Apr 09, 2008 — A group of women from Canton and Watertown leaves for south-eastern Africa this summer. It's part of an on-going mission by the Presbytery of Northern New York to help widows and orphans in Malawi rebuild their homes and lives. Todd Moe has more.  Go to full article

Feb 12, 2008 — Kenya, previously one of the most stable countries in Africa, degenerated into violence after Dec. 27 presidential elections that international observes say were rigged. More than 1,000 deaths have been reported since then. Last week, the Peace Corps announced it was pulling the last of its volunteers out of the country. Most had been brought home in January. A spokeswoman in Washington said none of its people had been targeted and that the organization hopes it can return very soon.

St. Lawrence University has sent students to its "Kenya semester" program for 34 years. The school has a home base in Nairobi, but students typically combine study time in the capitol with weeks of home-stays in a rural, agricultural community and two long field trips. Not this semester. Early in January, the college had thought its program could go ahead, but when the violence got worse instead of stopping, and the political and ethnic picture became more and more difficult, St. Lawrence cancelled.

Dan Schafer is a senior at SLU. He's an alumnus of the Kenya program, and was in the country as that decision was being made, scouting NGOs for a trip he planned to lead there next summer. He arrived Dec. 29, two days after the polls had closed. That evening, the election results would be announced. He told Martha Foley the protests and violence had already begun.  Go to full article

Sep 25, 2007 — Visit a farmers' market this season and you'll find a variety of fresh veggies, fruits, baked goods and preserves. At the Canton Farmers' Market there's a new crop of hand-knit hats. Most were made by a group of Canton knitters. Proceeds from the hats go to the Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund, or SEM Fund. Founded by Canton native John Fay, the non-profit has helped more than 100 families in Africa break the cycle of poverty. Todd Moe spoke with some of the knitters making the winter hats and caps.  Go to full article

Jun 27, 2007 — Thirteen members of the Mzuzu Youth Choir from Malawi begin a month-long tour of the North Country this week. Their visit is sponsored by the Presbytery of Northern New York. They stopped by NCPR for music and conversation.  Go to full article

Jan 05, 2005 — Over a week after an earthquake and tsunamis devastated areas of South Asia, India and Africa, the international relief effort is massive. Martha Foley talks with Cynthia Walton-Leavitt, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church of Sackets Harbor, about a local project that combines symbolism with small-scale practicality.  Go to full article

Dec 30, 2004 — North Country churches and relief agencies are mobilizing their resources for both short- and long-term aid for the countries in South Asia and East Africa devastated by Sunday's tsunami and earthquake. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Dec 28, 2004 — AIDS is out of control in most of Africa. Almost 30 million people are infected in the countries of southern Africa alone. About one fifth of Malawi's adults have HIV/AIDS. A staggering 2.5 million of the country's 12.5 million people are infected. AIDS is the single biggest factor that keeps Malawi one of the poorest countries in the world. It robs its economy of its most productive workers. After losing three of his own brothers and their wives to the AIDS pandemic, the Reverend Maurice Munthali and his wife, Thandie, with three of their own children, adopted his brothers' 12 children. Pastor Munthalie toured the North Country earlier this month, visiting church and community leaders from Watertown to Plattsburgh, with a message of grace and hope. He spoke by phone with Todd Moe.  Go to full article

Aug 28, 2003 — Ever wonder why male lions wear all that extra fur, given their winter-free range? Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss this unlikely anatomical accessory. Sudies on the Serengeti show it's all about the look. Lionesses, it seems, are wild for big hair.  Go to full article

Jan 31, 2003 — The focus of this year's Festival of the Arts at St. Lawrence University is on the people of African descent whose ancestors were brought by their captors to the sea islands off the southern coast of what is now the United States. The theme for next week's festival is, The Gullah Connection: From West Africa to the Islands of the Americas. Todd Moe talks with Margaret Kent Bass, one of the organizers of the Festival, about the Gullah culture. She says it's unlike any other in the world. It's a manner of living, working, storytelling and beliefs that trace roots back to the first slaves arriving in the Carolinas in the early 17th century.  Go to full article

Mar 19, 2002 — Brian Mann talks with Amy Vedder and Bill Weber. The pair spend part of the year at their home in North Creek, but they also work in central Africa studying mountain gorillas.  Go to full article