It's easy to talk about Gandhian principles such as helping others and unity, but Jayesh Patel lives them every day. The founder of Indian NGO Manav Sadhna takes us on a tour through the vast slums of Ahmedabad, and explains that we already have enough good ideas; what we need is a commitment to put them into practice.
For years, fishermen in the community of Les, in Bali, used poison cyanide to stun and catch the ornamental fish that supplied their livelihood. This left the local coral reef severely bleached and damaged. So the local people developed solutions to rehabilitate the reef's ecosystem in a way that would allow them to carry on with their traditional life and fishing.
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.
AIDS is the leading cause of death among young people in the small Caribbean nation of Guyana, but innovative approaches are helping to spread the word about how to avoid HIV.
Georgia has no specialized courts for children, so the country is working with UNICEF to introduce juvenile justice reforms. The aim is to avoid criminalizing young people unnecessarily, and instead find ways for them to become better members of society.
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 Namibia, a training program funded by the UN is helping local people learn new skills and start small businesses. Each dollar earned is another small step toward achieving the Millennium Development Goal of eliminating poverty.
People who are blind and partially sighted have traditionally struggled to take advantage of digital technology, particularly in developing countries. But a new Adaptive Technology Center in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is changing that.
When it comes to lifting themselves out of poverty, the residents of one Malawian village have discovered that their most valuable resource is knowledge. Armed with new ideas, they are growing more food, creating enterprises, and improving life in their community.
Delivering emergency food relief may not seem like the best way to make people self-reliant, but one UN program in Mauritania is tying its aid efforts to education in order to build towards a more sustainable future.
An energetic group of young people in Southern Africa, who first banded together to fight AIDS through education and performance, are now branching out into other areas, such as protecting the environment and even sports. Their ongoing project is an inspiring example to youths everywhere.
Children in Tajikistan whose families can't afford to support them often end up in institutions that are little more than child detention centers. A new UNICEF-sponsored daytime drop-in center aims to offer a better alternative for cash-strapped parents.
Education and personal growth can come in many forms. The Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation brings dogs into schools to help children break through their shyness, especially the developmentally challenged. Children with ADD, autism, and other developmental disabilities improve their speaking and social skills with the help of the program.
The recent political turmoil in Madagascar has had a devastating impact on the lives of many of the country's children. UNICEF and its partners have been providing pyschosocial support to young people in this troubled island nation to help them cope with the violence they have experienced.
UNICEF's "Unite for Children" Campaign aims to help some of the 15 million young people who have lost a parent to AIDS. Children like "Kouadio" in Côte d'Ivoire, who is receiving help with his health and education, and dreams of one day becoming a doctor.
In the West Bank and Gaza, children experience violence at many levels, both from the ongoing conflict and due to local cultural beliefs and practices. UNICEF and the European Commission have been running projects to promote "nonviolence," enabling children to learn about their rights and how to protect themselves.
