Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, targeted violence against women in Afghanistan is back at an alarming level. Women of all ages are enduring brutal physical and sexual abuse in their own homes. A few lucky ones find their way to one of only six shelters in the country. We visited one of them. 

Throughout the world, access to safe drinking water is the most critical element of sustained good health. Clean Water focuses on the highly successful efforts of one humanitarian organization, East Meets West, to bring safe drinking water to rural communities in Vietnam -- led by staff member Richard Brogdon, a Vietnam war veteran who has special reason to help the local Vietnamese community.

In the Islamic state of Mauritania, women who have been raped often end up in prison. About 60 percent of women who come forward with allegations of sexual violence are accused of Zina, or a crime against morality. It is therefore unsurprising that most choose to remain silent. Fatima M'Baye, the first female lawyer in Mauritania, is part of the movement to blunt the harsher aspects of Sharia, and also help women overturn their convictions. 

The Mid-Magdalena region of Colombia is one of the most macho parts of Latin America, a place where violence against women is a casual part of everyday life. But change is coming. One of the "change-makers" is Judge Esperanza Gonzalez, a woman in her late 40s who is seeking to bring justice for females both inside her courtroom and out. 

Massive investment, modern agricultural techniques, regulated irrigation ... the American-owned Dominion Farms development in Kenya sounds like a model example of collaboration between Africa and the West. But local farmers disagree, and are campaigning hard to have their dissenting voices heard.

What impact are the Millennium Development Goals having on inhabitants of Kibera, a massive shantytown in Kenya? This film about local midwife Silva Adhiambo examines some of the tensions that exist between aid organizations and the people they are trying help.

The key to preventing malaria deaths often involves small changes made at a community level. This film follows a local health information worker in Tanzania as he teaches local people about mosquito nets and the importance of using a medical clinic rather than traditional healers.

In Iran there are different entrances and sections for men and women on public buses: women sit at the back, men at the front. Except on Farahnaz Shiri's bus. She's the first female bus driver in Tehran, and everything on her bus is vice-versa. She is the governor and the only lawmaker of her own little society. But what do her passenger's think? 

Food security is a pressing issue for millions of people worldwide. But one South African project demonstrates that, with a little guidance, local people can often produce their own food in a healthy, environmentally sound way, with additional benefits like economic growth and empowerment of the community.

Technology is helping to revolutionize politics the world over, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When prominent lawyer and politician Marie-Thérèse Nlandu was imprisoned, her supporters used the internet to quickly publicize the case, leading to her release a few months later. This film explores how the arrest affected Nlandu's family, still living in a tense, militarized city where it is extremely difficult to film. 

Mr. Ihsan Khan was a taxi cab driver in Washington DC for over 20 years. Then he won a fortune in a lottery and decided to return to his hometown in Pakistan to run for mayor. Naturally, he won—but soon after a massive earthquake devasted the region. This film tells his story, and asks: what is the relation between money and politics in a democracy? 

In many rural parts of Africa, people live far from their nearest medical centers and have no means of transportation. This is why groups like Dignitas International are promoting a community-based approach to administering drugs and treatment to HIV patients, a technique that's already paying dividends.

This film takes us on a journey through the three ages of democracy in Kenya, as seen through the eyes of a girl growing up there. From the youthful optimism of the post-independence Kenyatta era, through dictatorship under Daniel arap Moi, to Kenya's third stage of democracy under Mwai Kibaki, this film asks: can free speech and openness ever really come of age? 

In Vietnam, small coastal communities are planting mangrove trees to protect their land from flooding, but are discovering that the new forests are also valuable resources that create economic opportunities.

Pastoralist communities in Ethiopia are being hit hard by global climate change, a problem these nomadic people did nothing to create. By working with the local government and NGOs, they are finding ways to adapt and solve the challenges they face.

Taught how to express their feelings with shapes and colors, the children at the Queen Rania Family and Child Center in Jordan use paint, brushes, and paper to build confidence in their emotions and discover their dignity and identity. The art program, along with other activities such as group yoga and drama class, teaches the children to trust themselves, and builds the self-confidence necessary to deal with traumatic experiences like child abuse and domestic violence.