Newsletter Archive

‘In this country, dogs have more rights than [you].’ Those are the words a Los Angeles-based trafficker used to dehumanize Mexican immigrant Flor Molina after locking her inside a sewing factory in January 2002. Nearly 17 years after her escape, Molina advocates for victims of labor trafficking, who still face abuse and run the risk of becoming the slave next door.

Galvanized by President Trump’s now-ended policy of separating detained migrant parents and children, Americans have raised millions to help the families. From gathering supplies for migrant children in a Baltimore shelter; to an advocacy forum in a small Pennsylvania town that drew so many people they ran out of chairs; to an established immigration group that raised over $20 million in less than two months, the separation policy has struck a nerve, propelling concerned Americans into action.

VOA CONNECT: While recovering from opioid addiction, Allison Norland fights to regain custody of her daughter. Norland’s mother is taking care of the little girl right now and isn’t convinced her daughter is up to the challenge. VOA follows the Florida woman as she attempts to get her life, and her family, back.

Sculptor Toby Mendez brings history to life. His biggest fear starting out was that he  wouldn’t be able to make a living as an artist. But after creating several civil rights figures, the Thurgood Marshall monument at the Maryland State House, and working on the US Navy Memorial, the sculptor’s career is thriving.

VIDEO: When a recent fire destroyed everything George Kamau Githome owned in one of Nairobi’s largest slums, a new kind of micro-insurance saved the small business owner and his family of 10 kids from destitution. Most African farmers and small businesses like Githome’s have no protection if disaster strikes. But, as VOA reports from Nigeria and Kenya, it is now relatively easy for ordinary Africans to sign up for inexpensive, tech-driven micro-insurance.