BBC Radio Podcasts from People Fixing the World
Kangaroo care for premature babies
The simple skin-to-skin approach saving newborn lives
Redefining luxury fashion
The luxury products that love the planet.
How literacy can change a life
How an app in Somaliland and moveable classrooms in Bangladesh help adults learn to read
The power of music
Innovative ways that music can ease pain and bring people together.
Greener ways to feed the world
How lab-brewed dairy and urban food forests can tackle climate change and hunger
Magic mushrooms and mental health
Could psychedelic drugs help in the treatment of mental health conditions?
Speaking up at work
We look at how to raise concerns about wrongdoing in the workplace
Clever ways to get kids learning
We look at innovative educational solutions in Senegal, Ghana and Pakistan.
Bringing dead languages back to life
How do you revive a language with no living speakers?
Making life easier for older people
We're in the US and Spain to look at how life can be improved for ageing populations.
Overcoming stigma
The communities in Nigeria and India changing mindsets
Rewilding Earth
How beavers, bison and jaguars may help rebalance ecosystems
Keeping the Amazon standing
Making a living from the Amazon without cutting down trees
Fake birds and other stories
This week a host of great ideas inspired by solutions we've told you about in 2023.
Making landfill less awful
The people trying to improve this icon of our wasteful culture
The country tackling loneliness
How the Netherlands is making a serious attempt to tackle something we can all feel
Building a clinic to save a forest
How cut price health treatment has helped reduce logging in Borneo
The plastic eaters
The hungry enzymes that might just be the solution to plastic pollution.
Fighting period poverty
How hand-stitched pads and a comic book are trying to make women’s lives better
Sharing the river
How two communities in Bolivia learned to work together to protect their water
Training heroin users to save their friends
How drug users in Scotland are being trained to treat people who have overdosed
Disaster zone innovators
Hospital trains and robot medics
Sea cucumbers fixing the world
How the humble sea cucumber and its poo is helping coral reefs
Stopping suicide
How volunteers are helping people in crisis in Limerick, Ireland
AI for good
How artificial intelligence is being used to fight anxiety and save children's lives
Coconuts fixing the world
How coconut husks are being used to prevent plastic waste and protect the forest
Surviving earthquakes
From a VR game to a hobby seismometer – projects to try and make earthquakes less deadly
Shockwaves for the heart
The Austrian surgeon with a radical new treatment for heart disease
Genetic problem-solving
From fast-growing food to life-saving rice, is genetic modification a good solution?
Female farmers fighting sexism
How women are fighting back against discrimination in agriculture
Surprising solar
New ways of getting energy from the sun
The bubble barrier cleaning up rivers
How Dutch inventors are removing plastic from rivers with a ‘net’ made from bubbles
Eating invasive species
When plants and animals invade new areas, can we ‘eat them to beat them’?
The game that fixes cities
How cryptocurrency and blockchain are being used to try and solve some everyday problems
The power of a backstory
How mini-biographies are helping elderly patients connect with their carers
Fighting the heat
Meet the innovators making our super-heated cities liveable
Turning mud into ‘clean’ concrete
The man whose special powder turns waste soil into buildings
Palm oil that’s better for wildlife
How a palm oil plantation is helping nature to thrive in Borneo
Catching the ‘bike bus’
How kids are finding safety in numbers on their cycle to school
What to do with an empty mall?
The US malls being brought back to life as schools, healthcare centres and offices
Helping elephants and humans get along
How to prevent conflict between people and animals
Dementia friendly neighbourhoods
How to design a neighbourhood with older people in mind
Making peace with nature
How conservation can be used to build peace
Menopause mentors
How women are using cafes, apps and oils to make menopause a little easier
Fighting corruption in schools
A new generation making sure schools are getting the government funds they are promised
The hidden powers of bacteria
How bacteria can help the planet and make us healthy
Work: Access for all
Workplaces that have welcomed people with learning disabilities on to the team
Kangaroo care for premature babies
The simple skin-to-skin approach saving newborn lives
Sports fan solutions
How German “fan projects” are stopping young supporters being seduced by far-right groups
The people fixing childcare
How mobile childcare is helping low-paid workers
Stopping harassment on public transport
Projects aiming to make commuting safer - particularly for women.
Endometriosis: The search for solutions
Has Hungary found a better way of treating endometriosis?
