We might have passed Mothers’ Day for another year – but keeping mothers and babies healthy during pregnancy and childbirth is still a huge issue in communities all over the world. In fact, improving maternal health is the Millennium Development Goals towards which the least progress has been made so far. In general, Australia is one of the safest …

Special Guest: Dr. Emil Bolongaita, Technical Director, Management Systems InternationalIn the business of helping countries find their feet, some problems are perennial. Corruption has been bothering aid workers and organisations for as long as they’ve been handing out cash. Not surprisingly, in countries with very little, aid flows can become a s…

The crisis facing the people of Pakistan’s Swat Valley has been all over the papers this month – but it’s hard to keep up with the who, what, when and why of a disaster which has now caused the largest displacement of people Pakistan has ever seen. This week Ryneisha, Hannah, Amye and Erana ask what could possibly cause more than two million people…

In a part of the year marked by some serious democratic events – the Indian elections, the Indonesian Presidential election, and the anniversaries of both the Tiananmen Square massacre and the victory of the Solidarity movement in Poland – STIR radio puts aside purse politics for a while and asks instead about the links between democracy and develo…

Sometimes, one hour just isn’t enough!STIR Radio revisits the contrast between Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and Criminal Tribunals, focussing especially on the pros and cons of each approach and asking how much of a choice countries really have about the kind of process they end up with.Our reporter James Melhuish also has the great privile…

How do countries cope with traumatic events in their history?Whether they’ve gone through apartheid, genocide or civil conflict, moving on is hard to do for both survivors and later generations.Eleanor, Nicola, Claudia and Adelaide use the examples of South Africa, Liberia, Cambodia and Rwanda to compare the way nations tackle the healing process, …

With so much international attention on the plight of China’s ethnic Tibetan population it is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that there aren’t other minority groups in the Middle Kingdom. But, as Erana, Hannah, Ryneisha and Stephen discover on this week’s program, China is home to hundreds of non-Han communities, many of whom continue to st…

The Amazon Rainforest is disappearing . Fast.So we should stop chopping it down... right?Stacey, Ryaneisha, Amye and Fran take a longer look at what sometimes seems like a simple question.They ask:- What is the law on logging in the Amazon? Who enforces it, and how seriously?- How much longing is done illegally? What can the Brazilian Government an…

Every day, children around the world eat VERY different meals. These meals don’t just have different tastes, different origins and different nutritional values: they also have a cultural significance that contributes to children’s understanding of who they are and where they’re from. And this cultural significance, like the food we eat, doesn’t jus…

Ever heard of the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ – a phrase so common it’s come to be known as the ‘GFC’? Ever wondered what it actually means? Spend just a few minutes with STIR’s Nicola Caon as she gives a super-speedy run-down of the who, the what and the how... then, armed with your newfound knowledge, tune in to our interview with Clarie marsh to f…

Join Stephen, Ryneisha and Stacey as we look at perceptions of Aboriginal people and how we reach these views. What was the last Indigenous article you read in the media? Can you name five famous Aboriginal Australians? Cathy, Ernie Dingo, anyone else? Have we moved on to a place of respect, or are we still struggling to work out what comes after t…

A look with the VGen STIR team at the facts and impacts of the Child Sex Tourism Industry particularly throughout Thailand. What is it and what are the causes. 70,000 children are victims across Asia. Start stirring. Includes a special guest interview with Daniel Christens a Vision Group member from Victoria.…

Put on your thinking cap and join in the debate as the STIR team, with guest presenter David Kaczan, chat about the pros and cons of having a national minimum wage. Presenting important economic ideas in a way everyone can understand and relate to, this show will help you reflect on the tricky balance developing countries have to strike between mak…

Stephen, Becky and Eleanor explore the big questions around immunisation against preventable diseases in developing countries.Why are preventable diseases still a problem in developing countries? Why are there no better and cheaper vaccines against them? How can drug companies be encouraged to develop new ones? Can developing countries afford help …

Eleanor, James and Stacey talk Fairtrade Chocolate. Tune in to hear more about: Why fairtrade is different Free Trade? and how NOT to get them mixed up. Why some people criticise the Fairtrade movement. Do they have a point? How you can be sure your Fairtrade product IS fairly traded. Cadbury has made the big decision to have the Dairy Milk line in…

Why do we STIR? Why would anyone STIR? Is Youth Activism a Fad? Lets kick off 2009 with special guests including Adelaide Climate activist Rowan Steele. Oxfam Fair Trade Activist Lily Pearce. VGenner and STIRRER Siobhan Chapman and Chris Hoy VGen Leader at Uni of Sydney.Par VGen South Australia