When we say it was a year like no other, we really mean that. Through a tough year for all, love endures—uniting us in moments of doubt and pain. We want to thank you for following us in 2020 as we told many important stories—from the outbreak epicenters to across the Pacific. And we express special thanks to our guest speakers for sharing their stories during an unprecedented time. We wish all of you a Happy New Year. Appreciation to Dr. Margaret Chan, Professor Sharon Lewin, Professor Peter Piot, Filippo Grandi, Lena Li, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, Dr. Vanessa Kerry, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Erna Solberg, Attica Scott, and Lateefah Simon.

This is the year when everything changed. When gains on poverty reversed. When progress against hunger stopped. When so many issues had to once again take a back seat. In one of our final episodes of the year, our Host James Chau reflects on the challenges of the times— and hope for the future.

The World Banks says for the first time in a quarter of a century, global extreme poverty is on the rise—reversing decades of progress. It predicts the "new poor" will increasingly occur in urban areas, where lockdown and social distancing is already causing social and economic strife. But, in China, poverty is in reverse. Since the late 1970s, hundreds of millions of people have escaped hardship and hunger in an ongoing campaign—and, now, the country says extreme poverty in rural areas has been eliminated. Our Host James Chau looks at the story of one ethnic group in Sichuan Province, where a mountain once separated the Yi people from achieving a better life.