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The ThinkND Podcast

Forging a Future for Haiti, Part 2: Empowering Families, Transforming Futures

May 01, 2025 • Think ND

Episode Topic: Empowering Families, Transforming Futures

The University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child works to create pathways out of adversity for the world’s most vulnerable children in 25 countries around the world, leveraging evidence-based innovations to develop effective Whole Child Development (WCD) approaches to not only advance children’s academic achievement, but also create safe, supportive, and equitable family, school, and community environments. Join Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning, Father Lou DelFra ’92, M. Div. ’03, Director of Pastoral Life, Alliance for Catholic Education, and Makenzy Voltaire, Project Coordinator, Haiti for the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child for a conversation about the intersection of faith, science, and how faith communities can nurture and support families with young children. Take a deep dive into the importance of integrating the science of early childhood development with the Catholic Church’s teachings, and how Haitian parishes can empower parents. They explore the GC-DWC’s work in the home and what it means when we say that parents are the “first teachers,” and how that aligns with what we know from both Catholic Social Teaching and the latest scientific research.

Featured Speakers:

Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning
Fr. Lou DelFra, C.S.C. '92, M. Div. '03, University of Notre Dame
Makenzy Voltaire, University of Notre Dame

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/93acfa.

This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Forging a Future for Haiti.

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