When a natural disaster or armed conflict hits a region, the tragedy and those affected by it, become the world’s focus. But then, the spotlight dims, news cameras stop rolling and all that attention fades away, even though the struggles are far from over.

This week on Full Frame, conversations with those who have long-term commitments to bring hope and rebuild long after disaster strikes.

Tony Goldwyn: Improving lives around the globe

Actor Tony Goldwyn talks about his support of disaster relief agency AmeriCares.

Tony Goldwyn is perhaps best known for his role as the handsome villain in the 1990 blockbuster film, Ghost. Today, he stars in the hit American TV political drama, Scandal as U.S. President Fitzgerald Grant III.

But Goldwyn isn’t just an actor; he’s a producer, a director and a humanitarian. A longtime supporter of disaster relief agency AmeriCares, he became a personal ambassador for the cause and hopes his involvement engages and inspires his fans to give back.

Tony Goldwyn joins May Lee in our Los Angeles studio to share more about playing the role of the president and, helping others around the world.

Aid Still Required: Taking on forgotten causes

Andrea and Hunter Payne of Aid Still Required talk about bringing attention back to forgotten disasters.

“Just because it left the headlines doesn’t mean it left the planet”. That’s the motto of Aid Still Required (ASR), a non-profit organization that brings attention back to those forgotten areas hit by natural disaster or human crisis after the global attention fades away.

Co-founders Andrea and Hunter Payne call themselves “second responders” since ASR helps some of the most neglected communities in the world after immediate aid relief and media attention are gone.

Through its extensive outreach campaigns, innovative redevelopment programs and massive celebrity support, ASR has brought hope of survival and rebuilding to more than 600 million people.

Andrea and Hunter Payne, of Aid Still Required, join May Lee in our Los Angeles studio to tell us more about their work.

Father Shay Cullen: Helping vulnerable children

Father Shay Cullen talks about the threat of human trafficking after a disaster.

The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates more than a million children, around the world, are subjected to human trafficking every year. It’s been called “modern-day slavery,” forcing children into labor, the sex trade or recruitment into militias. As a result of insufficient government infrastructure in developing countries and the so-called “invisible nature” of these terrible crimes, the actual number may be even far greater.

Father Shay Cullen has dedicated his career to saving the lives and futures of these exploited children. In 1974, the Irish priest started the Philippines-based PREDA Foundation, a non-profit organization advocating for human rights and protection for vulnerable children.

Like other nations in Southeast Asia, the Philippines has its issues with child trafficking. But after the 2013 typhoon Haiyan, known as Super Typhoon Yolanda, hit the Philippines, displacing millions, women and children were especially vulnerable to exploitation.

From Manila, Shay Cullen joins May Lee in our Los Angeles studio to discuss the threat of human trafficking in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Samuel Hung: Discovering hidden happiness

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Artist Samuel Hung creates happiness out of so-called “trivial” objects.

Often after a disaster strikes, finding happiness can be difficult.

But Taiwanese-born and New York-based artist, Samuel Hung, has a way of creating happiness through his paintings of what others may call “trivial”. He finds the hidden beauty in objects like rubber duckies or Kewpie dolls. His collection ranges from toys he played with as a child to trinkets he gathers at flea markets.

Tossed aside as junk and easily forgotten, Hung brings these trinkets back to life by painting them. His paintings not only look life-like but they also have a unique beauty. It may be because Hung has a deep interest in discovering the history of these trinkets. His subjects may not be “traditionally” beautiful, but his paintings have attracted the attention of exhibit-goers all across the United States and Asia.

In this week’s Full Frame Close Up, we caught up with Samuel Hung to see playful and intriguing artwork.