All People Making a Difference
Difference MakerMae Azango exposed a secret ritual in Liberia, putting her life in dangerWhen journalist Mae Azango wrote about a secret women's circumcision ritual in Liberia, she received death threats.
First Graduate helps students aim for higher educationThe nonprofit First Graduate program helps students become the first in their family to attend college.
Inshah Malik is trying to rebuild Kashmir with a different weapon 鈥� her penYoung writer Inshah Malik tells the stories of Kashmiri women and the often brutal effects on them from decades of conflict.
Community radio cuts disaster risk in flood-prone BangladeshRadio stations that broadcast in local dialects along Bangladesh鈥檚 coast warn residents about storms and help farmers cope with erratic weather.
Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village helps young Rwandans healA visit from Rwandan students gives their American peers a chance to learn about the Rwandan genocide and the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, which cares for orphaned and other affected youths.
Samaritan's Purse helps feed those in need worldwideIn Bolivia and other hungry countries around the world Samaritan's Purse works to support families hurt by natural disaster, war, disease, and famine.
Difference MakerJean Enock Joseph teaches self-help to lift HaitiPastor Jean Enock Joseph doesn't shy from Haiti's toughest problems. His message: Haitians have the ability to help themselves.
Mangroves reduce disaster risk, boost incomes in VietnamPlanting mangrove forests on Vietnam's coasts creates living storm barriers as well as rich new fishing grounds.
Diners go 'Halfsies' to fight hunger and obesity'Halfsies' plan at restaurants would serve half of a normal portion to diners with the remaining value of the dish used to aid the hungry.
New ideas reduce waste and spoilage after the harvestA new kind of bag for cowpeas in western Africa cuts weevil infestations and boosts incomes and productivity. Research on how to better grow crops is now being joined by research on how to reduce waste and spoilage after harvest.
Green roofs in Nairobi save energy, waterThese gardens in the sky sometimes boast trees, as well as grass and other plants, which cool the building while sucking up carbon-dioxide pollution.- Difference MakerA little book has a big impact on how to run a charityMario Morino wrote a little book that's had a big effect 鈥� urging nonprofit groups to prove that they're really doing what they say they're doing.
Solar-powered phones recharge Kenya's conversationsAn inexpensive solar cell phone made of recycled materials opens new opportunities for people in rural Kenya.
Journalist Kevin Fagan looked for solutions to homelessnessHis newspaper series on the homeless in San Francisco emphasized solutions 鈥� what really works and what doesn't. The result: constructive changes.
World Bank unit, MasterCard Foundation boost crucial small loans in AfricaThey'll spend $37.4 million over five years to provide microfinancing, which helps people lift themselves out of poverty by starting or expanding small businesses, sending children to school, or improving farms.
A quirky, tiny grass-roots effort backs only 'Awesome鈥� projectsThe Awesome Foundation is a loose collection of some three-dozen local groups usually made up of 10 volunteers each, who offer $100 a month toward a simple, no-strings-attached grant, or Awesome Fellowship.
Public-private teamwork helps save Connecticut's threatened alewivesThe once-abundant fish have played a big role in Connecticut's development. But now they need help to reach their freshwater spawning grounds.
Difference MakerThey opened their home 鈥� and hearts 鈥� to South Africa's abandoned babiesChristo and Lanie de Klerk have founded the Baby Moses sanctuary for abandoned babies in South Africa.
Farmers' markets go onlineOnline ordering systems, like Arganica Farm Club in the mid-Atlantic, Green Bean Delivery in the Midwest, and SPUD in the Northwest, deliver fresh local produce to consumers.
Ethikus offers a Groupon-like service to find ethical, sustainable businessesNew York City startup Ethikus provides vouchers for small businesses whose practices embody principles of sustainability.
