Afleveringen
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This is the human story behind the headlines in Lebanon. We are honored to speak once again with our friend Imane Assaf, co-founder and president of the Lebanese NGO Ahla Fawda. This is a special episode, as this interview takes place following our recent trip to Beirut, where we met a number of the Ahla Fawda volunteers and saw their work up close. We hear from Imane about what the last four months of war have been like in Lebanon, the current situation on the ground, the spirit and culture of southern Lebanon, and much more.
To support Ahla Fawda’s grassroots humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, click here or visit -
https://gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-lebanon-war-relief-mission-2026/
To reach out to Ahla Fawda directly, click here or visit -
https://ahlafawda.org/
To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at [email protected] -
In this episode we discuss Andrew's recent trip to Beirut. We get a close up look at the humanitarian aid response to the ongoing war, being led by Imane Assaf and the volunteers with the NGO Ahla Fawda. We also provide an update on some projects that we are working on as a result of that trip, to continue supporting our friends in Lebanon.
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
To support Ahla Fawda’s grassroots humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, click here or visit -https://gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-lebanon-war-relief-mission-2026/
To reach out to Ahla Fawda directly, click here or visit -
https://ahlafawda.org/
Drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a follow on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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This is a conversation about the Armenian people, justice, and the preservation of the truth. We are honored to speak with Gevorg Vardanyan and Maggie Arutyunyan, two lawyers with the Center for Truth and Justice, or CFTJ. Their mission? To document and collect witness testimony for evidence of war crimes committed by Azerbaijan in Artsakh, more commonly known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Set up in 2020 in response to the 44 Day War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the team at CFTJ have made it their goal to hold the perpetrators of these atrocities to account. Maggie and Gevorg share powerful stories about their personal experiences from the war, their motivations on working with CFTJ, the atrocities they've documented as part of their work, and the strength of the Armenian people. We also discuss the process of documenting war crimes and presenting them to international tribunals and governments in order to ensure that the world does not forget what has happened in Armenia, and much more.
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
To learn more about the work of the CFTJ in Armenia, check out their website here
To directly support the CFTJ in their pursuit of justice, check out their donation page here
Drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a follow on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod
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The world is not talking about Sudan enough. At Saint Martin’s Cloak we are committed to changing that. We spoke with Mohanad El-Balal, the co-founder of Khartoum Aid Kitchen about the realities that the Sudanese people are enduring amid the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, how the Sudanese led efforts and volunteers of Khartoum Aid Kitchen are saving lives on the ground on a daily basis, the history of UAE support to the RSF militia in Sudan, Colombian mercenaries, the impact of foreign aid cuts, misconceptions of Sudan in the media, how the international community has failed Sudan, the human stories behind the headlines, and much more. If you are involved with humanitarian aid that the world needs to know about, we want to hear from you. Drop us an email at [email protected] or follow us on Instagram at saintmartinscloak_pod
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
Khartoum Aid Kitchen websiteKhartoum Aid Kitchen Twitter Mohanad ElBalal personal Twitter
To donate to Khartoum Aid Kitchen’s life saving efforts, click here
To follow and get in touch with Khartoum Aid Kitchen -Reports on genocide, war crimes, and foreign involvement in Sudan -
Limkin Institute Active Genocide Alert in Sudan Refugees International report on UAE enabling of RSF genocide in Sudan Antony Blinken declaration of RSF genocide in Sudan UN report on RSF genocide in al-Fasher Conflict Insights Group (CGI) report on Colombian mercenaries presence in al-Fasher BBC article on UAE recruitment of Colombian mercenaries -
America is a nation of immigrants and so we’re proud to be kicking off our American immigration series - to provide actionable ways you can help immigrants in America right now. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Jessie Ebersole, who is the Director of Programs at the Washington English Center. The mission of the Washington English Center is “To provide affordable English-language instruction and workforce programs to adult immigrants using volunteers.” We hear from Jessie about her personal motivations to teach English language classes to immigrants and refugees, how language instruction can change someone's life, the importance of community, the personal stories of some of the students she’s worked with, how the Washington English Center is making a real impact in people's lives, and much more.
To reach out to the Washington English Center and register to volunteer, sign up for classes, and support their mission, click here
www.washingtonenglish.orgTo reach out to Jessie directly to learn how you can support the Washington English Center, email her at - [email protected]
Drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a follow on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
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How can you help save lives in Sudan? In today’s episode, the first of what will be our long running coverage on Sudan, we speak with Andrea Tracy, the Director of the Mutual Aid Program at Proximity 2 Humanity. Andrea has over 25 years of international aid experience and with her teammates at Proximity 2 Humanity and the Mutual Aid Sudan Coalition, she is leading international support efforts to Sudanese grassroots aid. This is truly life saving work. We hear from Andrea about the devastating impact of USAID cuts both in Sudan and around the world, Sudan’s grassroots Emergency Response Rooms and the local volunteers who operate them, the critical Women’s Response Rooms lead by Sudanese women on the ground, how Proximity 2 Humanity gets 95 cents of every dollar to aid efforts on the ground, and much more.
