All Change Agent
- Confronting bullying, one drumbeat at a time
Programs that get junior high school students drumming together cut down on bullying in Utah and Australia.
- A 'paper rain' of political ads doesn't discourage one young Brazilian
The author's host 'sister,' Luciana, hasn't given in to cynicism about the electoral system in Brazil. 'He won! He won!' she shouts as she learns her candidate is elected.
- A second chance for Johnny Cash's childhood home
Under the guidance of Arkansas State University, fund-raising and restoration is well under way with the ultimate goal of returning rundown Dyess, Ark., to some of its former glory.
- One by one, Vietnam deals with unexploded bombs
Since starting work in Vietnam in 1999, the Mines Advisory Group has destroyed an average of 15,000 unexploded bombs from the Vietnam War era each year that continue to kill or injure thousands of Vietnamese.
- Zimbabwe turns to drought-resistant crops
Scientists are developing faster-maturing and drought-tolerant varieties of corn and cotton, holding out the hope of much-needed relief for thousands of farmers across Zimbabwe.
- Incubating women's businesses in the Palestinian territories
Tomorrow’s Youth Organization based in Nablus, on the West Bank, helps promising new women's businesses survive.
- Red Cross urges countries to relax rules for forced migrants
Issuing temporary work visas, allowing easier border crossing, and helping forced migrants integrate quickly into local communities could help ease the plight, the IFRC says.
- Want teens to do volunteer work? Make it social.
Half of American teenagers volunteer, largely because their friends do.
- Kenya islanders rehabilitate their environment, and their lives
Residents of Rusinga Island in Kenya experiment with renewable energy innovations, environmentally friendly farming, tree planting, and other efforts aimed at improving the island’s environment, creating jobs, and overcoming shortages of food and water.
- Mobile, solar schools bring power to the powerless
Four examples show how solar-powered mobile schools can bring computer education to some of the world’s poorest children.
- Gates Foundation reboots
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic foundation, is undergoing a 'global redesign' overseas and listening to critics of its efforts to improve US schools, says Gates CEO Jeff Raikes.
- Wildlife in Crisis helps 5,000 animals return to the wild each year
A small Connecticut nonprofit group treats wildlife from songbirds and red-tailed hawks to foxes, skunks, even fisher cats and bobcats.
- Search for Common Ground uses TV soaps to promote peace
Now in its 30th year Search for Common Ground uses a variety of methods, including TV soap operas, to build peace and avoid conflict in 30 countries around the world.
- An entrepreneurial approach to sanitation
The social entrepreneurs at Sanergy supply badly needed clean toilets in the developing world and then sell off the waste they gather.
- Brass City Harvest brings fresh food to an urban 'desert'
In the middle of Waterbury, Conn., a faded industrial city, Brass City Harvest will open a year-round farmers market, offering fresh produce and other goods from eight Connecticut farms.
- Saudi princess founds Opt4Unity to bridge cultural divides
'Saudi women have been quiet for a long, long time, and it’s about time we spoke up,' says Saudi Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel.
- Mobile technology boosts access to clean water for the poor
The widespread availability of mobile phones has enabled the development of low-cost solutions aimed at improving water security and reducing poverty.
- Games for change: How digital fun is becoming a way to better the world
Using online games to benefit society, or 'games for change,' is a fast-growing movement. A favorite pastime of teens and young adults is being used for good causes.
- Gardening projects change lives of troubled veterans
Encouraging recovering military veterans to work in community gardens helps lift them out of depression, increases their self-esteem – and even gets them eating better, says Vietnam War vet and gardening guru Howard Hinterthuer.
- Inner-city grocery chain innovates by hiring ex-cons, providing fresh food
The story of a Philadelphia grocery store chain suggests that collaboration with the community may be the key to success for businesses in struggling neighborhoods.