Challenging attitudes to disability
The silent cafe and VR game trying to make life better for people with disabilities
Getting refugees out of tents
Getting refugees out of tents
Sea cucumbers fixing the world
Meet the oceans’ unsung hero
The ring that could help save women’s lives
Has a tiny silicon ring to protect women from HIV infection worked as a solution?
Turning waste into power
How old food and hot computers are being used to provide new sources of energy
The healing power of forests
Meet the people using forests to help improve mental health
Plants fighting pollution
Meet the plants that clear up oil spills and provide clean water
Bringing dead languages back to life
How do you revive a language with no living speakers?
Fighting the megadrought
How Chile has found ingenious ways of finding and using water
Micro-homes and sobercoins
The tiny houses helping homeless people to get off the streets
Grannies fixing the world
The projects around the world using the influence of grandmothers to help improve lives
Board games fixing the world
Can playing board games help us fix real-world problems?
Sleep solutions
Innovative ways to help people get a better night’s rest
The body suit that stops muscle spasms
Clever physiotherapy tools to help people get moving
The World Cup of football solutions
How football can solve problems off the pitch
Jobs for girls
How training women in male dominated professions is changing finances and attitudes
COP27: Growing a forest the right way
Tree-planting schemes don’t always work, so what’s the best way to do forest restoration?
Picking up healthcare with the litter
Collecting rubbish as if your life depended on it
Albatrosses and oysters fixing the world
How seabirds and shellfish are protecting our planet
Educating refugees
Helping young displaced people get a better start in life
Sustainability in death
How you can be eco-friendly after you die
Ending road deaths
How to stop cars from killing people
Dads on duty
How volunteer dads are reducing school violence in Louisiana
The food waste warriors
Three women with innovative projects stopping food from going to waste
How to get people eating less meat
Can ‘fake meat’ help reduce the amount of meat we consume?
Robots on the beat
How police in the US are using tech, including robots, to fight crime
Hands-Off Health Tech
How medics can treat people without touching them
What 3D printing can fix
How 3D printing is changing lives from prosthetic limbs to classroom aids
Fighting fashion waste
Turning discarded clothes into something useful
How to fix democracy
The debating platform that brings people together
Getting refugees out of tents
Can we provide better shelters than tents for displaced people?
Using finance to fight homelessness
How bank accounts and clever investments are improving the lives of homeless people
Saving kids with cancer
The Filipino doctor who’s found an affordable way of treating children with cancer
The power of group therapy
Therapy has been helping Boko Haram survivors and street youth in Liberia.
Keeping medicines cool
How enzymes and earthen pots can help keep medicines safe
The future of wind power
How floating wind turbines and power-generating kites could help fight climate change
Getting kids out of institutions
Meet the people finding families for some of the 5 million children living in care
Racing to get kids reading
How a race to write books and a gadget that counts words are helping child literacy
The library where the books are people
Borrow a stranger for a half-hour chat to challenge your prejudices
Safer cities for women
How can you stop women being harassed in the street?
Helping teenagers become good mums
Innovative projects around the world are trying to help teenage mums
Turning mud into ‘clean’ concrete
The man whose special powder turns waste soil into buildings
Robots fixing sewers
The robots that navigate sewer pipes to find leaks and blockages so people don't have to
Using lotteries to make us better people
The lotteries that nudge people to take medicine, pick up litter or pay their taxes
Work: Access for all
We look at workplaces that have welcomed people with learning disabilities on to the team
Sponge cities that fight flooding
How cities are embracing nature to prevent flooding
Turning tyres into cheap fuel & football pitches
The entrepreneurs using clever chemistry to turn scrap rubber into fuel and car tyres
Saving California’s butterflies
How rearing butterflies by hand is bringing them back from the brink
How to make fishing nets less destructive
Using underwater sounds and lights so only the fish we want to eat get caught
Making hospitals less stressful
How leaves, lights, sounds and goats can improve patient health
Using haircuts to fight oil spills
How old hair is being used to help the planet
Insects fixing the world
How flies and bugs can help solve the planet’s problems
Prison Voicemail: Messages from behind bars
Prisoners and their families are keeping in touch with the Prison Voicemail app
Violent partners: The ‘window’ strategy
How Iceland pioneered a new approach to domestic violence
Training police to patrol each other
How do you get officers to step in to prevent acts of police brutality?
