It has been over a year since the earthquake that hit Syria and Türkiye in 2023. We have mentioned it before on this podcast, but for the ADRA team in Syria, the reality of the aftermath has never gone away. 

After a bit of a break, ADRA Insider is back to share more stories from our work in Canada and around the world. We sat down earlier in 2024 to hear the voices of the ADRA Syria team as they shared their experiences during and after the earthquake, and shared some of their perspectives on what the world outside their country might not quite be able to see. Their heart-stirring personal testimony is impactful, and their determination to help their community even in the face of loss is inspiring.

Follow us on all of our online platforms to stay up to date with ADRA Canada, and visit our website to learn how you can help make a difference. 

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ADRA Insider is back! Our theme for 2024 is "Compassion In Action," and the situation around the world is certainly demanding that we dig deep for that compassion. 

On New Years Day, natural disasters struck Madagascar and Japan. Cleanup and relief responses were already underway in Tanzania due to flooding that took place just before the New Year, and the rising tensions in the Middle-East have meant more problems for Lebanon.

ADRA is on the ground working on crisis response in each of these cases. But the numerous problems around the world are a powerful reminder of how important it is for us to band together and choose to put compassion into action.

Follow us on all of our online platforms to stay up to date with ADRA Canada, and visit our website to learn how you can help make a difference. 

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In this episode, Max sits down with Campbell Page - the director of Indigenous Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. Campbell shares about his own Cree and Métis heritage, as well as the role that ADRA and other Adventists can play in the important process of reconciliation with Indigenous people in the land now known as Canada. Campbell also discusses how his Christian faith and theological training intersect with his Indigenous identity, and how he finds intersection points shared by the Bible and Cree spirituality.

You can read more about ADRA's commitments to Truth and Reconciliation here: https://www.adra.ca/adras-commitment-to-truth-and-reconciliation/

As mentioned in the episode, you can learn more about this topic via the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/ 

Follow ADRA Canada on all of our social media to stay up to date about all of our projects relating to indigenous communities!

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In this second part of our episode on Emergency Management, we take a look at the history and development of the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. Who are these factions that are fighting? Why are they in conflict, and how is it affecting people? Most importantly, how are ADRA and other humanitarian agencies responding to this crisis? This episode sheds light on how humanitarian organizations like ADRA work around the limitations imposed by an active conflict zone. 

While the wildfires raging across Canada are a major point of concern for many people, they are only one of several emergency situations we have dealt with this year. In this first half of the double episode, Max examines polar opposite ends of the emergency response process: the early emerging phase where the response is sometimes undefined or in development (such as the early phase of response to Alberta wildfires), and the longer-term implications of an emergency (such as the lingering mental health effects of the war in Ukraine). A second part of this episode will cover ongoing events in Sudan, Haiti, and other areas of the world facing recent emergencies. 

ADRA's projects almost always involve some element of promoting healthy living, or enhancing people's ability to maintain, preserve, or improve their health. From food security projects, to water access, to medical responses to global pandemics, ADRA puts deeply-held Seventh-day Adventist values into practice by helping people to access their health-related human rights. 

It has been over a year since the most recent invasion of Ukraine by Russian began. ADRA workers have been active on the ground in Ukraine, as well as in surrounding nations like Moldova and Romania, and in countries around the world receiving refugees – all in an effort to save lives and give people hope. In this episode, we hear from staff members of ADRA Ukraine and ADRA Canada about their experiences amidst the devastation. We also hear from two survivors – one, a woman who was away from her family when they were forced to evacuate, and another a mother in Kiyv whose son has epilepsy. Hear the stories of survival, struggle, and hope, and get an inside look at how ADRA is making a difference.

On International Women's Day 2023, ADRA Canada's gender equality specialist Mahider Yeshaw joins the podcast to discuss some of the work we have done in Sudan - and helps us make the connection between water access and gender equality. We learn how water can become a deciding factor in women's empowerment. We also get a brief explanation of ADRA's emergency response process from our emergency programs director - Anita Odondi.

