Making a Difference

Sure, Bono and Richard Branson can change the world. But there are millions of individuals making a difference who are not rich or famous. This section is for that unheralded community – “to honor the decency and courage and selflessness that surround us,” as Editor Richard Bergenheim described the Monitor’s journalistic mission in 2005.

Difference Maker
Saving cultural treasures in war-torn lands

Stuart Gibson circles the globe to help endangered museums undergo rebirth.
Difference Maker
Key to Afghan crisis: tea and education

Greg Mortenson, author of 'Three Cups of Tea,' says success lies in building trust and schools in rural Afghanistan.
Difference Maker
He helps innocent prisoners win their freedom

Through his Centurion Ministries, Jim McCloskey works to overturn unjust sentences.
Difference Maker
A church that is home to the homeless

Pastor Richard Berry lives the motto 'faith without works is dead'
Difference Maker
People making a difference: Batdorj Gongor

In Mongolia, he shows former nomads how working together benefits everyone.
Difference Maker
The need to feed hungry families cultivates new interest in gleaning

Corinne Almquist wants to restore the biblical tradition of harvesting what farmers leave behind.
Difference Maker
This Thai crime investigator is no friend to the 'big shots'

Colorful forensic pathologist Porntip Rojanansunan solves human rights cases.
Difference Maker
Helping orphans, Tibetan and Chinese alike

Tendol Gyalzur returned from exile to provide homes for children in her native Tibet
Difference Maker
People making a difference: Gunnar Swanson

An Iraq war veteran has dedicated his life to helping children affected by conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Difference Maker
Preventing suicides in the military

The death of Kim Ruocco's husband led her to try to put a stop to others.
Difference Maker
People making a difference: Aryeh Sufrin

Nearly killed by terrorists, this rabbi dedicated himself to helping drug addicts, including Muslims.
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People making a difference: Robert Quinn

When scholars face threats, this global networker finds them safer places to do their work.
Difference Maker
Extreme do-gooders – what makes them tick?

Five extraordinary social entrepreneurs talk about their defining moments - when the urge to change the world gathered such force they couldn't ignore it.
Difference Maker
People making a difference: Dara O'Rourke

This consumer advocate teams up with analysts and rates products to make shoppers smarter.
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People making a difference: Alberto Yanosky

This bridge-building conservationist tries to save forests by lending a hand to Paraguay's government.
Difference Maker
People making a difference: Sheridan Conisbee

This founder of a nonprofit rescue organization finds homes for Bangkok's street dogs.
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People making a difference: Mohammed Salifu

This street-savvy youth counselor helps women and girls who leave home to look for work in Ghana's capital.
Difference Maker
People making a difference: Emily Pozo

Living in the Galápagos, famous for exotic wildlife, this educator turns her attention to the needs of its people.
Difference Maker
People Making a Difference: Lyndon Harris

During 9/11, this New York clergyman experienced true heroism. But he still had to find his own path to forgiveness.
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People Making a Difference: Nadia Bitar helps Liberian orphans

The fashion model-turned-philanthropist aims to build a new home for them.
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People making a difference: Garry Delice

He rose up from poverty to earn a college degree. Now this educator roams Haiti's back roads, urging students to live their own dreams.
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People making a difference: Jeremy Gilley

This actor and filmmaker envisions that world peace begins with just one day of peace.
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People making a difference: Visaka Dharmadasa

After her son went missing in action, this Sri Lankan woman launched a nonprofit that helps trace soldiers like him.
Difference Maker
People Making a Difference: Bob Hildreth and Lisa Ballantine

These two innovators, working independently, provide cheap, effective filters that make polluted water potable.
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People making a difference: Sheema Kermani

In Pakistan, this women's rights activist stages plays that stir controversy – and thought.