The house that fights malaria
Innovative ideas in the battle against mosquitos
Using VR to change lives
How virtual reality is helping tackle phobias and resolve conflict
How to fight fake health news
Can playing a video game ‘inoculate’ your mind against medical misinformation?
Making clean water with rubbish
The chemist using old bones and food waste to make clean drinking water
Catching up with our solution seekers
How are Covid dogs, a sturdy bicycle scheme and balloons beaming the internet getting on?
The forest sound detectives
How scientists check the health of a forest by listening to it
The moo loo and other stories
Training cows to use the toilet and a bouncy castle that fights climate change
Creating an alternative gig economy
Meet the innovators who want to change gig work for the better
How to make electricity for your neighbours
The energy microgrid that started with scrap metal and an old bicycle
Food waste: The solar dryer solution
A simple system for saving food and empowering women
Ways to save the planet: Using the sun
Using floating solar panels and a see-through pyramid to help the climate
The tiny satellites changing how we see Earth
CubeSats are small but mighty. They track animals, map coral reefs and spot modern slavery
The 15-minute city
Everything you need on your doorstep: a radical plan to improve our cities
COP26: The tech helping you to help the planet
New technology that could lead to better informed choices on climate change
Ways to save the planet: Ancient solutions
We could save 16% of emissions by using biochar, a simple indigenous fertilising method
How to spot fake drugs with a mobile phone
Mobile phones and apps are being used to detect fake medicines and save lives
Talking signs, amazing peas and planes mapping fires
Innovative solutions for city navigation, plastic waste and forest fires
Can computer games improve mental health?
How computer games are being used to help children process grief and powerful emotions
Robots on the beat
How police in the US are using tech, including robots, to fight crime
Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles
The special bridges that are helping to save slow lorises and reunite rare monkeys
Saving mums and their unborn babies
Women in Nigeria have come up with an emergency transport scheme that is saving lives
The hotel for homeless people
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, England’s rough sleepers were offered a place to live
The library where the books are people
Borrow a stranger for a half-hour chat to challenge your prejudices
Ways to save the planet: Fridge detectives
We meet detectives hunting down old fridges to stop greenhouse gases escaping from them
Ways to save the planet: Swap concrete for wood
We investigate the power of nature’s own creations to help fix climate change
The seaweed farmers adapting to warming seas
How seaweed farmers in Zanzibar are fighting the effects of climate change
Locust hunters
People in Kenya have been paid to catch swarms of locusts eating farmers’ crops
Turning preachers into LGBT allies
How a group of Kenyans reduced homophobic hate and violence
The ATMs that dispense clean fuel
How a start-up in Kenya reinvented the cooking stove
Introducing: Season 2 of 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
How animals make us smarter – we thought you might like to hear our brand new episode
Unsung victories in the fight against disease
Remarkable successes against some of the most unpleasant illnesses on the planet
How five friends can change a refugee’s life
Groups of Dutch friends are helping families settle when they move to a new country
The great mosquito swap
How a highly unusual approach to disease is helping to stop dengue fever in Colombia
The career where it helps to have a criminal past
Ex-cons are running part of the US probation system, and it’s transforming young lives
Test-tube rhinos
Scientists have an incredible plan to save the northern white rhino from extinction
Smashing the glass ceiling for young Africans
How a network of mentors is helping young Africans achieve their dreams
The helpline for jealous and violent men
A helpline for jealous and violent men is aiming to cut domestic violence
Turning the desert green
One man's plan to make the Sinai desert fertile
Catching up with the problem solvers
Are stickers still saving lives? Was a coral reef repaired?
Regrowing the rainforest
It has taken 40 years, but this man has regrown a patch of rainforest in the Amazon
Turning oil platforms into reefs
A home for marine life, but perhaps not in the place you’d expect
The forest sound detectives
Scientists are checking up on the health of forests by analysing the sounds in them.
The detection dogs tracking poachers and Covid-19
Marlo is sniffing out coronavirus in the UK, and Thor is tracking poachers in Tanzania
Pedal power: How bicycles can change lives
One man’s mission to transform millions of lives by selling them bicycles
Shred it yourself: The DIY plastic recyclers
Machines to shred, melt and mould waste plastic are popping up around the world
Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles
The special bridges that are helping to save slow lorises and reunite rare monkeys
Watching out for Gran with help from her toaster
How we could improve care for the elderly by monitoring their use of home appliances
How to reuse a demolished building
Can you construct a building by reusing materials from ones that have been knocked down?
