Saint Martin's Cloak

Andrew Loftesnes and Miloš Maggiore
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Politics

Welcome to the Saint Martin’s Cloak podcast! Our mission is to shed light on humanitarian issues around the world in a way that will inform listeners of the ground truth, while always centering the human stories and voices of individuals and populations in focus. Our focus is on humans, not statistics. Over the course of this series, we will be speaking to humanitarian workers on the ground, as well as the people directly affected by the crisis at hand. We want to look beyond what is (or often isn’t) represented in the media and to remind ourselves of the human story behind the headlines. The purpose of knowledge is to inform action. At the end of each episode, we will always ask our participants to provide listeners with actionable steps they can take to help. We are already actively planning on episodes concerning Sudan, Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, and immigration in the United States among many others. If we haven’t covered a topic yet, it’s because we are searching for the right voice from that community to tell us that story. If you have any suggestions about topics to cover or people to talk to, please send us a DM here or an email at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com Wishing you courage and health, Andrew and Miloš

  1. 1d ago

    MAGA Washed Away in Blue Tsunami? American Elections - Global Implication - Humanitarian Headlines

    In today’s episode, we took some time to do something rare these days - enjoy some good news! We discuss the historic and thorough defeat of the Republican party and the MAGA movement that shattered the American political map as it was previously understood. We also ask what the elections may mean for places like Ukraine and Palestine, and the fundamental nature of America’s relationship with Israel.  We want to interview experts on these questions. If that’s you, please reach out! If that’s your friend or a colleague, send them this episode! We’d love to have you on the show.  To directly support grassroots humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, consider supporting our friends from the following teams -  Come Back Alive, Ukrainian Patriot, Bake for Ukraine, Good Bread for Good People To read more about the implications of the US midterms on foreign policy and humanitarian crises around in Ukraine, Gaza, the Middle East and elsewhere, check out this article from DW and this article from al Jazeera.  To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.

  2. 1d ago

    Falling in Love with Syria - Syria NGO Forum - Hélène Michalak - SMC Ep.36

    We recently traveled to Damascus to begin building relationships with Syrian civil society leaders. We want to cover Syria in a long-term, serious way, and we want to hear from Syrian voices. If you are a Syrian civil society leader or advocate, please reach out. We’d love to have you on the show.  Hélène Michalak spent a year in Damascus in 2009, and fell in love with Syria, its people, and the Arabic language. When the revolution began in 2011 she started supporting Syrian humanitarian efforts, and now in 2026, she serves as the Director of the Syria NGO Forum - a team of more than 200 Syrian and international NGOs.  We hear from Hélène about what responsible international aid to Syria looks like today, the strength of Syrian NGOs, the challenges Syria is facing at this moment in history, misperceptions about Syrian and the Syrian people in Western media, how to support Syrian civil society groups directly, and more. Most importantly - Hélène tells us how anyone can take action right now to support local Syrian humanitarian efforts.  To learn more about the Syria NGO Forum and to support their mission, click here To review a list of Syrian NGOs that you can support, click here We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met, in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.  To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com

  3. 4d ago

    Bringing Joy to Kids in Gaza and Sudan - Bubbles not Bombs - Paola Dyboski - SMC Ep 35

    All children deserve security and normalcy. All children deserve to play in safety, or in other words - to simply be children. This shouldn’t be a controversial statement, but what about Palestinian kids in Gaza, or Sudanese kids in refugee camps in Chad?  Paola Dyboski is a lifelong activist and the founder of Bubbles Not Bombs, a humanitarian group that looks after the most vulnerable population in the world - children in warzones. She does this by providing them with something to play with - bubbles. We hear from Paola about the importance of providing children in warzones with a sense of normalcy, how her own experiences as a mother have impacted her humanitarian work, the importance of play for children, how Bubbles not Bombs has delivered bubbles to kids in Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere, her involvement with the Gaza flotilla, and more. Most importantly, Paola tells us how anyone can help.  To support the work of Bubbles not Bombs directly, click here To learn more about the mission of Bubbles not Bombs, click here To follow Bubbles not Bombs on Instagram, click here We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.  Follow and reach out to us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com

  4. 5d ago

    Conflict Resolution and Peace Building in Sudan - Search for Common Ground - Bryan Weiner SMC. Ep 34

    What does conflict resolution and peace building look like in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis? How are Sudanese women organizing to open humanitarian coordinators? In today’s episode, we learn about all that and more from Bryan Weiner, Senior Regional Program Manager for West Africa, and the Interim Country Director for Sudan and South Sudan at Search for Common Ground. Because of security concerns, Bryan conducted this interview on behalf of, and at the request of his Sudanese teammates, after extensive consultations with them for the latest information. Bryan provides a detailed look at the work of conflict resolution and peace building in Sudan, and how his Sudanese teammates are leading the way.  To learn more about Search for Common Ground and to support their efforts directly, click here We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.  Follow and reach out to us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com

  5. Oct 30

    Ukraine ceasefire? - Houthis use Chemical Weapons in Yemen - Humanitarian Headlines - SMC. Ep. 33

    The humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Yemen are growing worse, but you can help save lives and today, we tell you how. This is Humanitarian Headlines - a weekly feature of Saint Martin’s Cloak that focuses on stories that the world is not giving enough attention to, and ways that you can help - in 15 minutes or less.  As always, our coverage will center real people and ways that you can help them. Today we discuss Ukraine and Yemen. We also highlight groups you can support to take direct action and help make a difference. We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.  NGOs mentioned: Ukraine: Come Back Alive, Ukrainian Patriot, Bake for Ukraine, Good Bread for Good People, Kids of Ukraine Yemen: Islamic Relief , Save the Children, War Child Reach out to us @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com Article on fuel shortage in Yemen - here Article on Houthi chemical weapons use in Yemen - here Article on Oleshky ceasefire - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-who-fled-oleshky-views-us-brokered-ceasefire-with-deep-scepticism-2026-10-26/ Article on recent Russian attacks - https://kyivindependent.com/russian-attacks-across-ukraine-kill-27-injure-128-over-past-day-as-horrific-attack-strikes-dnipro-train-station/

