About Fred
Fred de Sam Lazaro is director of the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, a program that combines international journalism and teaching. He has served with the PBS NewsHour since 1985 and is a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.
He also has directed films from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the documentary series Wide Angle. Fred has reported from more than 60 countries: from Haiti to sub-Saharan Africa to south Asia. He has focused on stories that are under-reported in the mainstream U.S. media. In addition to regularly covering AIDS, public health concerns, development issues and social entrepreneurship, he led the first American crew to report on the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Fred is the recipient of two honorary doctorates, numerous journalism awards and media fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan. He serves on the board of Minnpost and was a trustee at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, his alma mater. He also has served on the boards of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Children's Law Center of Minnesota.
Fred’s Recent Stories
Agents for Change Jan 01
Water crisis may make Gaza Strip uninhabitable by 2020In the Gaza Strip, 97 percent of freshwater is unsuitable for human consumption, and raw sewage pours into the Mediterranean Sea. Facilities for desalinating and treating water function on only a limited basis, as Israel controls the flow of fuel…
Agents for Change Dec 31
Arid Middle East faces political battles over water shortfallsThe Middle East is facing a water crisis, and the divisions between Israel and Palestinians have only exacerbated the problem. But whereas Israel is a pioneer in desalination and produces much of its own water, in Gaza, Palestinians struggle with…
World Aug 28
Resisting the African ‘brain drain’ that has created a health care crisisA "brain drain" is sending many of Africa’s highly skilled workers abroad--and leaving a painful void in their absence. But an organization called Seed Global Health is training new medical professionals and encouraging them to remain in their native countries,…
World Aug 13
African food businesses get nurturing from well-known giantsVolunteers from some of the world’s biggest food producers, who decades ago took food-making from kitchen to the factory, are offering guidance to African entrepreneurs and helping nations become less dependent on imported food. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro…
Agents for Change Aug 03
How tech is putting the needs of impoverished Kenyans on the mapAt least 50 percent of Nairobi's population lives in slums, yet until a few years ago, many busy neighborhoods were blank spaces on official maps. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Kenya on the ways mapping technology is…
Science Aug 01
Does solar power offer a brighter future for off-the-grid Navajo residents?Bypassed in the ‘30s and '40s, one third of homes in Navajo Nation still have no access to grid electricity. Yet ironically, it's a huge electricity exporter, with one of the biggest coal-fired plants churning out power sold to millions.
Science Jun 20
How off-the-grid Navajo residents are getting running waterLack of access to running water is an issue in many developing countries, but it is also a problem in the United States. Nearly 40 percent of the homes in the Navajo Nation lack running water or sanitation, and many…
World Jun 07
Getting books from the U.S. feeds these students’ love of readingBooks For Africa has sent more than 41 million books over the last 30 years to 53 different countries, where students say the variety of titles have made them enthusiastic readers. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports.
Arts May 29
This school in India proves music can change livesIn a remote Himalayan community in India, admission to a school set up by a Canadian Jesuit priest meant more than a meal ticket for the children on the lowest rung of the traditional social hierarchy; each student was also…
World Apr 23
India’s struggling farmers find seeds of hope in heritage cropsAbout two-thirds of India's 1.3 billion people live on small subsistence farms, struggling to eke out a living. Many farmers have felt left behind as crops have failed or diminished due to disease, degraded soil and drought. Not thousands are…
