People Fixing the World

At least once in a lifetime, everyone has a great business idea. They often come when life events force us to experience things from a different angle. This year, the city of Liverpool in north England set about finding these “hidden entrepreneurs” with the help of an organisation called Public Life. The entrepreneurs come from all walks of life and have been offered a year’s wage to develop their...

In Bergen, Norway, a two-day ageing festival is testing out new ways to build an age-friendly society—through culture, conversation and shared experiences. Myra Anubi joins in, meeting the people finding creative answers to loneliness, mental health, care and belonging, and hearing hopes for a future where generations mix rather than separate. From masterclasses to inspiring collective events, the...

People trafficking is a crime that often takes place in plain sight - victims are often exploited and controlled in everyday situations. It’s also a crime that touches all of us - the food we eat, the phones we use, the clothes we wear, may all have been produced using slave labour. We’ll hear about ways to break the cycle of trafficking. In the US we take a ride with Truckers Against Trafficking,...

Snakebite kills tens of thousands of people every year, many of them in rural communities where treatment can be delayed, expensive or difficult to reach. In southern Nepal, reporter Craig Langran joins a community organiser responding to snake rescue calls and teaching villagers what to do when snakes appear near their homes. And in a laboratory at Monash University in Malaysia, researchers are w...

Sexual and gender-based violence remains a reality for many women. In this programme we go to Rwanda to meet survivors who are beginning to find their voice after years of silence. We follow projects led by the development charity Tearfund and meet Sabine Nkusi, the organisation's lead on the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence. They are projects that create safe spaces for women who ha...

Is our modern obsession with speed damaging us? This week we explore the slow movement - a philosophy that challenges our fixation with productivity and suggests slowing down could offer a more meaningful way to live. Joined by Dr Joanne Lee from the University of Warwick, we visit a school garden and restaurant in Malawi to see how Slow Food is influencing how people grow and consume food. And pr...

Rescued street dogs in Uganda help survivors find comfort, healing and renewed hope. Northern Uganda was torn apart by a violent insurgency led by the Lords Resistance Army some twenty years ago. Kidnapping, rape and mutilation were commonplace. Many thousands of people were left with physical and emotional scars as a result. But one organisation is helping to bring comfort to those who have suffe...

People with ADHD can face many challenges including struggles with attention, impulsivity and time management. In this programme we go to global creative company DRPG’s offices in the UK where they are doing things differently to support their ADHD colleagues. We also hear about the work of Unlocking ADHD, a charity set up by Singapore based Moonlake Lee who believes that the key to navigating lif...

We visit the communities in Chile restoring vital wetlands in cities and towns. Chile’s urban wetlands are under pressure from rapid development, pollution and neglect, yet they play a crucial role in storing rainwater, supporting wildlife and reducing floods. We visit the southern city of Valdivia where local communities have restored damaged wetlands by clearing rubbish, replanting native specie...

The group carrying on investigations when journalists are silenced. Over the last five years, almost 200 journalists have been killed outside conflict zones, with reporters being murdered while investigating corruption, organised crime and environmental destruction. For World Press Freedom Day, People Fixing the World looks at the work of a pioneering organisation that is trying to help. Forbidden...

Greywater is the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers. It’s not drinkable but there’s still loads you can do with it. This week we’re finding out how greywater could help tackle water scarcity. We’re meeting communities in the dry north east of Brazil who have installed simple systems to filter the water they use in their kitchen, showers or laundry so t...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally. The earlier it is diagnosed the higher the chance of survival. Treatment, even when successful, can lead to arm swelling, muscle weakness and low mood. But archery is helping women in Spain overcome both the physical and mental challenges of breast cancer treatment. We visit one group and find out how the sport has increased their strength...

The eco-tourism that is helping to protect mountain gorillas in Uganda. Myra Anubi is in Uganda visiting the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It’s one of the few places that gorillas still exist in the wild, and even better, in recent years their numbers have actually been rising and they are no longer considered critically endangered. This is partly down to the hard work of Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka a...

Exploring style and beauty for people with disabilities. What we wear helps us express ourselves and communicate to others in the most immediate way. But the tools we frequently use to do that, such as clothing and haircare are not available to everyone equally. One in six of us has a disability of some sort - according to the World Health Organisation - but most clothing and beauty brands don’t t...

**This episode contains one instance of offensive language How two projects in Kenya and Spain are helping LGBT communities. Setting up a business can be tricky. There can be many hurdles including lack of access to capital and other unexpected costs. The challenges are particularly acute for LGBT entrepreneurs in Kenya who can be denied bank loans and face possible extortion. We meet a group of L...

How mums are helping transform early years education in Ghana. Pre-school, or early years education, is seen by experts as providing an important foundation for children’s schooling and development. Ghana has long been a leader in this field, and has boasted a mandatory pre-school programme for almost twenty years. Yet the impact on children’s educational outcomes has been disappointing. Now the G...

Cities are getting bigger - and louder. As urban noise increases, we look at how sound itself can be used to make things feel quieter. Myra Anubi visits an audio lab in London to experience immersive soundscapes for herself and then hears how a park in Montreal, Canada uses sounds from the ocean to sooth urban stress. And we hear about campaigners' hopes for making a difference in one of the noisi...

Can poetry change how we think, feel and act? We’re looking at how poetry is being used in some innovative and unexpected ways. We’ll hear from the Hot Poets - a group who ‘live translate’ at conferences on everything from climate change to coding. They’ve taken part in several UN climate change meetings - listening to complex presentations on science and summarising the information in a poem. The...

Seagrass meadows are one of the world’s most valuable underwater habitats. As well as providing food and shelter to thousands of species, seagrass is also known for its ability to store carbon and improve water quality, making it a powerful natural solution to tackle the impacts of climate change. But so much of the once thriving plant has disappeared from our planet. We visit North America’s east...

If you could invent a new kind of school what would it look like? What skills would you teach children, and how would the school be run? On this edition of People Fixing The World we visit the Mechai Pattana School in Thailand which was founded by the campaigner Mechai Viravaidya in 2008 on principles of charity and leadership. Children are responsible for every aspect of running the school, from...

Millions of people around the world are unpaid carers, providing help for a friend or family member who due to illness or disability cannot cope without their support. For some this may be a few hours a week but for many this can be a round-the-clock role. This can lead to the carer being unable to work or take part in other activities and their own health and mental wellbeing suffering. We visit...

Peer support is an often overlooked but important tool that can reduce isolation, increase confidence and complement various health services. We take a look at a project in Ireland where older volunteers are paired with those in a similar age bracket to provide a weekly chat and health check-in in their homes. This provides a safe space where clients can share any concerns and flag up potential he...

Cities are growing and developing at a faster rate than at any time in history. More than half the world’s population now live in cities. But cities don’t always offer the best opportunities for those living within them. They can be polluted, congested and often don’t have enough green spaces or playgrounds. We find out about two cities trying to change that. The mayor of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia s...

An innovative scheme in Scotland is helping dads in prison become better parents. Myra Anubi visits Barlinnie jail in Glasgow to meet the prisoners taking part. First they are taught parenting skills and then their children are brought into the jail for sessions of active physical play. Supporters of the programme say it is not just about benefits for prisoners - it is helping to create strong fam...

Wild horses have been roaming public lands in the American West for over a century but their population numbers are far greater than what is considered an appropriate management level. This is causing ecological damage and strains on natural resources, in addition to concerns about the horses' health. This has become a deeply contentious and emotive issue. We head out into the desert, driving 100s...