World | People Making a Difference
- Difference MakerSouth Africa’s ‘soccer grannies’ take the field for kicks and camaraderieOff the field, many of these older women have extraordinarily challenging lives. On the field, they are simply athletes.
- Difference MakerThis restaurateur never made it past fifth grade. Now she runs a roadside library.The owner of a popular pit stop in Ozar, India, keeps her business stacked with books that are free for the browsing.
- Difference MakerThis teenage mountain climber is leading his Nepali community to new heightsNima Rinji Sherpa is the youngest person to summit the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters – and an advocate for young climbers.
- Difference MakerShe survived Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. Now she promotes peace through education.Though she lives half a world away in Japan, Marie Louise Kambenga is the driving force behind a school in her homeland of Rwanda.
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- Difference MakerPakistani women stitch a new future for themselves while shattering barriersThe Behbud Association teaches women to sew and embroider so that they can lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
- Difference MakerA tech-savvy farmer is getting young Nigerians excited about agricultureThe work of the Soilless Farm Lab is especially important in Nigeria, as urbanization has reduced the amount of arable land.
- Difference MakerWhat gives him hope for rebuilding Gaza? Dialogue and science.The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, headed by Tareq Abu Hamed, is leveraging science to aid the Gaza Strip.
- Difference MakerIn wartime Yemen, volunteer teachers are bridging a learning gapHundreds of university graduates are stepping up to teach children whose formal schooling has been interrupted by a brutal civil conflict.
- Difference MakerA doctor in Panama’s jungle builds trust among Indigenous groupsCésar Gantes’ dedication to slowing HIV in his country’s poorest region has earned him national recognition.
- Difference MakerRevival of Indonesian textile traditions helps villagers weave a better futureThe nonprofit Bebali Foundation works with nearly 60 culturally distinct community groups in eastern Indonesia to keep alive their textile traditions and natural dyeing techniques.
- Difference MakerEx-NFL star trades the gridiron to grow food for those in needJason Brown turned down a golden opportunity as a professional football player so that he could start a family farm and give away most of its harvest.
- Difference MakerA dolphin trapped in a Florida waterway galvanized this cleanup teamFor those who love and work in Florida’s waterways, the fall’s storms were devastating. This is how the Waterway Warriors sprang into action.
- Difference MakerLaughter, with no strings attached: Ukrainian puppeteers bring joy amid warFrom a basement space in Kharkiv, a puppet theater troupe allows the show to go on even if air raid sirens blare.
- Difference MakerYoung Sri Lankans working on tea estates find a path out of povertyTea Leaf Trust aims to help young people find work off tea estates if they desire, while also making them leaders of change in their communities.
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- Difference MakerSouth Africa’s ‘soccer grannies’ take the field for kicks and camaraderie
- Long the ‘factory of the world,’ China is now experiencing its own ‘China shock’