Fix The News

Since October 2023, much of the world's attention has been focused on the destruction in Gaza. This conversation is about something we hear much less about: rebuilding.

Meet Tala and Farah Mousa, two teenage sisters from Gaza and winners of The Earth Prize Middle East, one of the world's leading environmental competitions for teenagers. Their project, Build Hope is recycling the enormous volumes of rubble left behind by destroyed buildings and transforming it into reusable bricks to help rebuild their communities. The idea began with a Year 9 textbook in Tala's school bag. Today, it has the potential to give communities beyond Gaza, the tools to rebuild using what's already around them. It's an idea that has the potential to reduce waste, lower rebuilding costs and support reconstruction in disaster and war zones around the world.
Podcast Image credit: Ali Awad

In this episode:
Displacement and disruption - life as a teenager in Gaza
The inspiration behind their award-winning project
Their vision for helping communities beyond Gaza
Why rebuilding deserves as much attention as destruction
Timestamps:
00:35 What we know about Gaza and the Middle East Region
04:18 Introducing Tala and Farah Mousa
05:14 What they want us to know about their community
05:58 The inspiration behind Build Hope
08:12 A family and community project
09:21 The problem with rubble
09:54 Why its important for people in Gaza to have the tools to rebuild themselves
10:53 Midpoint Reflections
12:36 The next step for Build Hope
13:17 What Tala and Farah have learned about themselves
13:53 What hope means to these sisters
15:49 Gaza 10 years from now
16:37 Tala and Farah's message for young people around the world
18:54 Final reflections

Support Build Hope:
Contact amy@fixthenews.com for more information
About The Earth Prize
The Earth Prize is one of the world's largest environmental competitions for teenagers, supporting young innovators developing practical solutions to the planet's biggest challenges.

About Fix The News:
Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.

Subscribe & follow:
If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast and leave a review - it helps more people find these stories.

Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!

 This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.

Antarctica isn't just a climate story.
 
For more than 65 years, Antarctica has been governed by one of the most remarkable international agreements ever created. At the height of the Cold War, countries with competing territorial claims agreed to set conflict aside and dedicate an entire continent to peace, science and environmental protection.
Meet Claire Christian, Executive Director of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) - the only environmental organisation invited to participate directly in meetings of the Antarctic Treaty System. With more than 15 years working inside the Treaty System, Claire offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the world cooperates to protect one of the most important places on earth.
In this episode:
Why the Antarctic Treaty remains one of humanity's greatest diplomatic achievements
How Antarctica shapes climate, oceans and sea levels around the world
What Antarctica can teach us about our relationship with nature
The challenges of protecting the Southern Ocean in a changing climate
Why consensus is the Antarctic Treaty System's greatest strength and biggest frustration
The future of our coldest and driest continent
Timestamps:
00:31 Why Antarctica Matters
04:19 Meet Claire Christian
05:58 How Antarctica Shapes the World
08:59 The Ross Sea Success Story
10:55 Inside the Antarctic Treaty
16:25 Midpoint Reflections - The Human Side of Diplomacy
18:54 Antarctica and the News
20:26 What Claire Has Learned From Visiting Antarctica
22:27 A Wonderful World of Invertebrates
23:27 The Issue of Krill
25:09 Thwaites Glacier
25:57 The Climate Challenge
28:10 A Vision for Antarctica's Future
30:02 What Antarctica Can Teach Us
31:46 Final Reflections

Find out More:
👉 Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition - ASOC
👉 Claire Christian

About Fix The News:
Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.

Subscribe & follow:
If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast and leave a review - it helps more people find these stories.

Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!

 This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.

What happens when you redesign education around the people who have been left behind?

Meet Alice Achan - social worker, educator and founder of the Te-Kworo Foundation, a boarding school in Northern Uganda that is helping young mothers and vulnerable girls rebuild their lives. What started as a small support group during the aftermath of war has grown into one of the most remarkable educational models in Africa. Today, Te-Kworo's three campuses support more than 1,000 young women through education, childcare, healthcare, counselling and community support.
 
Alice shares how her own experiences as a child of war shaped what she calls a "School of Restoration" - a place where education, healthcare and healing work together to empower young women to create better futures for themselves, their families and change entire communities.
 
In this episode:
• Why Te-Kworo calls itself a "School of Restoration"
• The link between education, healthcare and opportunity
• The ongoing challenges of child marriage and cultural expectations
• How boarding schools help keep vulnerable girls safe
• The power of defeating shame and rebuilding confidence
• Why educating girls can transform entire communities

 Timestamps:
00:46 Why giving partners are a core part of Fix The News
04:48 Interview with Alice Achen
07:38 Education as a pathway out of poverty
10:15 The tension between creating different futures while protecting cultural boundaries
12:12 From education to healthcare - Te-Kworo's holistic model
14:57 What happens when women have access to healthcare and education
15:31 Gus & Amy - Midpoint reflections
17:35 From trauma to triumph - Alice's personal story
20:57 How Alice started a school under a tree
26:52 The power of defeating shame
28:38 Intergenerational ripples
30:08 Alice's biggest lesson
30:38 Bunk beds from Fix The News
31:19 The big vision for Te-Kworo
33:33 Alice's remedy for the world
34:46 Gus & Amy - Final thoughts

Become part of the Te-Kworo community:
If Alice's story resonated with you, you can learn more about Te-Kworo and support their work below.
👉 Website
👉 Feed the School campaign

About Fix The News:
Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.

