People Fixing the World Folgen

More than five million children live in orphanages or other institutions - the vast majority in low or middle income countries. Staff are often overstretched, poorly paid and don’t last long in the job, which leaves children deprived of one of the most important things for healthy development - a consistent, loving relationship. Organisations around the world are now working hard to find these children the one thing they desperately need - a family. But in countries with high rates of poverty and fragile social work and foster care systems, it’s not always easy. We visit a project in Colombia to meet the children, parents, and trainee foster carers whose lives are taking a very different turn. And in the UK, we look at a project giving foster families the support network they need. Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporters: Megan Janetsky and Jo Mathys Producer: Craig Langran Executive producer: Tom Colls Production Coordinator: Ibtisam Zein Sound Mix: Annie Gardiner Editor: Penny Murphy Image: A mother and daughter in Colombia

How a race to write books and a gadget that counts words are helping child literacy. In South Africa 8 out of 10 children struggle to read by the age of 10. But a charity called Book Dash has come up with an innovative way of getting more kids to read. It holds events where teams of writers and illustrators create a book in just 12 hours. More than a hundred titles have been created and over 2 million books have been given away to children. And in the US a group called Birmingham Talks is giving pre-school children a pedometer-style gadget to wear. But instead of counting steps, the gadget counts the number of words they hear every day. The idea is to encourage parents to talk to their children more and therefore improve language development. Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter: Lucy Burns Photo: Book Dash

At the human library you borrow a person you wouldn’t usually meet for a half-hour frank conversation. The volunteers have various book titles from polyamorous to former prisoner. The aim of these face-to-face chats is to break down our assumptions and prejudices. We explore whether simple discussions can make a difference. Produced and presented by Claire Bates. Picture: Ronni Abergel, Human LibraryRepeat - first published 7 Sep 2021