All Change Agent
Despite setback, Wall Street pushes ahead with social impact bondsSocial impact bonds funnel private capital into philanthropic projects. Investors receive a return based on whether the project saves public money by addressing the social issue it targets.
Hungry Congo looks to insect farmingThe love of edible insects in Democratic Republic of Congo may hold the key to tackling widespread hunger among its roughly 65 million people.
Schoolchildren learn to spot sexism as India grapples with abuse of womenActivists say classes that confront traditional gender roles and challenge sexism among youths are a key to changing attitudes and curbing widespread abuse.
For those without electricity solar is shining brighterSome 1.3 billion people worldwide live without electricity, affecting health, lowering incomes, and making education difficult. Low-cost solar energy programs are beginning to meet the need.
Growing crops inside a sack boosts yieldsSack farming allows people to grow food in places with limited access to good land and with little water. It's already making a difference in dry regions of Kenya.
Disaster debris becomes giant Lego blocks to build new homesThe Mobile Factory turns rubble from disasters into Lego-style building blocks that snap together without cement or mortar, allowing the building to flex under stress.
Secret South African orphanage cares for baby rhinosThe Rhino Orphanage takes extreme measures to protect its rhinos from poachers, barring all but selected visitors and not advertising its exact location.
Kidsave brings children in need of homes and US families togetherThe nonprofit program brings orphans and foster children from abroad to the US for a summer visit, where they stay with potential adoptive families.
Forget peanuts and Cracker Jack: These baseball teams have stadium-grown greensDirt is for more than filling base paths at the ballparks of these 'farm teams' – it’s for growing food too.
Divine Chocolate is delicious – and a boon to its growersCocoa farmers in Ghana formed Kuapa Kokoo, the 'Good Cocoa' co-operative, which helps its farmer-members in many ways.
Cambodia uses 'life-saving' rats to sniff out deadly landminesTheir work could prove vital in a country where unexploded devices, including mines and unexploded shells, have killed nearly 20,000 Cambodians and wounded about 44,000 since 1979.
Greenhouses in Peru's high Andes provide roots for innovationHigh-elevation communities in Peru are using greenhouses to grow more nutritional crops than the climate ordinarily allows.
Women lead effort to protect Sri Lanka's mangrovesSri Lanka is the first nation to promise to protect all its mangrove trees, which provide breeding areas for marine life and protect coastal communities from storms and erosion.
A college student brightens lives in IndiaThrough her nonprofit Brighter Today, Mansi Prakash has brought cheaper, better lighting to more than 5,000 homes in a rural village. And she's not stopping there.
High-energy dogs find careers in conservationRescues 2the Rescue, a partnership between the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Working Dogs for Conservation, places high-energy dogs in jobs that benefit from their spunk.
Indian farmer harvests a climate-smart crop – sunshineA pilot project offers farmers in India the opportunity to sell the excess energy generated by the solar panels that drive their water pumps.
Warren Buffett donates $2.8 billion to five charitiesThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was once more the biggest recipient of Warren Buffett's $2.8 billion in charity this year.
Maja Mataric looks for female students who want to be 'The Next MacGyver'The engineering professor is seeking to lure more young women into STEM fields. The Next MacGyver competition is one way.
Music success story started under the stairsThe nonprofit KEYS program in Bridgeport, Conn., schools now enriches the lives of hundreds of students who otherwise wouldn't receive music instruction.
New website helps people donate directly to human trafficking survivorsThe first-of-its-kind website 6degree.org allows people to aid individual survivors of human trafficking through online donations.
