All People Making a Difference
Difference MakerMentoring at this Nigerian barbershop gives boys a reason to stay off the streetsWhen Abdulmajid Bala opened his shop in 2004, he immediately felt the pull to give something back.聽
Difference MakerThe Kosovo war devastated these widows鈥� village. They found strength in one another.Fahrije Hoti, founder of the KB Krusha agricultural cooperative, helps women to heal, 27 years after a massacre in their village.
Difference MakerRead all about it: Homeless writers get an empowering platform in North CarolinaLeslee Johnson, the founding editor of The Intersection, a bimonthly newspaper, shines light on the challenges of an often-overlooked group.
Difference Maker鈥楾he first ray of light鈥�: Illuminating a path for Pakistan鈥檚 out-of-school childrenPehli Kiran, a nonprofit, operates schools聽with mobile infrastructure and tailored lesson plans.
College move-outs fill curbs with cast-off stuff. This group reduces the waste.College move-outs have increasingly become a dumpster drama, as students pile furniture, decor, and other goods on sidewalks. Alex Freid is promoting a different path.
Difference MakerFont of knowledge: Calligraphy enthusiasts in Nepal take up their pensThe group Callijatra preserves and promotes a once-forgotten language and its writing systems across Kathmandu Valley.
Difference MakerIndian nonprofits promote a culture of reuse for wedding celebrationsGoonj and Sampurna help couples rethink extravagant weddings with single-use items.
Difference MakerIn Sudan鈥檚 mountains, wartime orphans are raised to be peacemakersLarge numbers of children began arriving at Our Father鈥檚 Cleft after Sudan鈥檚 third civil war erupted in April 2023.聽
Difference MakerLabor of love: This couple is tackling Nigeria鈥檚 dire education crisisEschewing more lucrative careers, Aramide and Oluwaseun Kayode are behind the free Talent Mine Academy and an online training platform for teachers.聽
Difference MakerMainers in need of basic household goods find a community overflowing with generosityMaine Needs began as a Facebook group aiding immigrants. It now helps tens of thousands of other people as well 鈥� with volunteers lining up in droves.
Difference MakerWomen shut out of landownership in Nigeria cultivate a path forwardWomen are increasingly challenging social norms by forming farming cooperatives.
Difference MakerA survivor of Sierra Leone鈥檚 brutal civil war teaches Gen Z to remember鈥淧eace does not fall from the sky,鈥� according to Joseph Ben Kaifala, founder of the Center for Memory and Reparations.
Difference MakerVia camel, rickshaw, whatever it takes, this nonprofit brings libraries to children鈥淚f children couldn鈥檛 come to the library, the library had to go to them,鈥� says the head of the nonprofit Alif Laila Book Bus Society.
Difference MakerA flood-hit island in India needed a school. He inspired a community to build one.Bipin Dhane impressed islanders on Majuli so much that they donated land, bamboo, and their labor to build a place where he could teach their children.
Difference MakerThis Nigerian educator gave a river a voice. The next generation is listening.Solomon Ekundayo wrote the storybook 鈥淭he Loud Cry of Ogun River鈥� to explain a river鈥檚 decline in terms children can absorb.
Difference MakerThe Children鈥檚 Symphony Orchestra of Brazzaville is an ode to joy 鈥� and disciplineSince 2018, children in the Republic of Congo have been performing classical music in a culture permeated by traditional rumba.
Difference MakerNigeria had no shelter for returned male migrants. So, he built one.Osita Osemene鈥檚 organization works to restore the dignity of returned migrants from Nigeria and elsewhere.
Difference MakerRural homelessness is on the rise. Volunteers are rallying to meet the moment.As tent encampments grow in rural areas, small-town volunteers are responding the best way they know how: with food, coats, and encouragement.
Difference MakerPartners in empathy: Indian nonprofit educates travel firms to combat elephant abuseWildlife SOS teaches tourists and tour operators about the pain that elephants endure during training, and later, in their lives as riding elephants.
Difference MakerThis Pennsylvania boutique keeps foster children clothed in kindnessThe Kindness Project鈥檚 curated shop provides each new foster child with a week鈥檚 wardrobe and other items.
