In episode 217, we have a special on the ground episode to share how one organization’s journey and commitment to reunifying families has inspired others. Trust for Africa’s work in Lesotho has gone beyond their own organization and now supports other organizations to transition to family-based care. Naomi Schalm, Mafusi Semethe, Mbele Horoto, and Bokang Lipholo all join us in this conversation to celebrate the movement underway in Africa’s “Kingdom of the Sky.”

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In episode 212, we’ve got a panel of executive directors that oversaw the transition of their orphanage to family based care. We’ll be asking them the hard questions of how they worked with their board of directors and their donor bases to take the journey with them. Brandon will be interviewing past Think Orphan guests and orphan care leaders, Brent Phillips of Cherish Uganda, Ashlee Heiligman of Global Child Advocates and Spencer Reeves of Child Hope International. This panel took place live in Atlanta, Georgia at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Annual Summit.

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In episode 207, we’re talking with Nick Runyon, Ashlee Heiligman and Julie Ann Walton about their new media series called Reimagine Orphan Care. Nick from The Archibald Project shares with us about storytelling and the power of media to help orphans and vulnerable children and Ashlee and Julie share some of the misconceptions they’ve encountered when talking with others about orphan care. All that plus some wrap up conversation on CAFO Summit in Atlanta.

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In episode 198, we’re speaking with Alycia Pinizzotto of Story International in Guatemala about piloting foster care in a new context, parenting teens and ministering in the midst of tragedy. Alycia brings a lot of first-hand experience and thoughtful reflections on ministering to orphans and vulnerable children, not only in Guatemala but in the US system as well.

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In episode 195, we’re talking with Dr. Scott Moeschberger. Scott is the Director of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Degree Program at Taylor University and a leading expert globally on violence against children. We discuss the program at Taylor and dig into his upcoming book “Building Cultures of Peace: Psychological Perspectives on Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Children”.

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In episode 194, we’re talking with Morgan Wienberg about her organization Little Footprints Big Steps, serving vulnerable children in Haiti and the new feature documentary Not About Me. Our conversation centers around eager volunteers, maturing into better practice and the prevalence of for-profit orphanages.

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In this special episode of Think Orphan, we’re joining Pastor and Author Francis Chan as he travels through Kenya to hear about what God is doing in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children. Along the way, he talks with care leavers, organization directors and advocates for family based care. This podcast is brought in partnership with JourneyHome, the online community learning platform that is training and resourcing leaders in global child welfare.

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In episode 190, we’re talking with Brent Phillips from Cherish Uganda. A long-time friend of the podcast, we get Brent on to share about the work that Cherish is doing in Uganda, what it looked like for them to transform to a family based model of care and then get into the nitty-gritty of fundraising for our missions and whether or not child sponsorships are the way to go.

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In episode 189, we’re talking with Sinet Chan and Grace Njeri who sit on the USAID Care Leavers Council and are recipients of Miracle Foundation’s Youth for Social Impact award. They share their personal experiences of what it was like to grow up in an orphanage and the years thereafter. Hear what they are doing now to help impact future adolescents coming out of institutionalized care.

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In episode 188, we’re talking with Caroline Boudreaux, the founder of Miracle Foundation. Caroline talks with us about what led her to starting the organization, what child welfare looks like in India and some important reflections on running non-profit organizations with excellence.

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