Explore every episode of the podcast Let's Talk: Faith and Aid

In this episode, Jule Voss, a University of Virginia alumna and former Global Policy Specialist with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, speaks with Samira Fatma Barucha Hahmoras and Despina Namwembe of the United Religions Initiative. Drawing on their lived experiences across diverse faith traditions, Samira and Despina reflect on how faith—whether expressed through religion, spirituality, or shared humanity—can shape grassroots humanitarian action, strengthen community resilience, and foster solidarity in times of crisis.

In this episode, Kate Katch, a practitioner fellow with the Humanitarian Collaborative, speaks with Bill O’Keefe, the Executive Vice President for Catholic Relief Services, and Kevin Hartigan, who recently retired from CRS after more than three decades of experience, leading programs across the world. In their conversation, they will explore the role of faith in charitable giving across the US and how religious communities can mobilize generosity and advocacy in support of humanitarian action.

In this episode, Kirsten Gelsdorf, a professor at the University of Virginia and co-founder of the Humanitarian Collaborative, speaks with Michael Barnett, a professor of international affairs at George Washington University, to explore a question at the heart of humanitarianism: how can we spark global compassion for today’s greatest humanitarian challenges? Together, they examine trends in public empathy, why faith and religion may not offer easy answers, and why there are so few humanitarian policy conversations that involve faith.

As funding cuts and uncertainty reshape the world of humanitarianism, this episode introduces Let’s Talk: Faith and Aid and the questions at the heart of the series. Hosted by Kirsten Gelsdorf, a professor at the University of Virginia with over two decades of experience at the United Nations; Kate Katch, an impact storyteller with nearly 20 years in international humanitarian policy; and Jule Voss, a former Global Policy Specialist with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, this episode begins to unpack why faith remains an often-under explored force in humanitarian action and previews the series’ conversations with scholars and practitioners examining how faith can inspire a renewed collective response for global crises.