All People Making a Difference
Engineering Smiles aims to bring mobile dental care to those in needA group of engineering students in Arizona, most of them women, is designing a mobile dental facility for use in Nicaragua.
Difference MakerJeff Lee and Ann Martin started a place to read about 鈥� and experience 鈥� the WestThe Rocky Mountain Land Library, 32,000 books about the American West, will find a suitable home聽on the historical Buffalo Peaks Ranch in Colorado.
Geek teams on two continents write poverty-breaking apps for KenyaThe Nov. 20-22 Poverty Hackathon will be the first international development-focused virtual hackathon. A panel of judges will choose a winning idea.
Difference MakerTemsutula Imsong picked up a broom and bucket and cleaned up a riverbankThe ghats, or steps, along the Ganges River seemed to be beyond help. But her volunteer effort has now been lauded by India's prime minister.
How one American found a way to help Syrian refugees: baby carriersMothers around the world are sending聽baby carriers to聽Syrian refugees, revealing a compassionate face behind the ongoing immigration debate.
Syrian journalist wins award for her courageous reportingShe has been targeted by both the Syrian government and militant forces after setting up an underground newspaper to report on what was really happening.
Online university offers Syrian refugees an opportunity to study for freeKiron University, founded by students in Berlin, promises to provide college courses to refugees without fees or the need to supply missing legal documents.
Among US tribes, a movement revives native foods and landsThe Fond du Lac band in Minnesota is planting wild rice and restoring damaged wetlands. Across the US tribes are reviving traditional food sources and healing scarred lands.
'Frugal innovation' does more with less to find solutionsTechnological advances have added expensive bells and whistles. Getting back to basics allows low-income populations to play a major part in their own progress.
A visionary's quest: a city filled with gardensOrion Kriegman wants Boston to burst with food-producing parcels tended by the community.
Small island states ditch diesel for cheaper, cleaner energyThe Marshall Islands is cutting diesel use dramatically with small-scale wind power, solar power, and energy efficiency moves.
Difference MakerMelissa Fink turned a struggling grade school into a national modelThe principal of Jones Elementary School in Springdale, Ark., begins by addressing the needs of the 'whole child.'
Old tires faithfully protect Yellowstone鈥檚 most famous geyserA new pathway in Yellowstone National Park is made from repurposed rubber, allowing more water to flow into the ground and recharge the Old Faithful geyser.
These Black Mambas protect African wildlife from poachersThe United Nations has honored the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, comprised mostly of women, which has dramatically reduced poaching in a South African national park.
Two decades after the genocide, a Rwanda wildlife park recoversAkagera National Park was devastated during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Now wildlife, including hippos, crocodiles, and even lions, is coming back.
Interest-free loans don't make sense: But they do make a differenceIn a low-income area of Seattle, neighbors help to crowdfund the dreams of local entrepreneurs by providing interest-free loans.
Difference MakerMel King has spent a lifetime as an advocate for Boston familiesToday his聽South End Technology Center is helping the city's youths prepare for the future.
Solar network 'in a box' brings phone service to disaster zonesA small Rescue Base Station will allow people to call, send messages, and even browse the Internet for help when regular phone service is disrupted by a natural disaster.
Build a solar-powered school in rural Kenya 鈥� in 48 hoursThe flat-packed building kit from Aleutia, a British tech company, includes computers preloaded with educational resources.
Tanzania cooks up a sweet potato fix for its droughtFarmers are switching to hardy orange sweet potato to cope with drought and improve food security.