Stay ConnectedDiscover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place.
A weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them.
Presenter Myra Anubi speaks to reporters, experts and innovators to investigate how effective different solutions are, share their successes and inspire listeners with what is possible.
Copyright: © (C) BBC 2022
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 eastern seaboard where scientists are looking at how a technique called ‘assisted gene flow’ is helping seagrass adapt and survive in warming waters. And we travel to a river estuary in northeast England to find out how local people are trying to regrow these lost meadows.
People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Cordelia Hemming Reporters: Ben Wyatt and Leigh Jones Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines
(Image:Blair Watson and Dr Martina Bristow plant seagrass in North East England, BBC)
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 buying food for the kitchens to disciplining fellow students and even recruiting new staff.
The children also run their own businesses, and perform several hours of community service every week. Many of the students come from underprivileged backgrounds, but their school fees are “paid” by planting 800 trees a year, together with their families.
The idea is for the school to produce “change-makers” – could it be a model for others to follow?
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/reporter: William Kremer Series Producer: Jon Bithrey Editor: Tom Bigwood Sound mix: Annie Gardiner
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 a Community Caring Centre in Bangladesh that provides care for disabled children and enables the carers to have time to work or rest as well as from the charity Carers Worldwide. And in the UK we find out about a charity that offers low cost hotel rooms for carers to use for a night’s respite away from their caring duties.
People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/reporter: Louise Pepper Bangladesh reporter: Tahmeed Chaudhury Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines
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 health issues before they get more serious.
Then we turn to Brazil where an interactive game, co-designed by Brazilian teenagers in conjunction with Oxford and Brasilia Universities, helps students learn more about mental health and how they can help friends who are struggling.
People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/reporter: Claire Bates Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines
(Image: Characters from the Brazilian game Where is Kaue, Protagonistas)
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 say she wants her city to be the best in Africa to raise a child and be a mother. We find out what she’s trying to do.
And in the Colombian capital, Bogota, we’ll visit the city’s ‘Care Blocks’ where people are given the opportunity to learn new skills - or just relax - while their children or dependents are looked after.
People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Claire Bowes Colombia reporter: Laura Ubate Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Andrew Mills
(Image: Caregivers and children in Bogota, Colombia, learn to ride bikes, Laura Ubate/BBC)
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 family bonds which might then reduce rates of reoffending.
It is based on a successful scheme in Australia called Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids. This was set up to get people fit and tackle high levels of obesity in the wider population. We talk to the founder who explains how it has improved the lives of hundreds of fathers and their families.
People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Richard Kenny Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Annie Gardiner
(Image: Prisoners and their children at Barlinnie prison in Scotland, Scottish Prison Service)
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 of miles across the mountains and plains of Nevada and California, to witness first hand how different stakeholders are putting their differences aside and coming together to find innovative solutions.
The Igba Boyi apprenticeship scheme, described as the world's largest business incubator, has helped the Nigerian Igbo people build generational wealth in the devastating aftermath of the Civil War.
The scheme involves a master mentoring an apprentice who, upon graduation, is "settled" with start-up funds and contacts to launch their own business.
BBC Reporter Chiagozie Nwonwu explores this vital tradition and why it is now at risk of fading out in modern Nigeria.
Could AI technology help the fashion industry get to grips with sustainability, and arrest its brutal impact on the planet? With a huge carbon footprint, vast water usage and filling up of landfills, the fashion industry’s impact is well documented. But companies throughout the supply chain have rolled out tech solutions, many of them AI powered, to address these issues. How effective are they? At the growing stage, AI apps are being used by farmers to grow regenerative cotton. Other companies are using such tech to optimise orders, reducing the amount of garments that go straight to landfill. AI powered machines are detecting defects at the manufacturing stage and retailers are using it to help their customers make more informed choices. Fashion journalist Brooke Roberts-Islam follows a pair of jeans across the full fashion supply chain. Through showcasing technological advancements along the way, this one garment helps us to explore the possibilities and limitations of AI in improving the industry’s environmental record. We visit a cotton farm in India, where AI tools help to reduce water and pesticide use; in Bangladesh, algorithms in garment factories prevent waste through identifying defects in materials and retailers in the West are providing their customers with detailed information on the materials used in each product. The programme will also consider AI’s limitations and the negative implications of relying on such technology, such as the energy demands of generative AI.
Featuring contributions from Kuldeep Khatri, director of nature at Materra; Max Easton, CEO of Smartex; and Andrew Xeni, founder of the ethical retailer Nobody’s Child. Sound design: Jarek Zaba Producer: Jarek Zaba Presenter: Brooke Roberts-Islam A 2 Degrees West production
8% of Swedish adults say they have no close friends, according to one survey. But a wave of innovative projects is trying to change that. From buddy schemes to corporate “friendship hours” and grassroots social clubs, we explore how adults are going about enhancing their social lives — and what other nations might learn.
People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter/producer: Maddy Savage Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Annie Gardiner
(Image: Minttu and Yashu who met through Kompis Sverige, Maddy Savage/BBC)
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