Using satellite photos to help distribute cash
Togo has found a new way to send emergency cash to people struggling in the pandemic
The magic greenhouse
A greenhouse powered by the wind has made it possible to grow crops on arid land
The secret to making your stuff last longer
Clever ways to persuade people to fix old things instead of throwing them away
Tackling sport’s concussion problem
How the latest technology is helping to tackle head injuries in sport
Beating superbugs
The small team of Indian scientists who think they’ve found a new way to kill superbugs
How to store power in soil and salt
Batteries made of building blocks and volcanic rock
The breath of life
A clever way to provide life-saving oxygen
The spacesuits saving mothers’ lives
Suits originally designed for astronauts are helping midwives save lives
A forest down your street
The tiny urban forests bringing nature to the heart of the city
The solutions whisperer
Dhruv Boruah’s mission is to inspire other people to solve problems facing the planet
Can doughnuts save the planet?
Doughnut economics in action - how we can live well and save the planet at the same time
What happened next to our problem solvers
Hydrating sweets for the elderly go on sale and how a housing experiment coped with Covid
Saving mums and their unborn babies
Women in Nigeria have come up with an emergency transport scheme that is saving lives
Making meat in a lab
How meat grown in labs could reduce our environmental impact
Building with fungi
Growing packaging, coffins and whole houses out of eco-friendly mycelium
Perovskites: The future of solar?
A new kind of solar cell is made by drying a special liquid on a surface
Riding the solar railway
How to make train journeys greener using the power of the sun
From prison to star employee
Why former criminals are being chosen for jobs at hundreds of companies in a small US city
Audience takeover: Your questions answered
Answers to your questions about regrowing the rainforest and other stories we’ve covered
Teenage inventor special
Brilliant ideas from school kids to help solve crime, make life safer and much more
Saving Cape Cod’s dolphins
Saving dolphins from stranding on beaches - we meet the team improving survival rates
How to put the internet in a box
Inside the “sneakernet” - the people carrying websites to places that are off the grid
How jellyfish can help us
Jellyfish could be used to filter microplastics from water and develop new medicines
Training police to patrol each other
US police are being taught what to do if they're worried about a colleague’s actions
Getting rid of AI bias
Better facial recognition and changing algorithms - how to fight racial bias in AI
How to prevent drowning
AI to help lifeguards in Israel and weather forecasts for fishermen on Lake Victoria
Smartphones saving the rainforest
Old mobile phones are being used to catch illegal loggers in the rainforest
A happier planet
Looking for the happiest places in the world and finding out what makes them happy
Keeping data forever
Three radical new ways to save data – in DNA, glass and magnets
Could a device invented in the 1930s help end period poverty?
The people hoping to use sanitary pad micro-factories and silicone cups to help women
The mums saving each other from a taboo condition
Mums in Madagascar are ensuring others get the treatment that has transformed their lives
The tech doctors forecasting heart failure
Implanted devices can predict when something is about to go wrong with a patient’s heart
Prison Voicemail: Messages from behind bars
Prisoners and their families are keeping in touch with the Prison Voicemail app
Financing the forests
Making rainforests a profitable investment
Life-saving surgery, but not by a doctor
Nurses and midwives in Ethiopia are being trained to perform emergency operations
New uses for old solutions
How two life-saving apps were adapted to fix problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic
How to get everyone online
Balloons and satellites could help get more people get on to the internet
A future without bees
High-tech alternatives to bees include spraying pollen from drones to pollinate plants
How tech is tackling wildlife trafficking
The exciting new tools helping to save some of our most endangered animals.
Personality tests for loans
How an online test and a phone might be able to help some people with their finances.
Kids fixing the world
Clever inventions by children that could improve our lives, from apps to robots
No more bosses
How do you make work a better place? Get rid of managers, say some companies.
The ancient technology getting a second wind
Wind-powered ships are sailing cargo around the world again to help cut pollution.
Electricity that grows on trees
Scientists are trying to tap unlikely-sounding energy sources - like the leaves on trees.
