All People Making a Difference
Matt Severson funds students in need one by oneThe School Fund, founded by college student Matt Severson in 2010, allows a donor to provide financial assistance to a worthy student anywhere in the world.
Investments in clean energy pay offUS energy companies have steadily increased investments in energy efficiency over the past five years 鈥撀� $7.2 billion in 2013 alone. They return $3 to $4 for every dollar spent.
How global brands are (finally) investing in factory workersThe HERproject reaches factory workers in developing countries through peer mentoring. The training includes health and preventive care and instruction on how to create a savings account and a family budget.
Percy Hayles saw boys struggling and said 鈥業 gotta do something鈥�His Young Men鈥檚 Success Series engages vulnerable young men from some of Boston鈥檚 toughest neighborhoods teaching money management skills and offering academic advising, summer job placement services, and educational field trips.
Difference MakerReshma Saujani created Girls Who Code to help girls get computer savvyGrowing up, Reshma Saujani was terrified of math and science. Now she makes sure other girls don't miss out on opportunities because of similar fears.
13 Israeli and Palestinian groups building peaceBelow are just some of the organizations and initiatives working to create a lasting peace based on dignity, security, equality, and respect for the human rights of all Palestinians and Israelis.
Jennifer Galvin links science to ordinary people's livesHer multimedia company, reelblue LLC, tells stories about health and the environment, such as how pulp mill worker Dick Goin helped return wild salmon to the Elwha River.
House of One: a mosque, synagogue, and church under one roofIn Berlin, plans are under way to build a new house of worship that will host three religions: 'We want to show that faith doesn't divide Jews, 海角大神s, and Muslims, but instead reconciles them,' says a 海角大神 bishop.
Bottomless Closet opens wide to disadvantaged job seekersThe New York City nonprofit group provides appropriate clothing and interview skills training to disadvantaged women seeking jobs.
Difference MakerYoon Mee-hyang helps Korea鈥檚 World War II sex slaves tell their storiesShe works restore the dignity and rights of women who were used as sex slaves by the Japanese during World War II.
Father Rocky shapes a better future for Filipino children once headed for lives in the streetsStudents at Tuloy school in Manila, The Philippines, are bound for the ballet and culinary careers as far away as Dubai.
On a Maine farm, African refugees go back to their rootsThrough farming and selling their crops, new immigrants make up to $20,000 a year 鈥� lifting them from poverty, alleviating debt, and, in some cases, bringing college within reach.
Move over GDP, the SPI is the way to measure progressMartin Burt, a former government minister in Paraguay, tells how the Social Progress Index has helped Paraguay set clearer goals and improve quality of life.
No supermarkets, so 130 community gardens help to feed a cityA gardening effort in Camden, N.J., brings fresh food to New Jersey鈥檚 biggest food desert.
Difference MakerJohnny Outlaw works on the right side of the law helping ex-cons stay out of prisonThe former inmate, who lives on Chicago's South Side, helps those who've served time to find work and keep out of trouble.
Drones emerge as a conservation toolLian Pin Koh, cofounder of ConservationDrones.org, says drones can be a key part of conservation efforts, particularly in remote regions, from counting orangutans to stopping poaching.
Aileen Hefferren preps minority students for top schoolsPrep for Prep identifies promising students of color and helps prepare them for placement at top-quality independent and boarding schools.
The Miley Cyrus 2014 VMA shocker? An act of charity.Miley Cyrus turned the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards spotlight on the homeless youth of America. Twerking is so last year.
College president takes a $90,000 pay cut to give low-wage workers a raiseRaymond Burse is forfeiting a chunk of his salary at Kentucky State University to improve pay for the lowest-paid workers.
Difference MakerBob Keesee's rain catchers bring clean water to Haiti鈥檚 poorestBob Keesee kept tinkering until he got his homemade rain-catching systems right. Now they collect precious water for Haiti's rural poor.