All People Making a Difference
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.
Bystander Revolution stands up to bullyingParent and author MacKenzie Bezos founded Bystander revolution to inspire simple acts of courage, kindness, and inclusion, and to counter bullying online or in person.
Difference MakerVicki Houska raised 12 foster kids. Now she helps other families do it.She lined her St. Louis-area basement with freezers and shelves and began distributing food, diapers, and toiletries free to local foster families.
A couple in Rwanda defeats ethnic hatred with loveViateur and his wife, Judith, have married across the divide between Hutus and Tutsis, becoming entrepreneurs and peace builders.
Boys persuade girls to go back to school in IndiaEducate Girls trains young people to go into villages to find girls who are not in the classroom.
Games for Change do more than just entertainVideo games with a purpose, from peacemaking to teaching empathy to treating social problems such as discrimination, are growing in number and sophistication.