All People Making a Difference
Steve Jobs widow: How is Laurene Powell Jobs spending her wealth?Steve Jobs widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, is emerging as a education philanthropist and immigration reform campaigner. Since her husband, Steve Jobs, passed on, Mrs. Powell Jobs has joined the push for passage of the Dream Act.
Actor, dressed as woman, feels Egypt's sexual harassmentAs part of a documentary TV series, a young male actor took to the streets of downtown Cairo dressed as a woman and experienced sexual harassment firsthand.
Difference MakerScott Budnick serves breakfast 鈥� with a side order of respect 鈥� to the homelessSunday breakfast at a Providence, R.I., church is more than a free meal. Half the volunteers are homeless themselves: 'It's their [own] breakfast that they're putting on.'
How mussels could help clean polluted watersAlong the shores of New York Harbor, scientists are investigating whether mussels, a hardy bivalve, might be grown in urban areas as a way of cleaning coastal waters of sewage, fertilizers, and other pollutants.
Sharing good news helps break down the myth of our own powerlessnessScary stories of kidnappings and explosions lead our news feeds, but there are plenty of empowering stories of progress 鈥� if we look for them.
US Navy ship to sail the Pacific on a humanitarian missionThe US Navy has been sending its vessels on humanitarian missions since 2006, when it sent the hospital ship USNS Mercy to the Philippines, Indonesia, and other Asian countries.
Two extraordinary African women tell their storiesAs disabled women refugees, Dahabo Hassan Maow and Aitm Caroline Ogwang faced tremendous obstacles. But they've overcome every one and now advocate for other women in need.
Detroit calls on its Do-It-Yourself DepartmentA growing number of volunteers, some affluent, some just average guys riding their Toros, perform services, such as mowing the parks, that Detroit can no longer afford.
Difference MakerMalcolm Boyd brought 海角大神ity into the streets to promote civil rightsEpiscopal priest Malcolm Boyd has taken the message of 海角大神ity outside the walls of church to champion minority rights and show that God is everywhere.
Mobile phones unleash farmers in UgandaThe information farmers in Uganda provide via mobile phones does more than just help them order and pay for supplies. It allows the collection of data that will help them sell their crops, build a credit history, and receive other services, such as crop insurance.
India seeks new ways to fund energy-efficient lightingReplacing even a couple of conventional light bulbs with CFLs results in huge cost savings for poor families in India. But with carbon markets failing new ways to fund bulb replacement are being sought.
Chris Bradshaw ships books to Africa to help make the impossible possibleThe African Library Project has sent 1 million books overseas and built 1,000 libraries in nine different countries.
Poverty-fighting 'elephant' boosts farmers in IndiaHardy 'elephant' or Napier grass has proved to be a cheap and nutritious fodder for livestock in poor and drought-prone areas of India.
Joshua Williams found his purpose in life 鈥� at age 5Middle-schooler Joshua Williams is the founder and president of Joshua's Heart Foundation, a Miami-based organization dedicated to combating hunger and helping individuals improve their quality of life.
Difference MakerSeiji Yoshimura rushes to natural disasters to helpInspired by the work of an American missionary long ago, Seiji Yoshimura helps out at disaster sites across Asia, including in his native Japan.
Protecting land rights using Wikipedia-style mapsBuilding data bases of land ownership, Wikipedia-style, would be a cheap and easy way for poor, rural communities聽to compile a record of property rights and land use, reducing corruption and helping to lessen illegal land grabs.
$10M gift to restore slave quarters at Thomas Jefferson estateA gift from a philanthropist will recreate Mulberry Row, which housed slaves at Monticello, the plantation of the author of the Declaration of Independence and the words 'all men are created equal.'
Saudi Arabia launches first campaign to stop violence against womenAbuse of women has been a taboo subject, but in a bold first step a new advertising campaign encourages female victims to come out of hiding.
A different road out of poverty: saving instead of borrowingMicroloans get all the publicity, but the key to upward mobility for the world's poor may be to rely on simple savings plans, which offer a debt-free way to build wealth, make investments, and better one's life.
Civic Accelerator boosts young businesses who want to do goodThe program funds five for-profit and five nonprofit startups, then throws them together to teach each other the best ways to get a social venture to succeed.