To donate to the life saving work of the Mutual Aid Sudan Coalition, click here
Follow them on Instagram @mutual.aid.sudan
Click here to support Proximity 2 Humanity
For a New York Times article on the Ebola outbreak Andrea discusses in the interview, click here
Further reading on Sudan:
Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis Explained - by Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy for the Council on Foreign RelationsThe Specter of Genocide Returns to Darfur - by David J Scheffer for the Council on Foreign Relations
Nicholas Kristof New York Times articles on Sudan -https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/opinion/holiday-gift-guide.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/opinion/famine-darfur-civil-war.html
The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth by Anne Applebaum for The AtlanticDrop us an email at [email protected] or give us a follow on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
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Can the shackles of trauma be beaten by laughter?
On today’s episode, we sat down with Sabine Choucair, co-founder of Clown Me In. With qualifications in performing arts from London and social therapy from New York, she has dedicated her life to using her performance and clowning background to spread joy and laughter among disadvantaged communities around the world. We hear about Sabine’s experiences transitioning to the humanitarian field, what goes into the preparations for performances in Lebanon, Gaza, and Türkiye, and how storytelling connects us all as humans regardless of our backgrounds.
You can support Sabine and Clown Me In here or visit -
https://clownmein.com/support-us/
Give them a follow on Instagram @clownmein
Be sure to check out our previous episodes about Lebanon to learn about additional ways you can support efforts on the ground directly.
Have a question or suggestion for a topic/participant? Drop us an email at [email protected] or check out our Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
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"Something always lingers - the news, the dark hours unfolding back home. You smile, you function, you blend into a new normal, yet you are never fully at rest" - Imane Assaf
We continue to stand with our friends in Lebanon and to share their stories. In our latest Voices from the Ground installment, we relay messages from Imane Assaf of Ahla Fawda, shared with us just before the recent May 5th strikes on Beirut, in which she ponders the fragility of the ceasefire as the risk of violence continues to hold its grip on everyday life.
To support Ahla Fawda's grassroots humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, click here or visit -
https://gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-lebanon-war-relief-mission-2026/
To reach out to Ahla Fawda directly, click here or visit -
https://ahlafawda.org/
To reach out to the Saint Martin's Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at [email protected]
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What is life truly like under Russian occupation?
In this episode, we sat down with Elina Beketova, a former Ukrainian journalist and current research fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, or CEPA. We hear from Elina as she recounts her work reporting on the annexation of Crimea, the challenges of sharing the stories from occupied territories, and her own experiences of the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
We encourage you to follow Elina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elina-beketova
Check out her “Behind the Lines” tracker and analyses here: https://cepa.org/programs/democratic-resilience/behind-the-lines/
Donate to Ukrainian efforts here:
Razom - https://www.razomforukraine.org/
United Help Ukraine - https://unitedhelpukraine.org/
Novi - https://www.novi.ngo/
Wow Vdoma - https://www.instagram.com/vdoma_wow/
Be sure to check out our previous episode with Ukrainian Patriot to learn more about relief works on the ground with additional donation resources.
Have a question or suggestion for a topic/participant? Drop us an email at [email protected] or check out our instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod
Stay strong, stay safe, and stay brave,
Andrew and Miloš
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"Behind every headline are families." - Imane Assaf
We continue to stand with our friends in Lebanon and to share their stories. In our latest Voices from the Ground installment, we relay messages from Imane Assaf of Ahla Fawda after the Israeli attacks of April 8 in Lebanon, as well as the reaction of herself and those around her to the news of a ceasefire declaration and the uncertainty that brings.To support Ahla Fawda’s grassroots humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, click here or visit -
https://gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-lebanon-war-relief-mission-2026/
To reach out to Ahla Fawda directly, click here or visit -
https://ahlafawda.org/
To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at [email protected]
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What challenges do the visually impaired face during a time of war? In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Marie-Gabrielle Corm, a sociologist and the co-founder and executive director of EQUAL, a Franciscan NGO in Lebanon. We hear from Marie-Gabrielle about EQUAL’s critical work with Lebanon’s visually impaired population, the extra challenges that visually impaired people face when they are displaced in an active war zone, along with EQUAL’s work with migrants, women’s rights, child protection and much more. This is a truly unique conversation about a team with a vital mission in humanitarian aid. We encourage you to reach out to EQUAL directly to learn more about their mission and how you can help. If you know anyone involved with support to visually impaired communities, we encourage you to share this episode with them and help spread the word about EQUAL's mission.
