There are more than 10,000 children living on the streets in Thailand. Through the on-going efforts of volunteers from the Railway Police Force, the homeless youth of Bangkok are being sheltered, educated and cared for in renovated railway train cars. As teachers, mentors, and often surrogate families to the children, the police officers are hoping to transform these "hopeless" street kids into determined youths with opportunities.

In Hong Kong, domestic helpers are often denied basic employee rights, like equitable wages and time off. Helpers for Domestic Helpers is empowering workers to stand up for their rights, and Empowered in Hong Kong is one example of their work.

Hydroelectric projects are popular in developing countries. They are clean, renewable sources of energy. But building dams also means flooding valleys and destroying the homes and livelihoods of local people. In Indonesia, a pioneering program is turning this notion on its head, transforming new lakes into lucrative sources of income, and allowing displaced former farmers to become successful fishermen.

Small-scale hydroelectric projects are helping to transform lives in rural Laos. Villagers not only receive electricity from a renewable source, but are also encouraged to take ownership of the project, thanks to an innovative financing model designed to ensure the system is sustainable in the long term.

The Australian Government has made education a flagship of its Laos aid program. Already the number of children, especially girls, staying in supported schools to grade 5 has doubled.

The Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program supports young people who want to live and work in a developing country. This film profiles volunteer Tam Tran, who left Vietnam as a child refugee, and has now returned to the country of his birth to work with disadvantaged kids.