The breath of life
A clever way to provide life-saving oxygen
A Sporting Chance
How sport can change the lives of young people from some of the toughest backgrounds.
The great spreadsheet in the sky
How blockchain could solve some of the world’s problems.
The farmers moving their fields indoors
We visit farmers growing lettuce, herbs and strawberries indoors in the middle of cities
Making the world a quieter place
How sound barriers and noise sensors are helping to make the planet more peaceful
The big transport swap
Would robot shuttles, buses on demand and free rides persuade you to ditch your car?
Regrowing the rainforest
It has taken 40 years, but this man has regrown a patch of rainforest in the Amazon
The treasure in our toilets
How human sewage is being recycled to recover a valuable chemical
How to be a better dad
Teaching men to look after their babies and how this can help cut violence against women
How they’re saving the kakapo
It’s a flightless bird close to extinction, but the kakapo recovery team is on the case.
Audience takeover: Your feedback
“Fabulous idea” or “waste of money”? Your thoughts on some of the solutions we’ve covered
A safe place to be gay
An idea used in video games is helping LGBTQ people in the Middle East talk safely online
Meet the neighbours
People in these flats promise to spend two hours a week together to tackle loneliness
The good lads
Working with men and boys to tackle everyday sexism
The miracle cure: Exercise
If exercise were a drug, almost everyone over 65 would want to take it
Fighting depression together
Women in Uganda are learning how to treat their neighbours for depression
Running to do good
Forget the treadmill - these people have turned doing good deeds into a workout
Forecasting volcanoes
Preparing for disasters long before they strike rather than rescuing people afterwards
The pharmacists fighting high drug prices
When drug prices went up, pharmacists stepped in to make medicines themselves
How to move the Earth
The plans to use lasers or asteroids to move our planet away from the sun
Checking in with the problem solvers
Stopping forest fires with goats and more – an update on projects we’ve visited before
Making your deliveries greener
Four clever ways to reduce carbon emissions from deliveries
Convicting more rapists
Rapists often get away without being convicted – South Africa thinks it has an answer
Turning kids into entrepreneurs
Children in Uganda are running their own businesses thanks to special classes in school
Saving the World’s Ice
Silica beads and whiter clouds - ideas to stop the world’s ice melting
Stopping abuse with protection dogs
Women who have left abusive partners are learning how to train their own protection dogs
How to stop fires destroying whole neighbourhoods
The innovative fire alarm designed to protect South Africa’s poorest communities
How to save the banana
The banana is under threat from a deadly disease. These people are trying to save it.
The future of freight
Designing eco-friendly lorries to make cleaner, greener deliveries
Gaming for good
Gamers are helping scientists to analyse research and develop new drugs
The town rethinking the future of energy
Energy companies have come together in Finland to tackle climate change
Shopping for a better life
How a grocery store is bringing health care to people who can’t usually afford it
Turning waste into energy
Instead of sending all our waste to landfill, some companies are using it to make energy
Spotting the sound of a cardiac arrest
Copenhagen is experimenting with a new way of analysing emergency calls
The snakebite squad
A team in Kenya has introduced motorbike ambulances for people bitten by snakes
Meeting Colombia’s ‘Violentologist’
How a doctor in Colombia changed the way cities monitor and prevent violence
A new way to detect an invisible poison in water
Scientists hope a new test will save millions from drinking arsenic in their water
Oysters to the rescue
The humble oyster is helping to keep the oceans clean and protect shorelines
The concrete cleaners
Making cement that locks in carbon dioxide instead of releasing it into the atmosphere
Bangladesh’s biker girls
The motorbike taxi app where the drivers and passengers are all women.
Putting a price on carbon
How to increase the cost of causing climate change
A simple way to help a relative if they’re arrested
A group in California is teaching families how to help loved ones charged with crimes
Stopping child marriage with solar lanterns
Solar-powered lamps are giving girls independence and stopping them becoming child brides
Trieste’s mental health ‘revolution’
How Italy’s radical decision to close its mental asylums shaped the way we think today
The school that puts wellbeing first
One primary school has found a way to deliver therapy to about 10% of its students
Residents turn detective to fight crime
Neighbours in the US are using cameras that read car number plates to cut crime
Life-saving surgery, but not by a doctor
Nurses and midwives in Ethiopia are being trained to perform emergency operations
Portugal, drugs and decriminalisation
In 2001 Portugal decriminalised personal drug use to tackle a heroin crisis.
