All People Making a Difference
Difference MakerThis Nigerian nonprofit brings former foes together through the power of storytellingA group known as Yiavha has trained hundreds of youths to organize intergenerational storytelling sessions in their communities.
Difference MakerTwo brothers use mangoes to help break the hunger cycle in a Ugandan villageThe nonprofit Mango Project is addressing food waste in a village that has a bounty of mangoes.
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.
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.
Difference MakerThis program in Nigeria sends children from the streets into the classroomUniversity undergrad Victor Bello started the Almajiri Scholar Scheme to open doors for children.
Difference MakerAn artist is lifting her city of Gary, Indiana, ‘from blight to bright’Lauren Pacheco is inspired by this Midwestern underdog of a city and is looking to enliven what she calls its “remarkable cultural heritage.”
Difference MakerA retired bishop transforms guns into garden tools to help youths envision peaceThe nonprofit Swords to Plowshares Northeast isn’t just raising awareness of gun violence; it is forging a more peaceful vision for the future.
Difference Maker‘Paw partners’ across the US step in to aid overwhelmed animal sheltersShelters are struggling to care for vulnerable animals. A constellation of animal welfare groups is supplementing their work.