The earthquake in Türkiye and Syria earlier this month came as a shock to the world. Over the last few weeks, humanitarian agencies have been working overtime to respond to the immediate aftermath of the crisis. Now, in the final stages of emergency response, ADRA and other similar organizations are shifting more towards longer-term recovery work. The wounds are still fresh in many ways, but the broader concerns about infrastructure, healthcare, and rebuilding are becoming more salient.

How has ADRA been responding? This episode shares details about what has been done so far, and points to some of the work that is needed going forward.

On Monday, February 6, 2023, troubling news struck the world when a massive earthquake struck Syria and Türkiye. Bad news has gotten worse as the death toll climbs - in fact, between the time of recording and upload, the number of deaths and injuries reported in this very podcast became inaccurate.

In a coincidental turn of events, one of ADRA Canada's own staff members was present in Damascus. Zeny Cooper had been sent to provide finance training for the ADRA Syria team. Instead of going ahead with her workshop, however, Zeny faced the onset of the earthquake and its numerous aftershocks. You can hear her story here, as well as a summary of where the disaster response is at so far, and of course a bit more about how you can help. 

While ADRA has dispatched a team to conduct assessments in Türkiye, we have a more established presence in Syria and will be focusing our relief efforts there. 

Follow this link to donate to ADRA's emergency response to the earthquake. https://www.adra.ca/adras-turkiye-and-syria-response/

Our theme for January at ADRA Canada was "Ensuring Economic Opportunity." ADRA Canada's programs help individuals, families, and communities to earn money, develop resources, and adapt to new financial situations. We work to create a just world by refusing "drive-by" charity and insisting on the empowerment and sustainable independence of the communities we serve. With stories coming from Venezuela, Kenya, the Philippines, and right here in Canada, this episode demonstrates how ADRA's approach to ensuring economic opportunity for our project participants is holistic and well-rounded.

As a migrant crisis unfolds across Latin America and the Caribbean, how should we respond? Plus, we introduce a new host and welcome new listeners to discover why ADRA's work is effective. 

We are raising funds to fight the ongoing hunger crisis in 13 countries between October 2022 and March 2023. Donate today to help us dethrone hunger and set a seat for Justice At The Table. https://linktr.ee/adracanada

In the final episode of 2023 - ADRA Canada's "Year of Justice" - we take a look at the work that ADRA does with people who are displaced from their homes, whether Refugees or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). We share stories of an IDP family in Somalia and a family of Ukrainian refugees seeking to make the most of a new life resettled in Canada. 

This episode also takes some time for Max, the producer, to reflect on the scale and frequency of humanitarian crises and natural disasters in 2023 and to offer some personal thoughts on what it means to pay attention with an open heart, to remain empathetic to the suffering of the world, and to maintain a humanitarian spirit in spite of constant bad news. 

To everyone who has listened to this season of the podcast this year, we thank you for your attention, engagement, and support. We wish you the best in the new year!

Follow us on all of our online platforms to stay up to date with ADRA Canada. 

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In this episode of the ADRA Insider, we talk to Sopheap Sreng, the Gender Equality Manager for ADRA Canada. Sopheap was forced to leave his home as a child and spent seven years living on the street.  He tells how one dollar changed his life, and how his journey has led to his work today in Gender Equality for ADRA Canada.

Join ADRA Insider Host, Heather Grbic and Associate Director for Programs, Avish Raj, as they discuss how ADRA is bringing the issues of Climate Change into all of the projects that ADRA Canada funds around the world.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider, Heather Grbic visits with Artem Dikhtiaruk, Programs Director for ADRA Ukraine, over a Zoom call.  Artem shares his harrowing experience of evacuating his hometown and the amazing work that ADRA Ukraine is doing to save lives in Ukraine.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider video podcast, we take a look back on the BC Fires of 2021 and review how ADRA responded to help the victims of the fires.  Heather Grbic interviews ADRA staff that were directly involved in the response.  The podcast includes interviews from people who were affected by the fires, as well as ADRA volunteers who gave up their summer plans to help people in need.