  6. Oct 27

    Resource List to Protect Afghans from ICE - #AfghanEvac - Shawn VanDiver - SMC. Ep. 32

    This episode is a list of resources from our interview with #AfghanEvac founder Shawn VanDiver that you can use if you are an Afghan being targeted by ICE, or if you are a concerned American citizen who wants to help. Links for all resources are in the description. Check out our full length interview with Shawn for more information, and share this episode with anyone who needs it. "Promises Aren't Temporary." Shawn VanDiver is the president and founder of #AfghanEvac and a U.S. Navy veteran. Shawn and his teammates at #AfghanEvac are holding the U.S. government accountable for its own word to protect our Afghan allies. Saint Martin’s Cloak is proud to support that mission.  To report the detention of your Afghan family member by ICE or other authorities, click here If you are an Afghan and want to request a Battle Buddy for your court date or immigration appointment, click here To search for a free immigration attorney, google “pro bono immigration attorney” followed by the name of your city To sign up for the Battle Buddy Program, click here To donate and keep the mission of #AfghanEvac going, click here To learn how to contact your member of congress, click here To learn more about the policy decisions impacting our Afghan allies, click here

  7. Oct 27

    How to Protect Afghan Immigrants and Refugees from ICE - Shawn VanDiver - #AfghanEvac - SMC. Ep. 31

    America made a promise to the Afghan people, and the thing about promises is that they don’t expire. Hundreds of thousands of brave Afghans risked their lives for two decades to help American troops, diplomats, humanitarians and frontline civilians in Afghanistan, because they believed in that promise and they believed in the American dream. Here’s the reality in 2026 - under the direction of the Trump administration, ICE is targeting Afghan refugees and their families in American streets. So we wanted to talk to someone who is doing something about that.  Shawn VanDiver is the president and founder of #AfghanEvac and a U.S. Navy veteran. Shawn and his teammates at #AfghanEvac are holding the U.S. government accountable for its own word to protect our Afghan allies. Saint Martin’s Cloak is proud to support that mission.  To report the detention of your Afghan family member by ICE or other authorities, click here If you are an Afghan and want to request a Battle Buddy for your court date or immigration appointment, click here To search for a free immigration attorney, google “pro bono immigration attorney” followed by the name of your city To sign up for the Battle Buddy Program, click here To donate and keep the mission of #AfghanEvac going, click here To learn how to contact your member of congress, click here To learn more about the policy decisions impacting our Afghan allies, click here We hear from Shawn about the mission of #AfghanEvac, the promise that America made to our Afghan allies, the reality for Afghan refugees in America as they are targeted by ICE, why keeping our promise to our Afghan allies is not only morally just but also in the national security interest of the United States, who in Congress is actually helping, and most importantly - what any American citizen - veteran or not - can do about it.  We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met, in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.  To reach out to the Saint Martin’s Cloak Podcast, follow and DM us on Instagram @saintmartinscloak_pod or email us at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com

  8. Oct 24

    Putin Labelled "Humanitarian"? - Ukraine and Yemen - Humanitarian Headlines - SMC Ep. 30

    The humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Yemen are growing worse, but you can help save lives and today, we tell you how. This is Humanitarian Headlines - a weekly feature of Saint Martin’s Cloak that focuses on stories that the world is not giving enough attention to, and ways that you can help - in 15 minutes or less.  As always, our coverage will center real people and ways that you can help them. Today we discuss Ukraine and Yemen. We also highlight groups you can support to take direct action and help make a difference. We are building a community of people who care about playing their part and helping people they’ve never met in places they’ve never been. We want you to be a part of that. Leave us a comment in the episode description about areas we should cover and guests we should speak to. If you take the time to hit subscribe or follow and leave a review for the show it is tremendously helpful. If you are in the humanitarian or advocacy field, don't be shy about asking to come on the show. We’d love to hear from you.  NGOs mentioned: Ukraine: Come Back Alive, Ukrainian Patriot, Bake for Ukraine, Good Bread for Good People Yemen: Islamic Relief , Save the Children, War Child Reach out to us! Instagram: @saintmartinscloak_pod Email us: saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com

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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Saint Martin’s Cloak podcast! Our mission is to shed light on humanitarian issues around the world in a way that will inform listeners of the ground truth, while always centering the human stories and voices of individuals and populations in focus. Our focus is on humans, not statistics. Over the course of this series, we will be speaking to humanitarian workers on the ground, as well as the people directly affected by the crisis at hand. We want to look beyond what is (or often isn’t) represented in the media and to remind ourselves of the human story behind the headlines. The purpose of knowledge is to inform action. At the end of each episode, we will always ask our participants to provide listeners with actionable steps they can take to help. We are already actively planning on episodes concerning Sudan, Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, and immigration in the United States among many others. If we haven’t covered a topic yet, it’s because we are searching for the right voice from that community to tell us that story. If you have any suggestions about topics to cover or people to talk to, please send us a DM here or an email at saintmartinscloak@protonmail.com Wishing you courage and health, Andrew and Miloš

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Loftesnes and Miloš Maggiore
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Andrew Loftesnes and Miloš Maggiore
  • Show Website
    Saint Martin's Cloak