Can capturing carbon buy us time to tackle climate change?
The projects that are trying to take CO2 out of the atmosphere
Can sleep deprivation help treat bipolar disorder?
An Italian doctor asks patients to stay awake all night, to try to allay their depression
Audience takeover: Your plastic solutions
We hear what you, our listeners, are doing to tackle the problem of plastic waste.
Reinventing the ranch
Can the cattle ranch be updated to fight climate change?
Working Less For The Same Pay
Some companies are cutting the hours their staff work but keeping their pay the same
Could a device invented in the 1930s help end period poverty?
The people hoping to use sanitary pad micro-factories and silicone cups to help women
The tree detectives tackling illegal logging
Scientists are building a database to help them tell exactly where wood has come from
The reuse and refill revolution
Should we reuse and refill plastic packaging to limit the amount being thrown away?
DNA tests for dogs to tackle problem poo
US residents fed up with dog mess are using a high-tech solution
The great mosquito swap
Scientists are hoping to stop diseases spreading by changing the mosquito population
The mums saving each other from a taboo condition
Women who have had surgery for fistula are making sure others get life-changing treatment
Can phages save us as antibiotics stop working?
How phages – viruses that kill bacteria – are saving lives.
The digital detectives tackling child sexual abuse
Meet the online volunteers helping Europol track down child abusers and their victims
Crossing divides in Cyprus
Could a centre in the buffer zone that divides Cyprus bring two communities together?
Last video messages to help children grieve
Making precious video memories for children
Turning old clothes into new ones
Could dissolving mountains of old clothes help create material for new ones?
Predicting suicide
How machine learning could be used to predict who will take their own life
‘No Men Allowed’ – The Gym Getting Women Fit and into Work
A single-sex gym in Turkey is helping women exercise and become entrepreneurs
How Nepal Doubled its Tiger Population
Over the past 10 years, Nepal has almost doubled its population of Bengal tigers
The shopping mall where everything is recycled
A shopping mall in Sweden only sells recycled items, thanks to its clever location
The Turkish App to Help Autistic Children Learn
Can these games help autistic children get the right education?
The Talent Show for Honest People
In the Integrity Idol talent show, it doesn’t matter if you can sing or dance
Does the world need more babies?
Campaigns in countries with low birth rates are trying to get people to have more babies
Checking in with the Problem Solvers
We update you on stories from 2018 including a plan to catch junk in space
The Little Libraries Bringing Books into People’s Homes
Small boxes of books placed across the world are bringing people together
Can US Entrepreneurs Help Fix Education in Africa?
A growing network of high-tech schools aims to tackle a ‘crisis’ in African education
Can This Smart Street Stop Drinkers Getting Violent?
How a Dutch city is trying to reduce violence by changing the colour of street lights
How 'Buddy Benches' are Making Playtime Less Lonely
Buddy Benches are proving popular in Irish schools
Smart Boats That Sail on a Bed of Bubbles
What’s being done to clean up the shipping industry and make it less polluting?
The Banks That Run on Time Instead of Money
How time banks allow people to save and spend their hours
How to Build a City for an Ageing Population
Japan’s Kashiwa City has redesigned buildings and jobs to adapt to an ageing population
The Country That Can Jail You For Using Plastic Bags
In Kenya you can be jailed for four years for carrying a single-use plastic bag.
Time to Update the Stranger Danger Message?
Stranger Danger: Still the best message to keep children safe?
Tech That Tricks the Brain
Two tech start-ups are using wearable technology to trick the brain to solve problems
‘Rental sisters’ for Japan’s Reclusive Young Men
The sisters-for-hire who are trying to coax reclusive Japanese men out of their rooms
Fighting the ‘Water Mafia’ with Pipes in the Sky
A project in a Kenyan slum is pumping water through pipes suspended in the air
Mending Our Disposable Culture
Why volunteers are fixing other people’s stuff free of charge
Smart Stimulation for People with Dementia
Three clever ideas that help improve the day-to-day lives of people with dementia
Running and Singing to Improve Maths and English
The schools changing lives through running and music
A Green Space Revolution in Paris
How do you create green spaces in the middle of a city?
