As a child on Chicago’s South Side, Lauren Murphy dreamed of becoming a nun to help others. Decades later, she found herself working for USAID, supporting the U.S. government’s global efforts to care for children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

In this conversation, Lauren reflects on what it meant to serve during a generational crisis—designing programs that kept children with families, not institutions, and supporting caregivers with dignity, not pity. She shares stories from South African townships, lessons in Ubuntu, and the radical belief that the best solutions come from within communities themselves.

Lauren also opens up about the abrupt and devastating dismantling of USAID’s work, and the profound sense of betrayal felt by thousands of local leaders and colleagues left behind.

This episode explores what happens when systems collapse, what community truly means, and how small acts can still hold up a future.