In this episode, Heather Grbic, has an insightful conversation with Mahider Yeshaw, Gender Equality Advisor for ADRA Canada on how ADRA Canada includes gender equality education into all of the programs that we do.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider Podcast, Frank Spangler has a zoom call with some of the staff of ADRA Cambodia to discuss the work of ADRA in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Learn about the many ways that ADRA Canada has supported this country from the recovery of the civil war in the 1990s through the response to the COVID pandemic.

In this episode, Heather Grbic talks with Peggy Caesar about ADRA’s work with the Albinism community in Tanzania as an example of how ADRA includes people with disabilities in all of the projects that we do.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider Podcast, Frank Spangler and Executive Director, Steve Matthews talk about a recent trip they went on to the highlands of Peru. Discover how ADRA is changing lives by helping people build warm, healthy homes, high up in the Andean mountains.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider Podcast, Frank Spangler speaks with ADRA’s Canadian Programs Manager, Pastor Daniel Saugh, about some of the work that ADRA is doing here in Canada to help relieve hunger. Pastor Saugh also speaks about Ministries of Compassion, and his vision of having ADRA Partner with Churches across Canada as they minister to people in need in their communities.

In this episode, Heather Grbic speaks with Michael Kirkby about the work that ADRA is doing to help people have better health and nutrition. Michael talks about the visits that he has made to project sites where ADRA has been teaching people how to grow organic kitchen gardens. He also shares his experience of having just visited ADRA’s project in Nunavut.

In our ongoing Year of Justice, we dedicated November to the theme of "Protecting Children." Yes, we are a bit late highlighting last month's theme on the podcast, but we still felt it was worth it to give the topic a highlight on this show. 

Notably, we sat down recently with Cho Thel - Senior Program Manager for the Myanmar chapter of the BRIGHT (Breaking Barriers, Improving Girls Education, Hope, and Totality) Project. She shared some of her personal experience from helping to implement this project, as well as some of her own story growing up in this very same country, and how it all contributes to ADRA's emphasis on protecting children from the harms of trafficking, labour exploitation, and abuse. You will also hear examples of the BRIGHT project's success in Niger and Sudan, and catch a glipse of how all ADRA projects contribute in some way to the protection of children.

Follow us on all of our online platforms to stay up to date with ADRA Canada. 

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In this episode of the ADRA Insider, Host, Heather Grbic speaks with Frank Spangler, Multimedia Specialist for ADRA Canada about his observations of the amazing work that ADRA is doing in helping people learn ways to better provide for their families.

In this episode, we feature the work that ADRA is doing in Education. Join our ADRA Insider host, Heather Grbic as she talks with Analynn Bruce, Development Program Director for ADRA Canada about how ADRA is Changing the lives of youth living in conflict and post-conflict zones.

We are so glad you have joined us! In this episode, Pastor Mark Johnson, ADRA Board Chair, speaks with host, Frank Spangler, on the importance of providing clean, safe water to people living in remote communities. As the President of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Canada, Pastor Johnson also speaks of his vision for a new, developing partnership between ADRA and Adventist churches across Canada as they develop Ministries of Compassion in their own communities.

In this episode, Michael Kirkby has an in-person interview with Elaria Fahmi, the Humanitarian Program Coordinator at ADRA Lebanon. A Canadian who grew up in Toronto, Elaria has spent the last 5 years working in Syria and Lebanon. Elaria shares with us the work that ADRA Lebanon has been doing in partnership with ADRA Canada, and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, to help the people of Lebanon get through their ongoing crisis.

In this ADRA Insider Podcast, we Zoom meet with Edwin Flores, the Emergency Coordinator for ADRA Honduras.  Edwin shares what it is like to be working on the front lines, helping people recover from floods, drought and hurricanes.

In this episode, we talk with Janice Smith, the Community Engagement Coordinator for ADRA Canada about the “Hoops for a Hunger” fundraiser event. Janice started this fundraiser for ADRA on her own initiative, long before she became an employee of ADRA, and now she is taking Hoops for Hunger into a major, national fundraiser!  Find out how you can get involved, either as a participant or sponsor. We are also joined by Roshawn Nunes, a youth ambassador for the fundraiser.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider, Michael Kirkby speaks with James Astleford, currently the Country Director of ADRA Kenya. ADRA Canada has been sponsoring humanitarian work in Kenya for 30 years. The training and material support that has been provided has uplifted whole communities. Join us as James shares with us some of the exciting success stories!