To reach out to EQUAL directly, email them at - [email protected]
To visit the EQUAL website, click here or visit -
https://equalngo.org/
To follow EQUAL on Facebook, click here or visit -
https://www.facebook.com/equal.ngo.lb/
To follow EQUAL on Instagram, click here or visit -
@equal.ngo
You can reach out to us at the Saint Martin's Cloak podcast at [email protected] or on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod -
We stand with Ukraine. In today’s episode we’re kicking off our Ukraine coverage by speaking with Kaitlyn Kruk, a ground crew and board member of the NGO Ukrainian Patriot, and Denis Polishchuk, a member of the Ukrainian armed forces. We hear from Kaitlyn and Dennis about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, Ukrainian dance and culture, conditions in Ukraine this past winter, how aid on the ground actually works, the importance of supporting the Ukrainian army, why smaller, agile groups like Ukrainian Patriot are uniquely effective, and much more.
To support the critical work of Ukrainian Patriot, click here or visit –
https://ukrainianpatriot.org/
To follow Ukrainian Patriot on Instagram, click here or visit –
@ukrpatriotorg
Two more awesome groups helping Ukrainians at the grassroots level are –
Bake for Ukraine
@bake.for.ukraine
And –
Good Bread for Good People
@from_good_people
To follow Denis’s recommendations for accurate news on Ukraine check out –
Ground News
https://ground.news/
And -
The Silicon Curtain Podcast with Jonathan Fink
https://podcasts.apple.com/id/podcast/silicon-curtain/id1661722315
And -The YouTube channel of Dr. Jason Jay Smart
https://www.youtube.com/@JasonJaySmart
Here are two other sites that I personally follow –
The Kyiv Independent
https://kyivindependent.com/And -
Euromaidan Press
https://euromaidanpress.com/
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In this episode we provide an update on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, we look behind the headlines with an update from our friend Imane Assaf from the Lebanese NGO Ahla Fawda, and explain why it’s so critical to share stories directly from Lebanon.
To support Ahla Fawda’s grassroots humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, click here or visit -
https://gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-lebanon-war-relief-mission-2026/
To reach out to Ahla Fawda directly, click here or visit -
https://ahlafawda.org/
To hear the referenced statement from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katza, click here or visit -
https://x.com/israel_katz/status/2035668503554879862?s=61
To read about Israeli intentions to destroy Lebanese homes, click here or visit -
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-destroy-all-houses-near-lebanon-border-defence-minister-says-2026-03-31/To read about Israeli efforts to force Shia civilians from southern Lebanon by contacting and threatening individual Christian and Druze leaders, click here or visit -
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/world/middleeast/lebanon-shiite-israel-evacuation.htmlTo hear the referenced statement from IDF Spokesman Major Doron Speilman, click here or visit -
https://x.com/LBC/status/2038210821923160198
To read about the referenced casualty numbers in Lebanon, click here or visit -
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/4/6/israeli-airstrikes-devastate-lebanese-villages-and-displace-millions
To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at [email protected]
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In this episode we interview Philippe Nassif, the Chief Operations Officer of the American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL). We talk to Philippe about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, how to frame discussions of the war in ways that center the Lebanese people, the impact of the war on the people of southern Lebanon, what a responsible U.S. foreign policy towards Lebanon looks like, misunderstandings and misrepresentations of Lebanon in American media, the strength of the Lebanese diaspora in America, the ATFL mission and NextGen leadership program, and much more.
To visit the ATFL website and reach out to them directly, click here or visit -
https://atfl.org/To learn more about the ATFL’s NextGen leadership program, click here or visit -
https://atfl.org/nextgen/
To follow the ATFL on X, click here or visit -
https://x.com/ATFLebanon
To follow the ATFL on Instagram, click here or visit -
https://www.instagram.com/americantaskforceonlebanon/
To support Ahla Fawda’s grassroots humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, click here or visit -
https://gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-lebanon-war-relief-mission-2026/
To reach out to Ahla Fawda directly, click here or visit -
https://ahlafawda.org/
To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at [email protected]
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In today's episode we focus on names from Lebanon, and share their stories. These are the human stories behind the headlines, with the latest from Imane Assaf, co-founder and director of the Lebanese grassroots NGO - Ahla Fawda, who we are proud to stand with.
