All Change Agent
Karen Olson taps religious groups to help the homelessFamily Promise now has 182 affiliates in 41 states helping families in need achieve independence and self-sufficiency.
'Sand dams' store water for dry season in semi-arid KenyaSimple dams that can be constructed in a day by unskilled laborers may revolutionize Kenyan agriculture by storing millions of liters of water, providing once-parched communities with water for domestic use and irrigation throughout the year.
Creative Connections links kids worldwide through artUS students partner with children from one of nearly 50 other countries to exchange their artworks and then share ideas face-to-face via a videoconference.
Time Bank helps neighbors put skills to use, swap servicesThe Care and Share Time Bank puts a universal twist on being neighborly: Members call on their neighbors for help with anything from a drive to the airport to a Spanish lesson – and then offer help in return.
In Detroit, a nonprofit fights urban blightThe nonprofit Detroit Blight Authority is helping to pay to tear down abandoned buildings and clear away debris to make the city cleaner and safer.
Cut food waste to help feed the world, experts sayAround the world 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year. A more efficient food supply is a key to feeding an expected world population of 9 billion by 2050.
Nonprofit 'Sesame Street' nears 1 billion views on YouTubeKids urged to unlock a 'top secret video' when 1 billion views is reached. For 'Sesame Street,' the milestone — a first on YouTube for a nonprofit — reflects the multimedia nature of kids entertainment.
Expat Syrian doctors help bind up the wounds of warDoctors in Syria describe being targeted in bombing campaigns and risking death, detention, and torture to treat the wounded, whether civilians or fighters.
Matt Damon's humorous video spotlights sanitation crisisActor Matt Damon vows to go on a 'toilet strike' to publicize the need to bring clean water and better sanitation to millions of people around the world.
Yale graduate takes low-paying job as a village official in ChinaQin Yufei forgoes a high-paying career in New York or Beijing to lead a rural Chinese village, setting an example for corruption-free local government.
Caliber Collection fashions jewelry to take guns off the streetsJessica Mindich designs jewelry made from guns confiscated by the Newark, N.J. police. In turn she donates money to back to the police department to get more guns off the street.
How to keep youths down on the farm? Offer incentives.The average age of farmers is rising. Nonprofits are at work on ways to show youths in developing nations how farming can be entrepreneurial, profitable, and desirable.
Can biogas spark a revolution on India's farms?One farmer in India shows how turning the gases emitted by cow dung can become a clean, renewable fuel that saves him money, increases his productivity, and boosts his profits.
In Haiti, laws of physics meet a culture of magicPost-earthquake construction in Haiti must address the dichotomy of American efficiency versus Haitian tradition.
Changing the face of aid, literallyOxfam America wants to depict aid recipients as potential entrepreneurs and 'job creators,' not victims. But visuals of people suffering still pull in more donations.
Indian-American looks homeward to help the needyRakesh Agarwal, a successful businessman, has a track record of philanthropy in western North Carolina. Now he's extending his work to include his home country of India.
As aid to Haiti slows, a private coffee co-op scores loans and turns headsCOOPCAB, a Haitian coffee co-op that now includes 5,000 members, markets its products internationally while investing money in local reforestation efforts.
Maasai herders breed fewer, stronger cattle to resist climate changeTo withstand more-intense droughts herders in Tanzania cut the size of their herds and cross-breed for resilience and resistance to disease.
Removing Colombia's landmines, one by oneSince 1990, more than 10,000 Colombians have been wounded or killed by landmines, including 982 children. Britain's Halo Trust expects to be one of the first NGOs to start clearing mines in the next several months.
To tackle polluted runoff, cities turn to 'green' strategiesUrban stormwater runoff is a serious problem, overloading sewage treatment plants and polluting waterways. Now, many US cities are creating innovative green projects – such as rain gardens and roadside plantings – that mimic the way nature collects and cleanses water.
