All People Making a Difference
- Giving back: Nine-year-old builds homeless shelters and other selfless actsThe girl, from Washington state, is one of a number of children and preadolescents who are helping those less fortunate.
This Minnesota town boosted walking by 70 percent. Here's how.Albert Lea, Minn., adopted a communitywide approach to encourage walking that included widening and extending sidewalks by more than six miles near schools, senior centers, and businesses.
Kelly Pajak combines an Army career with a passion for sustainable developmentWorking on a sanitation system for Mosul, Iraq, opened her eyes to the need to work closely with motivated local leaders.
A 'mini-United Nations' pulls together through soccerThe North Dallas neighborhood of Vickery Meadow is home to refugees from around the world. A youth soccer league brings kids together 鈥� and off the streets.
Never give up, says Aaron Baker, former quadriplegicAfter a motorcycle accident, Aaron Baker was told he'd never walk again. Last year, he walked 20 miles across the Mojave Desert.聽
Eric Stowe makes a Splash for clean waterThe nonprofit group, which works in places like Nepal, sets up self-sustaining filtration systems.
Difference MakerDonna Tabor is a one-woman charity in NicaraguaOne of her innovative ideas: a cafe where street kids have a safe environment to learn how to work.
Project STEP changes young lives through musicAt Boston鈥檚 nonprofit Project STEP, inner-city children learn life-changing skills through studying classical music.
Chesapeake Bay oysters make a remarkable recoveryAfter being decimated by disease, pollution, and overharvesting, the Chesapeake Bay鈥檚 renowned oysters are thriving once again, thanks largely to a selectively bred oyster that grows rapidly and is more resistant to pathogens.
From orphan to founder of a radio station aimed at peace buildingPerry Saxe Gateka loved radio. So he attached his homemade antenna to the highest branch of an avocado tree and began broadcasting to more than 100 households in Burundi.
Shadab Hassan turned down a corporate career to start a village schoolH.H. High School, deep in the hinterland of India's Jharkhand State, transforms children's lives through education.
Solar-powered 'ATMs' to deliver clean water in PakistanThe two-foot-square prototype machine looks and functions like an ATM, but dispenses water instead of cash. Users are issued a card they use to claim a daily amount of water.
Put water in the bank: a solution for drought-stricken CaliforniaOne answer to California鈥檚 severe water shortage may be groundwater banking, in which municipalities, farmers, and other water users store water in aquifers for later use.
Difference MakerOlga Murray in Nepal: shaken but undeterredThe founder of the Nepal Youth Foundation, profiled in a 2013 Monitor article, was preparing for a birthday party when the earthquake hit. Now she's back in the US raising funds to aid Nepal.
How one West Africa town is fighting hungerIn a village of mud and straw huts in Mali a series of small improvements 鈥� capturing rainwater, a fish pond, vegetable gardens, efficient wood stoves 鈥� is lifting families.
Difference MakerDale Anderson shows young offenders a path to a sweeter lifeConfections With Convictions is more than a fancy chocolate shop. It's a fresh start for troubled teens.
This short bike path could power a home for a yearEmbedded with solar cells, the world鈥檚 first energy-producing bike path is humming along in the Netherlands.
Marine biologist in Haiti creates a national parkJean Wiener won a Goldman Environmental Foundation prize for helping establish Haiti鈥檚 first Marine Protected Areas and promoting sustainable fishing practices.
Effective help for drought-hit Kenya: cashA cash-transfer program aimed as food aid has had an unexpected effect: Most of the recipients use it to start small businesses or restock herds with drought-resistant cattle.
Food stamps double their value at Michigan farmers markets, helping families and growersA USDA program helps low-income families take home twice the veggies 鈥� and farmers make twice the money.
