The country of Liberia is nestled on the Atlantic coast of West Africa between Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire. In recent history, civil war and disease have wreaked havoc on the country's already small population. The country's healthcare sector in particular has taken a big hit and remains understaffed with a largely undertrained workforce in many areas of the country. Sadly, Liberia is also one of the most dangerous places in the world for a mother to give birth. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, out of every 100,000 live births in Liberia, 725 mothers will die. This is compared to six in Australia, 14 in the USA, and nine in the United Kingdom.
But great strides are being made in equipping the next generation of healthcare workers in Liberia through the work of organizations and individuals such as Seed Global Health and Waltona Cummings. Take a listen as Waltona, a native of neighboring Sierra Leone, shares her story of being a nurse and nurse midwife educator. She and her colleagues in Liberia are working to save lives by raising the education standard one student at a time in hopes of building a stronger and healthier future for a country that has already lost so much.
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Zidane Mitoubssi (Zee-dan Mit-wub-see) was a newly graduated college student entering a workplace for which he found himself somewhat unprepared. And then he and a friend had a bright idea.
Beauty is worship, according to Kamal Aldeen Abu Halaweh. And ruin is just an ingredient for making something beautiful.
For Radwan Hashem, cycling is more than a sport—it’s a lifestyle. After undergoing a series of knee surgeries, the bike became a lifeline for him—as well as a teacher.
As an essential part of their culture, the dagger is sacred among the Bedouin (nomadic) people, according to craftsman Nayif Abu Muhaysin, whose family has been making daggers for four generations. As such, he aims to help continue preserving traditional Bedouin heritage for future generations through his traditional, handmade daggers.
Ahmad Adnan Al-Eriqsousi’s love for the historic version of his hometown inspired him to begin to immortalize it through three-dimensional miniature models during his retirement.
Even at the young age of fourteen, Ghazal Al-Madadha already has quite an extensive acting résumé and began reciting poetry as young as six years old. As a Jordanian national arts ambassador, she aims to empower other girls to make headway in Arab society and culture through the arts and beyond.
As a self-proclaimed small town kid who grew up on her grandfather’s farm, Aubrey learned the value and joy of hands-on labor from observing and working alongside her family. During a successful run in the corporate world, various factors—including impending burnout—led Aubrey to begin seeking a creative outlet to combat and manage stress. A chance encounter with a scrapped piece of furniture at the apartment dumpster during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic led her into the world of furniture resale and restoration—and ultimately to her own restoration as a person and creative.
When Gazi Khattab began practicing Arabic calligraphy as a child, he would go downtown to study the plethora of shop signage and advertisements on display for guidance and inspiration. This exposure to the environmental street décor of Jordan’s capital city eventually led him to begin collecting and preserving old signs—some of which are now on display in his Old Signs of Amman Museum in the heart of the city.
When Sanad Albokhari was a child, he had two recurring dreams. One was seeing the ocean. The other was living a rustic life—like a cowboy.
Javier was only five years old when he was separated from his mother and older sister as they tried to cross into the United States from Mexico. His family made it. But he was sent back. After two further failed immigration attempts with a protective stranger, little Javier made a solo attempt in hopes of finally being reunited with his family. Could he find the way? Listen as Javier shares the details of his harrowing journey.
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