Subscribe & follow:
If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast and leave a review - it helps more people find these stories.

Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!

 This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.

What can Colombia teach us about what's still possible?
Meet Juan Manuel Santos - former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Chair of The Elders - who helped negotiate an end to one of the longest-running armed conflicts in modern history. Under his leadership, Colombia signed a peace agreement with FARC, bringing an end to a conflict that had shaped the country for over 60 years.
 
But this conversation isn't just about ending a war. We also explore Colombia's environmental leadership - from Indigenous wisdom in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the idea that there can be no lasting peace among people without peace with nature. Along the way, President Santos explains how Colombia helped inspire the Sustainable Development Goals, why cooperation remains humanity's greatest challenge, and what lessons the world can learn from a country that many once considered beyond repair.
 
In this episode:
How post-apartheid South Africa helped shape his vision for peace   
Why peace is often unpopular - and why he pursued it anyway
The difference between making peace and building it
How victims became central to Colombia's peace process
The role of Colombia in creating the Sustainable Development Goals
Why making peace with nature is essential to creating a better future
Timestamps:

00:44 Amy & Gus: Why Doesn't South America Make the Headlines?
 02:22 A Leadership Lesson from the Colombian Navy
 04:45 Inside The Elders
 05:14 The Four Existential Threats Facing Humanity
 07:59 Making Peace with the Western Hemisphere's Longest-Running Guerrilla Movement
 09:59 How Nelson Mandela Made Peace Seem Possible
 12:25 Why Peace Is Often Unpopular
 15:12 The Difference Between Making Peace and Building It
 19:07 Why Victims Were Central to Colombia's Peace Process
 22:11 Pastora Mira and the Extraordinary Power of Forgiveness
 24:51 Is Peace Good for Nature?
 26:41 The Colombian Idea That Became the SDGs
 29:49 The Santa Marta Mandate: Bringing Humanity Back to Nature
 32:25 Legacy, Elections and the Durability of Progress
 35:52 Why We Need to Learn from Young People
 37:48 What Is Still Possible?
 40:16 The Dream President Santos Still Wants to Fulfil
 41:00 Amy & Gus: Final Reflections

Go Deeper:
👉 The Elders
👉 Juan Manuel Santos
👉 The Open Library of the Colombian Peace Process

About Fix The News:
Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.

Subscribe & follow:
If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast and leave a review - it helps more people find these stories.

Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!

 This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.

The battle to restore the Klamath River lasted generations. When the dams finally came down, salmon returned within three days - far faster than scientists expected, marking a turning point for Indigenous rights, ecological restoration and cultural survival.
 
Meet Amy Bowers Cordalis - attorney, activist and member of the Yurok Tribe - who helped lead one of the most significant river restoration efforts in modern history. Amy shares the story behind America’s largest dam removal project: from growing up alongside the Klamath River and witnessing the devastating 2002 salmon die-off, to becoming the first General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe and helping navigate a long fight against political, legal and corporate interests that many believed was impossible to win.
 
This isn’t just a conversation about dams or conservation. It’s about what comes after victory - and what repair truly means for ecosystems, communities, culture and our collective future.

In this episode:
How Amy blew up a dam on her birthday
Why salmon returned to the Klamath River in just three days
The cultural and spiritual connection between the Yurok people, the river and salmon
What the 2002 mass death of 70,000 salmon meant for Indigenous communities
How grief and anger led Amy to law school and environmental advocacy
Warren Buffett - and why his team ended up on the banks of the Klamath River
The surprising economics of dam removal and river restoration
Finding the joy in advocacy
What the Klamath story teaches us about hope, persistence and ability of nature and communities to heal
Timestamps:

00:54 - Introduction to the Klamath River story
02:26 - Meet Amy Bowers Cordalis
03:59 - The Yurok's relationship with the Klamath and the salmon
07:05 - The turning point in 2002 
10:59 - How Amy's great-grandmother told her to take action
12:53 -  80,000 salmon died, no media showed up 
13:38 - What a decades-long battle felt like on the inside?
15:13 -  When Warren Buffet's team came out to the Klamath
19:02 -  Midpoint reflections
20:43 - How the Klamath restoration changes the story of environmental activism
22:55 - Why restoration and economics can go hand in hand
23:49 - What it's like to blow up a dam, on your birthday
25:04 - How the elders have responded to the Klamath flowing again
27:32 - How salon beat scientific predication and returned after three days
29:23 - The myth of the lone hero
32:11 - Other river restoration projects happening in America
34:26 - What comes after victory? Healing.
38:21 - What the Klamath story tells us about what's possible
40:22 - Final reflections

Want to dive deeper?
👉 Find out more about Amy and her book 'The Water Remembers'
👉 Amy's non-profit Ridges to Riffles

About Fix The News:
Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.

Subscribe & follow:
If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast and leave a review - it helps more people find these stories.

Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!

 This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.