Andrea Crossan

Andrea Crossan is the former Executive Producer of The World.

Andrea Crossan is the former Executive Producer of The World and former series director of the Across Women's Lives project. Andrea moved to Boston after working as a BBC producer in London. Before joining the BBC, she worked for a number of news organizations, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Associated Press and NBC News.

Andrea has reported from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Brazil, Canada, Nicaragua and Kenya. She has a Master's degree in International Journalism from City University London.

She collects stamps in her passport and can pack for a three-week trip using just a carry-on bag.

Sunflower

Why taking a sunflower selfie this year might cost you

The sunflower selfie has become so popular that Instagrammers have been trampling farmer's flowers to get the perfect pic. And that has farmers annoyed.

Why taking a sunflower selfie this year might cost you
Medium close up of Mo Korchinski sitting in a coffee shop.

Many women come out of prison with almost nothing. This woman helps them through the first 72 hours.

Many women come out of prison with almost nothing. This woman helps them through the first 72 hours.
Two men and two women stand together next to a court house.

Can First Nations Court stop Indigenous women from ending up in prison?

Can First Nations Court stop Indigenous women from ending up in prison?
X-ray conveyor belt with luggage.

She was arrested for carrying a suitcase lined with cocaine into Canada. Her court case changed the law.

She was arrested for carrying a suitcase lined with cocaine into Canada. Her court case changed the law.
Close up of the back of a woman's head looking out onto a skating rink

A Ugandan in Canada learns to skate

A Ugandan in Canada learns to skate
Mother and daughter

Working in a garment factory may not bring this mother and daughter long-term economic stability

Rongmala Begum, like many of Bangladesh’s garment workers, doesn’t know how old she is. She doesn’t have a birth certificate, which is common for the rural poor here. She thinks she’s in her 40s. She has an identification card, but she can’t read it. Begum is illiterate.

Working in a garment factory may not bring this mother and daughter long-term economic stability
Garment workers

Are factories better in Bangladesh after Rana Plaza? That depends on who you ask.

The Rana Plaza collapse made companies and consumers more aware of working conditions in the clothing factories. In some places, reforms have made workers safer, but the changes are far from universal.

Are factories better in Bangladesh after Rana Plaza? That depends on who you ask.
Thai women sitting on a sidewalk in El Monte, California

How a sweatshop raid in an LA suburb changed the American garment industry

In the early hours of Aug. 2, 1995, authorities raided an apartment complex in El Monte and found 72 Thai workers, including Rotchana Sussman, living in virtual slavery while making clothing.

How a sweatshop raid in an LA suburb changed the American garment industry
Water falls from a pipe onto the street. A woman in the background is bent at the waist and washes her hair in the running water, while a man holds a child and watches the woman.

We asked Puerto Ricans about their future plans. Many want to stay and rebuild.

Hear directly from some of them.

We asked Puerto Ricans about their future plans. Many want to stay and rebuild.
Team

Meet the women combing through Puerto Rico, searching for veterans in need

The VA team goes from one hurricane shelter to another, assisting veterans.

Meet the women combing through Puerto Rico, searching for veterans in need
An elderly woman sitting on a porch.

It wasn’t easy, but we hand-delivered a letter to a grandmother in Puerto Rico

"Jenny? Hello? Hello?" — a grandmother speaks to her family on the US mainland after weeks of being unable to contact them after Hurricane Maria.

It wasn’t easy, but we hand-delivered a letter to a grandmother in Puerto Rico
Janet Franceschini Colon (left), Jennifer Santos Franceschini (middle), Jenelyn Santos (right) and Jennifer's two daughters are pictured.

One Boston family's wish to get a letter to their grandmother in Puerto Rico

After Hurricane Maria, one family in Boston has been unable to speak to relatives in Puerto Rico. So, they asked us to bring a letter with us and deliver it.

One Boston family's wish to get a letter to their grandmother in Puerto Rico
South African artist Lady Skollie on a sofa in her studio with cut-out shapes of bananas on the wall behind her

South African artist Lady Skollie explains why she paints burning vaginas

“It’s got a burning vagina in the middle and there are all men — so it’s like they are warming themselves around a burning vagina. Which, to me, is pretty much South Africa.”

South African artist Lady Skollie explains why she paints burning vaginas
Close-up of Saidy Brown wearing a gray shirt

At 14, she tested positive for HIV — now she calls herself an HIVictor

"I’m just that person. I’m like, dude — I’m HIV-positive.”

At 14, she tested positive for HIV — now she calls herself an HIVictor
A woman in a baseball hat next to a man in front of the Johannesburg skyline.

What it means in South Africa when you are #blessed

"The blessers are high, high-risk men, because these are men who are probably married, and they’ve got multiple partners."

What it means in South Africa when you are #blessed