logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
24m 15s

Kids who care

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Oritsé Williams became a young carer aged 12, when his mother contracted multiple sclerosis and he had to take responsibility for looking after her and two younger siblings. During his teenage years, he had a dream: to become a singer and make plenty of money so that he could fund research to find a cure for his mum. At least part of that dream came true when Oritsé and his band, JLS, were runners-up in a national talent contest.

But Oritsé never forgot his early years as a young, unpaid carer. He meets the next generation of kids who care – in the UK, Uganda and El Salvador. He learns about the challenges these children and teenagers face, but also hears stories of resilience and hope. Among the children are 13-year-old Amber, who looks after two sick and disabled parents; 15-year-old Jordan, whose care role ties him to the house almost completely; and 13-year-old Gloria from Uganda, who looks after four younger siblings all on her own.

Up next
Yesterday
Bonus. World of Secrets: The Killing Call
Sidhu Moose Wala explodes onto the Canadian music scene. His sound is a fusion of two worlds - hip-hop with the poetic language of rural Punjab, where he is from. After years of struggle he is making it. But with the spotlight comes a dark side. As his fame grows, so do the threa ... Show More
35m 54s
Jul 8
Re-homing France’s immigrant workers
France’s last foyers – housing for immigrant workers – are set for demolition. But some current residents are worried about what they’ll lose. Hundreds of “foyers” - housing units especially for immigrant workers – were built after World War II. The economy was booming and France ... Show More
27m 11s
Jul 7
Max Kidruk: Imagining the future in a science fiction trilogy
How do you imagine the future if you are a science fiction writer living in the present with your country at war? That is the challenge and dilemma for best selling author Max Kidruk. As he nears completion of Collapse, the second volume of a science fiction trilogy The New Dark ... Show More
26m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Musical child prodigies
Very few people in the world are blessed with exceptional musical talent that is apparent from an early age. What is childhood like in the spotlight, especially as a young woman? To find out, Kim Chakanetsa meets two musicians whose careers began when they were children. Tosin Je ... Show More
27m 25s
Jan 2024
How to raise a teenage boy
Sana Safi meets two parenting experts who help women navigate their relationship with their teenage sons. Rosalind Wiseman is the best-selling author of 9 books, including Queen Bees & Wannabes, which became the inspiration for the movie Mean Girls, and Masterminds & Wingmen, in ... Show More
27m 18s
May 2022
Helping teenagers become good mums
Being a teenage mum is not easy. But innovative projects around the world are trying to help. We hear from Sierra Leone, where the 2 Young Lives project supports teenagers who've been rejected by their families for getting pregnant. They link them up with older women who step in ... Show More
24m 8s
Feb 2024
L'adolescence trahie
“Je comprends qu’il est temps de raconter mon histoire. Il est temps”, écrit Judith Godrèche à sa fille Tess dans une lettre publiée par Le Monde en même temps que paraissait une enquête sur sa relation avec Benoît Jacquot, 39 ans à l’époque, alors qu’elle n’en avait que 14. Judi ... Show More
50m 5s
Jan 2024
Finding My Father
This is a remarkable true story of how an elderly former engineer met a new partner, who eventually put in a care home without telling his family where he was. His daughter embarked on a long search to track him down - when she finally found him last Christmas he had advanced dem ... Show More
29m 32s
Nov 2016
Michael Bublé
Kirsty Young's castaway is the singer, Michael Bublé. Born in Burnaby, British Columbia, as a young boy he spent hours listening to his grandfather's record collection which featured the stars of the Great American songbook - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald. At six ... Show More
34m 6s
Feb 2021
Kidnapped as A Child: Why I Didn’t Return
From February 21, 2007: Child abduction survivor, Todd Bequette, shares his experience of being kidnapped at age 13 and held captive for 18 months. He opens up about the abuse he suffered, the guilt he feels for recruiting other children and how this experience affected him. Eliz ... Show More
28m 29s
Sep 2023
Dancing in the womb
A mother, a son, and the discovery of a shared dream. Latifa Khamessi and her son Mohamed Toukabri from Tunisia were inseparable until aged 15 when he left for Europe to study dance. It was gut-wrenching to be apart, but an opportunity he couldn't turn down. It wasn't until years ... Show More
44m 9s