They may be called “parents,” but Leo calls them superheroes. — Alin and Christian are the parents of young Leo, who was born with a primary immunodeficiency. Upon learning about their son’s illness, they started their journey down a long path to find treatment for their only son. Alin remarks: “When I was a child I saw a movie about the…

She is overcoming loss while caring for her family through a global pandemic. — Since her husband died, Nathi has had little to no income. Every day brings new challenges to her and her family. Her priority is her children and making sure that they have enough to eat, but that became even more difficult once the COVID-19 crisis hit her community in India. …

After losing everything, she found a way to re-start her salon. — There is no couch or television to furnish the lounge of Hanane’s small home in Chtaura, a town in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. …

He dreams of becoming a mechanical engineer. — Hiran is an eighth-grader at Rani Bhabani boarding school in India. When asked what he wants to do when he grows up, he glows with confidence and says he would like to become a mechanical engineer. Not surprisingly, Hiran’s favorite subject is mathematics. …

Somying achieved her dreams — and is helping other girls in Thailand do the same. — Growing up, Somying lived with her younger sister and mother. Her mother, a single parent, supported all three of them on the $5 a day she made working at a water factory. As the oldest daughter, Somying would traditionally be expected to sacrifice her own education to work and support…

She connects volunteers with organizations in need in Mexico. — Patricia lives and works in Chiapas, a southern state of Mexico. Over many years, the communities and indigenous populations of Chiapas have struggled to gain access to land, shelter, work, proper education, and healthcare. To address these inequities, Patricia works with volunteers who wish to support indigenous, rural, and/or urban…

She walks 8 miles to agricultural school each day. — Fatu grew up and went to school in a remote community called Zor Zor, located in the Lofa county in Liberia. However, Fatu’s education unfortunately came to a halt in 8th grade when she got pregnant. Fatu recalls this difficult time in her life: “I fell in love with a…

They learned to repurpose palm trees to support their family. — Alcides lives near the second-largest swamp in Colombia. He used to be a fisherman but with illegal mining, the waters got more and more contaminated and contained less and less fish. When ‘CorpoAyapel’ started giving classes on how to make handicrafts from local palm trees, Alcides and his wife, Adriana…

She rebuilt her business after devastating floods. — Fatoumata is from the northern part of Sierra Leone. She is one of the many women who fled to the Colvert community during the 1991 civil war. She has now lived there for more than 24 years. Fatoumata was operating a flourishing grocery business before her community was hit by…