– Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author and motivational speaker
There are many issues that the community is facing. And only when we take the effort to find out more and keep ourselves up-to-date, can we be part of the solution and change can happen, to truly build a community that cares.
Helping kids broaden their horizon
This is school at its best. Every Saturday, some 300 10- and 11-year-olds from disadvantaged neighbourhoods around Brussels get a taste of what the future could look like, through activities organised by Tada, or Toekomst -F Atelier de l'Avenir (Studio of the future)....
Start-up space? Greece is the word
There have been few rays of hope to cling to during Greece's long crisis. One of them has been the steady emergence of the Greek start-up eco-system. Since four European Union-backed venture capital funds started operating in early 2013, there have been notable...
Projected to raise funding
The meteoric rise in crowdfunding projects, which allow an entrepreneur to raise funds from the donations of private individuals, has taken many countries by storm. Two young Moroccans finishing their Master's Degrees in Finance have set up their own such project,...
Farmers’ best friend: ‘Uber tractors’
For small-scale farmers in Nigeria, especially in the northern parts of the country, getting tractors to use on their farmlands to boost their yield has always been difficult. Many farmers cannot afford to buy one due to the high cost, while the country's federal...
Zero electricity air-con made of plastic bottles
Bangladesh is predicted to be among South Asian countries most affected by a rise in global average temperatures in the coming decades. Its rural population, which stands at more than 60%, is especially vulnerable to this. Unlike the urban population, people in rural...
Turning on street lights step by step
Engineers in Las Vegas, Nevada, are testing a new system to illuminate the streets of the city. As if by magic, these solar-powered streetlights can switch themselves on and off when people pass nearby. The aim of this invention? To reduce both pollution and...
Solar panels clearly in sync with surroundings
In historic centres and buildings throughout Europe, obtaining permission to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) roof can be a complicated process. Aesthetic landscape constraints are often so strict that the limitations become prohibitive, unless the solar cells are...
Purrfecting your energy-saving ways
Cats have more hidden talents than just starring in YouTube videos and Instagram photos. They might also be able to teach us to conserve energy. At least that is what a group of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia believe. They are leading a...
Light to study by at night, thanks to a school bag
Little Michel Koutouan's grades have been improving lately and he readily gives credit to his specially-invented solar backpack. There is no electricity at his home in Songon, a village in the south-eastern region of the Ivory Coast, which makes it hard for him to...
Want to help a good cause? It’s simple
Egyptians in many areas, especially those in underprivileged villages, have been deprived of water resources for many years. They often resort to buying from water vendors who roam areas where there are shortages. To find a solution to this crisis, a group of young...
Cooking their way to independence
Ms Jihey Lee was a successful marketer at an IT company when she decided to give it all up in 2008 and set up a social enterprise helping marginalised women. She opened a restaurant in a small corner of Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu in South Korea, convinced the food business...
Body art – from scars of violence
Ms Evguenia Zakhar, 33, is not just any tattoo artist. Every Monday, in her studio in Ufa, Russia, she works on the scars of women who have been abused, turning them, for free, into art. Ms Zakhar was inspired by the work of Brazilian tattoo artist Flavia Carvalho....
Education can transform lives
Unlike many in his community, Eliezer Rodriguez, 17, is completing his secondary education at the Francisco Morazan School in the village of El Zurzular in southern Honduras, without having to walk for four hours or cross a river. The person responsible for this...
A book for the price of a baguette
Publishing disruptor Vincent Safrat is not only selling books like they are bread rolls - and at the same price as a baguette - but he is also doing so on a massive scale. Last year alone, Mr Safrat sold around 2.5 million copies in France. So, what is his secret? It...
The horse as healer: A gentle nudge back to health
When Ms Maria de los Angeles Kalbermatter lost her leg at age 27, she began to rehabilitate herself through horse riding, an unprecedented choice. Not only did she find emotional healing, she also began to impart that experience to children with different illnesses....
Smart jacket that diagnoses pneumonia
Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to pneumonia. According to Unicef, pneumonia accounts for almost one million deaths of children worldwide every year. In Uganda, Unicef estimates the disease kills up to 24,000 children under five every year, many of...
How sweet it is to bee sustainable
“Beekeeping has become a true vocation and source of income for all the women trained through our association, though none of them would ever have thought themselves capable of setting up their own farm one day”, says a delighted Mohand Ouamer Ould Braham, president...
A fresh spin: Silky cloth from sour milk
Anke Domaske’s discovery may have create a giant eco-opportunity for both farmer and fiber-makers around the world. Domaske’s cloth fibers are made from all natural resources, without any chemicals. In the entire process, Domaske only uses waste milk, and she said it...
Lifeline to keep children afloat
Philippines ranks high in terms of people who died from drowning, and of which, children are the most vulnerable. A recent study released by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that an average of 2,496 people die in the Philippines due to drowning every year...
Water-filtering system a splash hit
According to a 2015 report from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.8 billion people around the world use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. While tap water is unsafe, water purification systems and bottled water are not affordable for everyone...