To support the humanitarian aid operations of Ahla Fawda directly, click here or go here -gogetfunding.com/ahla-fawdas-leba…ef-mission-2026/
To reach Ahla Fawda directly on their website, click here go here -
ahlafawda.org/
To reach Ahla Fawda on their Instagram page, click here go here -
www.instagram.com/ahlafawda/
Reach out to the Saint Martin's Cloak podcast on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at - [email protected]
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This episode is dedicated to women working in humanitarian aid, especially those in Lebanon. Today, for International Women's Day, we bring you an update on the ground from Imane Assaf as she and her team at Ahla Fawda continue to provide emergency humanitarian aid in the face of wartime conditions. Thank you to Yumna Mustafa Miller for contributing to this episode.
To support the humanitarian aid operations of Ahla Fawda directly, click here.To read "Ramadan persists in Lebanon at war" written by Katharine Sorensen and published in The Beiruter on March 9, 2026, click here.
To reach Ahla Fawda directly on their website, click here.
To reach Ahla Fawda on their Instagram page, click here.
To reach out to the Saint Martin's Cloak podcast on Instagram click here or email us at - [email protected] -
In this episode, we provide updates on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, and relay written messages directly from our friend Imane Assaf, as she and her team at the NGO Ahla Fawda lead humanitarian efforts on the ground. As always, links to support these efforts are available in this description.
Please consider sharing this episode to help us get the word out about the situation in Lebanon to the rest of the world.
To support grass roots humanitarian aid to displaced families in Lebanon, click here.
To reach Ahla Fawda directly, click here.
To reach the Ahla Fawda instagram page, click here.
To read more about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, read these reports from the UN Refugee Agency, the IRC, UNICEF, and Save the Children.
If you have any suggestions about topics to cover, or people to talk to, please reach out to us on Instagram or at [email protected] -
"Because even in war, humanity still lives in those who refuse to stop caring." - Imane Assaf
In this episode we provide an update on the displacement crisis currently unfolding in Lebanon as a result of the war. Most importantly - we hear directly from the people in Lebanon responding to the crisis. We relay written messages from our friend Imane Assaf, who describes the impact of the war on Lebanese people, and as always - we provide ways that you can help.
Please share this episode to spread awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.To donate directly to grassroots humanitarian efforts in Lebanon, click here.
To reach the Ahla Fawda website, click here.
To reach the Ahla Fawda instagram page, click here.
To read more about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, click here.
To read more about the security situation in Lebanon and see a map describing these territories, click here.
If you have any suggestions about topics to cover or people to talk to, please send us a DM on Instagram or an email at [email protected]Wishing you courage and health,
Andrew and Miloš
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This is an emergency humanitarian response episode, recorded with the audio equipment we had on hand.
As of today - March 2, 2026 - Lebanon is once again facing war and a mass displacement crisis.Here is how you can help -
You can donate directly to grassroots humanitarian relief efforts and support displaced Lebanese families by going to Ahla Fawda's campaign page.
Or-
Spread the word about this campaign by posting the link to your network.
In our previous episode, recorded in Lebanon, we interviewed Lebanese NGO co-founder and director Imane Assaf, about humanitarian aid efforts in her country. We encourage you to listen to that interview, and learn about how grassroots groups like Ahla Fawda are providing critical humanitarian assistance on a daily basis.
To learn more, reach out to the Ahla Fawda team on their website, or at their instagram page - @ahlafawda
Thank you!
Please hit "follow" and leave a star rating and a review to support the Saint Martin's Cloak podcast. It really helps us to get our message out there. Follow us on Instagram - @saintmartinscloak_pod -
An interview in Beirut with Imane Assaf, the co-founder and director of the grassroots Lebanese NGO Ahla Fawda.
In this episode - we learned about Ahla Fawda's humanitarian response to the war, aid to displaced Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians, including children from Gaza, the critical role of Lebanese women in civil society, the humanitarian response to the Beirut port explosion, the fallout of USAID cuts, the beauty and strength of Lebanon, and much more.
Ahla Fawda is an amazing team that is helping people every single day. To learn how to help, follow their activities and reach out on Instagram @ahlafawda or their website - https://ahlafawda.org/
The mission of the Saint Martin's Cloak podcast is to shed light on humanitarian issues around the world in a way that will inform listeners of the ground truth, while always centering the human stories and voices of individuals and populations in focus.Our focus is on humans, not statistics.
The purpose of knowledge is to inform action. At the end of each episode, we will always ask our participants to provide listeners with actionable steps they can take to help.
We are already actively planning on episodes concerning Sudan, Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, and immigration in the United States among many others. If we haven’t covered a topic yet, it’s because we are searching for the right voice from that community to tell us their story. If you have any suggestions about topics to cover or people to talk to, please send us a DM on instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod, or email us at [email protected] - Laat meer zien
