Bridging Borders Project

Location: United States (Cambridge, MA)

My co-host and I launched the Bridging Borders Project, an online show featuring interviews with presidents, prime ministers, and other world leaders about their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to reach more audiences. We've conducted 15 interviews so far and plan to release one episode each week throughout the summer. Our guests so far include heads of European Union nations, South Asian prime ministers, and leaders of smaller developing nations.

Our project was born out of a conviction that global crises require global solutions. We wanted to cultivate a platform for not only the American listener to become more informed about how other countries are tackling this pandemic, but also hopefully for U.S. policy leaders to get a picture of the strategies that other countries have employed in successfully managing this crisis.

Since each nation faces a host of unique challenges, we strive to contextualize their interviews to a specific region.

In addition to asking general questions about the COVID-19 situation, death toll, and virus spread, we explore topics like how a nation can acquire appropriate materials for testing, which depends greatly on its relationship with other countries.

We also have been careful about whose voices we are privileging, especially when there are international disputes involved—for instance, we interviewed Lobsang Sangay, leader of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), because he had unique and valuable perspectives on coordinating the coronavirus response to help the Tibetan people, despite the fact that Tibet is not a recognized country.

We are also working to include more indigenous voices in the conversation, such as officials from the Cherokee nation, which is experiencing a higher COVID-19 death rate than many U.S. states. By broadcasting their interview with donation links, we've been able to raise funds for indigenous communities even when the national government refuses to give the funds they deserve.

Support

We need more media coverage, since our ad revenues go towards indigenous/developing communities in need.

See more: https://www.bridgingbordersproject.com/

Facebook: @bridgingbordersproject
Twitter: @bridgingproject
Instagram: @bridgingbordersproject

For more information, contact covid19@unmgcy.org