In this episode of the ADRA Insider, Michael sits down with Pastor Daniel Saugh, Canadian Programs Manager for ADRA Canada, and Anita M. Odondi, Emergency Program Director, to talk about the work that ADRA is doing here at home in Canada.

In this episode, Michael Kirkby speaks with Executive Director of ADRA Canada, Steve Matthews, and Daniel Saugh, the Canadian Programs  Manager, about the ongoing partnership that ADRA Canada has with the First Nations community of Wiikwemkoong (Wiky for short), located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario.  Just returning from a visit to Manitoulin, the three discuss the COVID-19 emergency response that ADRA is doing in the community as well as the assistance that ADRA is providing to the highly effective, Outdoor Adventure Leadership Experience program that Wiky provides for their youth.

In this episode of the ADRA Canada Insider Podcast, discover the EMBRACE project of ADRA through the eyes of three highschool students from Toronto, as they go on a learning tour of Rwanda.

On November 15, 2023, ADRA Canada celebrated the agency's 40th anniversary. After four decades of humanitarian service, there was a lot to celebrate, to reflect on, and to look forward to. Important representatives from Seventh-day Adventist church leadership, as well as local leaders and dignitaries, all took their turns on stage to speak on the importance of ADRA's work, and to cast a vision for the future of the agency. 

Join us on this episode of ADRA Insider as we summarize the events of the night for those who were unable to attend, as well as giving you a little insight into some staff's experiences behind the scenes. You'll also hear the recorded premiere of a new, original ADRA theme song, and learn a bit more about legacy giving and the ADRA J. Howard Society.

Follow us on all of our online platforms to stay up to date with ADRA Canada. 

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In this video podcast, Heather talks with Steve Matthews, the Executive Director of ADRA Canada, Anthony Da Rocha, Senior Technical Advisor, MNCH, and Frank Spangler, Multimedia Specialist, about the EMBRACE project in Rwanda.  Discover how ADRA transformed a region of Rwanda that was once known for high infant mortality, malnutrition, and stunting in children into a district where it is difficult to find a malnourished baby!

In this episode, join Frank Spangler as he travels to the Philippines to visit the EMBRACE project. Frank sits down with Tom Pignon, the ADRA Philippines Country Director, Lovely Joy Alvar, the Project Manager for EMBRACE, and Alexander Nayve, the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist as they share how the EMBRACE project has changed the lives of thousands of people living in remote villages in the Philippines.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Podcast. We are so glad you have joined us! In this episode Heather talks with Steve Matthews, the Executive Director of ADRA Canada, Anthony Da Rocha, Senior Technical Advisor, MNCH, and Frank Spangler, Multimedia Specialist, about the PROMISE project in Rwanda.  Discover how ADRA is transforming the lives of people living in this drought-prone region of Africa.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Podcast. We are so glad you have joined us! In this episode Heather talks with Steve Matthews, the Executive Director of ADRA Canada, Anita M. Odondi, the Emergency Program Director, and Frank Spangler, Multimedia Specialist, about their recent visit to the Mandera West county of Kenya.  Sit back, relax, and see how ADRA is helping people living in this drought-prone region of Africa.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Podcast. We are so glad you have joined us. In this episode Michael shares some heartwarming stories from his recent trip to Thailand.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Insider Podcast. We are so glad you have joined us for this special episode, recorded in the field from the country of Rwanda.   In this episode we visit with Reuben Muvunyi, Vincent Munyerari,  and Florence Niyonambaza, the lead ADRA Rwanda staff that are implementing the EMBRACE project in Rwanda.  EMBRACE is a four year program that is improving the health and lives of people living in remote regions of the Western Province of Rwanda.  The project is funded primarily by the Canadian Government through Global Affairs Canada and implemented by ADRA Canada in partnership with ADRA Rwanda, ADRA Philippines, ADRA Cambodia and ADRA Myanmar.  This is part two of our interview with the Rwanda EMBRACE staff.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Insider Podcast. We are so glad you have joined us for this special episode, recorded in the field from the country of Rwanda. In this episode, we visit with Reuben Muvunyi, Vincent Munyerari,  and Florence Niyonambaza, the lead ADRA Rwanda staff that are implementing the EMBRACE project in Rwanda.  EMBRACE is a four-year program that is improving the health and lives of people living in remote regions of the Western Province of Rwanda.  The project is funded primarily by the Canadian Government through Global Affairs Canada and implemented by ADRA Canada in partnership with ADRA Rwanda, ADRA Philippines, ADRA Cambodia and ADRA Myanmar.  This is part one of our interview with the Rwanda EMBRACE staff.

