Stories about 7 Billion Actions from September, 2011
Cuba: A Tireless Defender of Gay Rights
Francisco Rodríguez Cruz is a Cuban journalist and activist who for over a year has maintained a controversial blog committed to advancing the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Cuba.
Mozambique: Sant'Egidio Community Fights Back Against HIV/AIDS
Lack of access to care for HIV positive people has been well documented on the African continent. Many initiatives strive to show that things could improve with collective effort, and among them is the Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition (DREAM) program.
Ukraine: Short Films by Youth for Gender Equality
Young film makers in Ukraine have participated in a short film competition that challenges stereotypes of women and defend gender equality. These films touch on issues that can be understood by speakers of any language.
Pakistan: Speaking Out the Unspoken – Gawaahi
Information and communications technology (ICT) has long been hailed as a harbinger of a global change. Gawaahi is one such venture that aims to bring to fore underrepresented voices of Pakistani society by coupling ICT with social activism.
Lebanon: Empowering Migrant Workers With Language
A community of enthusiastic young people in Beirut, The Migrant Workers Task Force, are working to support foreign domestic workers in Lebanon whose living and working conditions are often desperately unfair. Thalia Rahme reports.
Russia: Connecting Neighbors, Saving Lives
The creators of a website that enabled Russians to help each other during wildfires in 2010 have now redesigned the site to enable citizens to assist each other in new ways - including mapping willing blood donors in locations across the country.
Guinea: Nadine Bari's Fight to Reduce Poverty in Guinea
Nadine Bari is a French citizen who has created one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in Guinea, Guinée-Solidarité. With donations from Europe they have helped supply schools, hospitals, and helped homeless, orphaned and disabled children to receive an education.
Mexico: Hero Reports, Mapping Acts of Kindness
Heroreports is a non-profit project dedicated to crowdsourcing and mapping reports of citizen courage and positive social behavior. It started in Ciudad Juárez, México as an initiative of the MIT Center for Civic Media. Ernesto Priego reports.
China: “Free Lunch” for Rural Students via Micro-Donations
To help improve education in rural China, a new project by Guangzhou-based charity activist Liang Shuxin called “Free Lunch” is raising online micro-donations to deliver lunch meals to impoverished school children in collaboration with a semi-official agency.
Pakistan: Empowering Youth for a Better Tomorrow
Institute of Peace and Secular Studies is a humble, community youth organization in Lahore, Pakistan which aims to empower Pakistani youth and encourage them to face up to today’s challenges so they can shape a better future for tomorrow.
Zimbabwe: Changing Young Lives Through Theatre
Boyce Chaka is a 27 year-old poet and stage actor in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. Since last year, he has been investing his time towards teaching high school kids about Shakespearean works and poetry as part of what he says is an attempt to “keep them off the streets.”
