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The remarkable journey of an 11-year-old girl named Em demonstrates the life-changing power of cross-border collaboration in child protection. When Em was trafficked from her home in Liberia to Sierra Leone under false promises of education, she instead found herself forced into domestic labor and street selling. After becoming separated from her trafficker and lost on the streets, local authorities connected her with the Child Reintegration Center (CRC).

Through counseling sessions, CRC discovered Em wasn't from Sierra Leone at all, presenting a complex international challenge. What happened next showcases the extraordinary impact of professional networking in child welfare. George Kulanda from CRC and Prezton Gonkerwon Vaye from Red Meets Green had previously met at a child protection training workshop where they exchanged contact information. This connection became the crucial link in Em's rescue, demonstrating how seemingly small professional relationships can transform lives.

The multinational effort expanded to include multiple stakeholders across both countries, coordinating Em's safe transport to the border, completing necessary documentation, and arranging temporary placement while family tracing continued. In a touching development, Em's parents learned about their daughter's whereabouts and traveled to claim her, resulting in an emotional reunion filled with "joyful tears." Today, Em is back in school and dreams of becoming a doctor to serve her village community. Her mother now educates neighbors about trafficking risks, creating ripple effects of protection throughout their community.

This story reminds us that behind every trafficking statistic stands a child with dreams and potential. When organizations unite across borders, even the most complex cases find resolution. As Elena, the youth co-host wisely observed: "There's always light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to be resilient and willing to seek it." Subscribe now to hear more inspiring stories of hope and resilience on Optimistic Voices: A Child's View.

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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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Shout out to our newest sponsor: The Resilience Institute

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Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

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What does it really mean to empower people? Beyond buzzwords and good intentions lies a complex reality that social impact organizations grapple with daily. This conversation with researchers Dr. Thomas Crea and Dr. Sarah Neville dives deep into the messy, thought-provoking questions that challenge conventional thinking about empowerment.

The discussion takes us beyond simplistic notions of "teaching a man to fish" to examine whether we're creating the fishing holes people need to sustain themselves. As Dr. Crea points out, true empowerment begins when "communities recognize and define the issues affecting them" rather than having external definitions imposed. Yet the structures of international aid, academic research, and nonprofit funding often create barriers to this community-centered approach.

We explore the tension between research that feels extractive and communities' immediate needs for jobs, healthcare, and education. Both researchers share candid reflections on working across contexts from Sierra Leone to Chelsea, Massachusetts, revealing how power dynamics play out similarly whether internationally or locally. The conversation challenges Western individualism through Dr. Neville's observation that "nobody is a self-made person" and questions whether traditional metrics can capture what matters most in human flourishing.

Perhaps most provocatively, we question whether empowerment can be measured at all. Some of the most important outcomes—belonging, dignity, community connection—resist quantification but remain essential. As Dr. Neville notes, "We seem to want short-term, inexpensive solutions to have life-changing, transformative impact," yet meaningful change often requires longer-term investment and humility about what we can

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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

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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.

Shout out to our newest sponsor: The Resilience Institute

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Send us a text

What happens when tragedy and opportunity collide in the life of a child? Dr. Aruna Stevens' story answers this question with breathtaking resilience and hope. Born just before Sierra Leone's devastating civil war, Aruna's childhood was shattered when his father was killed and his extended family of twenty separated. He experienced homelessness, hunger, and the daily struggle for survival in a community where healthcare was virtually non-existent—where people routinely died from treatable conditions simply because there were no doctors available.

The turning point came when the Child Rescue Centre welcomed young Aruna, providing stability and education for the first time in his life. Despite studying by candlelight and walking long distances to school, he persevered. This foundation eventually led him to graduate from Sierra Leone's only medical college and serve as chief medical director at Mercy Hospital for five years. Now pursuing a PhD in tropical medicine and infectious diseases at Tulane University, Dr. Stevens explains how his difficult past fuels his passion for creating sustainable healthcare solutions in his homeland.

Throughout our conversation, Dr. Stevens shares the motivation he finds in his two-year-old son, Godfrey, who remains in Sierra Leone while he completes his studies. His ultimate goal transcends personal achievement—he envisions transforming Mercy Hospital into a self-sufficient institution and establishing research teams to address neglected tropical diseases. "Begin every journey with an end in mind," he advises our listeners, emphasizing that true fulfillment comes from focusing on the broader impact of your work. Join us for this powerful reminder that how a child's journey ends isn't determined by how it begins, but by the decisions, support, and determination they find along the way. Listen now and discover how you might become part of someone else's journey toward hope.

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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

******

Shout out to our newest sponsor: The Resilience Institute

Support the show

Helpingchildrenworldwide.org