In this episode of the ADRA Insider Podcast, we are talking to a group of high school students from Canada who are visiting ADRA’s EMBRACE project in the country of Rwanda.  Recorded in the field, you can catch the excitement in the student’s voices as you listen to them talk about their adventure of visiting Africa and seeing ADRA’s projects first hand.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Insider Podcast. Thank you for joining us for another episode! In this podcast we sit down with Sonja Fraser as she tells us about her first trip into the field.  Journey with her as she describes visiting remote villages where ADRA is working in the beautiful African nation of Rwanda!

June 20 is World Refugee Day.  It is a time that we can stop for a few minutes and think about the millions of people in our world who have had to flee their homes because of wars, conflicts and natural disasters.  As a big part of our work to help people living in need, ADRA is serving refugees in many parts of our world. To talk about some of the work that ADRA Canada is doing, we have invited Anita M. Odondi, Emergency Program Director for ADRA Canada, to be our guest on our podcast today.  Since we recorded this podcast a couple of weeks ago, the United Nations has revised its numbers and is now saying that 70.8 million people are currently displaced from their homes.  Listen as Anita shares with us stories of a recent trip to Colombia where she met refugees from Venezuela.

Food security is at the heart of so much of ADRA's programming around the world. As unprecedented drought conditions wreak havoc on crops, pastures, and herds, and as armed conflicts send people into various forms of displacement - hunger almost inevitably rears its ugly head. Tackling the roots of hunger means finding new ways for communities to ensure continuous food security - anchoring them in sustainable practices that don't ultimately depend on the continued support or presence of ADRA. This episode begins to explain a bit about how we do just that. 

Follow ADRA Canada on all of our social media to stay up to date about all of our projects related to hunger! Also make sure to check out some of the videos on our YouTube channel from a recent trip in Cambodia and Indonesia – where our team saw the results of some of our food security projects. 

And don't forget that out 40th anniversary celebration is coming up soon! Be a listening ear in the coming month to learn all about our four decade legacy of Justice, Compassion, and Love. 

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Welcome to the ADRA Insider Podcast.  In this episode, we speak with Anita M. Odondi, the Emergency Program Director for ADRA in Canada.  She tells us of her recent visit to the country of Yemen and how ADRA is helping people who have been displaced from their homes because of the ongoing civil war.  Yemen is now being called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. People are facing hunger and famine conditions due to the shortage of food in the country.

Welcome to the ADRA Insider Podcast. Thank you for joining us for another episode! In this podcast, we are joined by Diana Opollo who shares with us how ADRA’s projects are showing families how to share their lives more fully by breaking down gender role stereotypes. We discover how this message is changing lives!

Welcome to the ADRA Insider Podcast. Thank you for joining us for another episode! In this podcast, we talk with Cree Rillo about the work that ADRA is doing with First Nation groups in the Sioux Lookout and Bearskin Lake communities of Northern Ontario.  Discover how garden boxes and greenhouses can help reverse diabetes in these northern communities.

Welcome to the ADRA Canada Insider Podcast. Thank you for joining us for another episode! In this podcast, we hear from Calvin Okello and Frank Spangler as they tell us about the wonderful PROMISE project that ADRA Canada is conducting in the beautiful African nation of Rwanda. The PROMISE project is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada, and our partnership with Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (lead), Emmanuel International, and our faithful supporters.