global Health? 1:28:42

1+ y ago1:28:42

1:28:42

Yasmine’s guest today, is Heather Hall: Heather has a wide range of expertise in the field. She has a Graduate degree in global public health nursing, previously worked as a nurse in Kenya, did consulting public health work in Kenya and a few other African countries, is a former Program Coordinator for the Tuberculosis/Refugee/Immigration Programs …

1
Tips for Choosing a Worthwhile Charity 48:18

2y ago48:18

48:18

In this episode, Yasmine Vaughan and Dr. Laura Horvath discuss how donors can make better decisions when investing their money in charitable giving. How to recognize red flags and warning signs, versus indicators that a nonprofit organization is trustworthy and worthwhile. Special Guest Gillian Wagner, Global Impact. Of further interest on the topi…

1
Child Welfare: Family Assessments in Child Reintegration Cases 38:33

2y ago38:33

38:33

Emmanuel Nabieu of Helping Children Worldwide interviews his colleague and co-host, Dr. Horvath, along with Dr. Andrea Siegel and Dan Hope, Executive Director of SFAC on their experience in trainings with social workers and case managers at the Child Reintegration Center, Bo, Sierra Leone. In this week's episode we are talking specifically about as…