Scanning Homeless People To Make a Donation
A new project is offering homeless people barcodes, which you can scan to make a donation
Rewarding Green Travel in Bologna
A scheme in Italy that rewards people for taking sustainable modes of transport
Cool Ways of Keeping Things Cool
How two inventors are trying to revolutionise the way we keep things cold
Reviving Italy’s ‘Ghost Towns’
An unusual hotel is helping to breathe life back into Italy’s abandoned villages
Why Millions Listen to This Girl
Why millions listen to this nine-year-old girl's advice
Training India’s Fake Doctors
Can a controversial crash course in medicine help improve the healthcare system in India?
Stopping Wildfires in Their Tracks
Three projects that are limiting the impact of wildfires
Generating Power from the Roads
A highway in the US is being used to generate power and make toilet paper
Recycling to Turn Trash into Cash
Two projects that make life better for people keeping rubbish off the streets
The Bricks Helping to Rebuild Gaza
The young Gazan engineer making bricks out of ash and rubble
Learning Lessons from the Longest Living Lands
Can adapting your lifestyle add 10 years to your lifespan?
Nigeria's Secret STI Test Kits
The start-up that allows people to self test for STIs in secret
Can a $1 million Prize Help Keep Women Safe?
A competition to design a gadget that will send a secret alert if someone is attacked.
The Street Where Houses Come Half-Built
Why would you build someone half a house?
Fighting Food Waste
Tech solutions for fighting food waste
Clean Clothes and Glasses for the Poorest in Society
How do you improve the lives of the very poorest people? Sometimes it’s the simple things.
Turning Subsistence Farming into an Investment Opportunity
How a new Nigerian tech startup is turning small scale farms into financial investments
The Speed Detectors
The volunteers catching speeding motorists
The People’s Peace Talks
Can the public can succeed where the politicians have failed?
The Schools Trying to Build Bridges
Could bilingual schools help bring peace to a seemingly intractable conflict?
Problem-Solving Prizes
How big cash rewards can drive innovation
The Town Trying to Cure Loneliness
Meet the people trying to tackle loneliness in Frome in the United Kingdom.
The Babies Teaching Kindness In Class [REPEAT]
Naomi is not your average teacher. For one thing, she is only six months old.
Taking Out the Space Trash
How do you clean up the rubbish that orbits the Earth?
How to Help Homeless People in Hospital
A project that tries to stop people returning to a life of homelessness after hospital
The Bird Rescuers
Meet the people designing clever ways to protect our feathered friends.
Recycling Chewing Gum Litter to Clean Our Streets
Recycling chewing gum to fight litter
How to Talk to Potential Extremists
Can you persuade potential extremists out of their views by chatting to them on Facebook?
Putting Forgotten Pills Back to Work
An app is helping people donate their leftover drugs to people who can't afford them.
Improvising Your Way Out of Anxiety
Could this theatre technique help improve mental health?
The Hydroponics Revolution
How hydroponics – growing plants in water – is shaping the future of food.
The Currency Based on Good Deeds
Could paying volunteers help struggling economies?
The Babies Teaching Kindness in Class
Naomi is not your average teacher. For one thing, she is only six months old
Kids versus Cars
The movement turning streets into playgrounds
Can We Save Coral?
Meet the people trying to save the endangered underwater species.
Checking-in With The Problem Solvers
World Hacks returns to stories from last year to see how these projects have developed.
Scouts, Knives and a Community Fridge
This week we hear about three small solutions trying to make a dent on some big problems.
The Ring That Could Help Save Women’s Lives
Can a tiny silicon ring lower HIV transmission rates in Malawi?
How to Get Wheelchairs on Planes
Why can’t wheelchair users just roll onto aeroplanes?
Drone Delivery: Medicines By Air
The drones delivering life-saving supplies in Malawi.
Smartphone-Activated First Aiders
Can an app help people survive cardiac arrests by alerting first aiders who are nearby?
The Former Neo-Nazi Helping Others To Quit
The former Neo-Nazi helping others to quit.
How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers
The story of how a nation came together to wean its teenagers off drink and drugs.
The Missing Maps
How volunteers are plotting the world to put 'invisible people' on the map.
The Town Where Public Toilets Are Everywhere
Germany has come up with a clever way of increasing the number of its public toilets.
Addressing the World in Three Words
Could an app, that divides the world into 3m squares, give everyone a unique address?
How Iceland is Fighting the Gender Pay Gap
Is it possible to force companies to pay men and women the same?
Viking Therapy?
The Viking clubs where men fight their demons.
How Cervical ‘Selfies’ are Fighting Cancer in The Gambia
A new device lets nurses in rural Gambia find and stop cervical cancer.
How To Make Sushi From Methane Gas
A new process uses bacteria that eat methane gas to make food.
When Local Currencies Go Digital
The app that wants to keep money flowing in your local community.
Condom Lifesavers and Voices for the Voiceless
How to save lives with a condom and a company creating voices for people who cannot speak
The Dutch Antibiotic Revolution
The story of one sick toddler that was a wake-up call for The Netherlands' farmers.
How to Get Blood Where it is Needed
An entrepreneur in Nigeria is using an app to solve the blood shortage.
Pakistan’s Laptop Female Doctors
How do you help female doctors get back to work after having families?
Urban Cable Cars
Can cable cars help poor communities feel more connected?
Does Universal Basic Income Work?
Should everyone be given a wage, whether they work or not?
The Teachable Moment
The life changing moment that cuts the chances of gunshot victims being shot again.
Mexico's Cartoon Therapists
How do you get children who're victims of emotional abuse or physical harm to open up?
Cutting Cow Farts to Combat Climate Change
A new frontier in the war against global warming.
Thailand’s Disease Detectives
The volunteers photographing dead chickens to stop the spread of dangerous diseases.
Can We Supercharge School?
A school in San Francisco thinks it can speed up education using clever technology.
Turning Fatbergs into Fuel
How one company is turning sewer waste into a valuable energy source
Thailand’s Condom King
We meet a man behind a sexual health revolution in Thailand.
How To Be A Better Mum In Jail
A project in the US puts doulas into prisons to give babies a good start in life.
Would You Rent Your Clothes?
Would you rent your clothes?
The Stickers that Save Lives
How the stickers on bus windows are cutting accidents in Kenya
Turning Plastic Trash into Cash
Can “social plastic” keep the oceans clean and fight poverty too?
Turning Goats into Water
We travel to rural Pakistan to find an innovative scheme.
Saving Lives with Text Messages
The man getting emergency help to accidents using just a mobile phone. And Plastic Roads.
Greener In Death
How “water cremation” offers a new way of dealing with dead bodies.
Helping Disabled People With Sex
The group in Taiwan helping disabled people to fulfil their sexual needs
The Data Donators
Can the wisdom of the crowd answer a two thousand year old question?
Postmen Delivering Kindness to the Elderly
Could postal workers help solve the social care crisis?
The Parent Hack For Cheaper Childcare
An experimental nursery helps parents save money by letting them work childcare shifts.
Toilets in Haiti and Circular Runways
A scheme to solve the problem of human waste disposal in Haiti.
Checking out the solar hotel
How China’s “sun king” dreamed of cities built of solar panels
Moving In With Refugees
How young Dutch people and Syrian refugees are becoming housemates.
How China is Cleaning its Air
A special programme exploring how China is finding ways to cut air pollution.
The Voter Lottery
Can you increase turnout at elections by handing out a cash prize for one lucky voter?
Denmark’s Food Waste Vigilante
Meet the woman who’s made it her mission to stop Danes throwing away food
The Sun Water Solution
One man’s mission to try and save lives using sunlight.
Lend Me Your Eyes
How apps and armchair volunteers are helping blind people around the world.
The War On Fake News
How to fact-check the internet in a post-truth age.
Superblocks To The Rescue?
How they’re re-designing the road system to reclaim the city from cars in Barcelona.
An Unlikely House Share
How a homeshare scheme is matching older people and students in Paris.
Jobs for Syrian Refugees
Why they’re handing out work permits to refugees in Jordan.
Respect My Remittances
Smarter ways for migrants to send money home.
‘Bribing’ Mums To Feed Their Kids
How they’re giving cash, with strings attached, to poor mothers in Peru.
Teaching Kids To Think
What happens when you teach kids how to think for themselves?
Reducing US Police Shootings
How a new training system could reduce deadly police shootings in the US
Cloud Catchers In Peru
Can catching fog solve the global water crisis?
Cash Cards For Syrian Refugees
Is it better to give refugees money, not food?