The doctor from Myanmar faced with 1 million patients and a plague of rats

More than fifty years ago, Cuba eradicated widespread illiteracy in one calendar year, and its literacy rate still leads the world. They achieved it by sending "brigades" of teachers and students to teach adults and children for two weeks.

Cities save money and help kids by connecting them with diploma programs. In Washington, iGrad is helping students do just this – and seeing results.

Two federally-funded Seattle tech training programs tasked with increasing diversity in the industry returned dramatically different results over the course of one year. Experts credit Apprenti's employer-driven nature, use of an online screening tool, and close ties with the local tech community with its relative success in placing 220 people in apprenticeships in its first 18 months. 94 percent of applicants to Aprenti's program were women, veterans, or persons of color, with only 55 percent holding a post-secondary degree.

Gathering Place is the name of a new park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a large-scale creative park project that, rather than receiving funding from the local government, was funded entirely through a local philanthropic foundation. One goal of the park is to bring different areas of the city together--though it remains to be seen if this will work as well as if privately-funded public spaces are effective in the future.

Math requirements are a common barrier preventing students from successfully graduating from community college in Washington state. Schools are offering a new way for non-STEM majors to earn the credit; Statway teaches students accessible statistics mixed with real-world examples as an alternate to the traditional algebra-precalculus trajectory.

By bringing mental health professionals and religious leaders together, faith communities can “flip the fear” of mental illness. Using grants from the American Psychiatric Association, organizations like Support Embrace Empower Mental Health Advocacy (SEEMA), the Muslim Mental Health Conference, and the Stanford Muslims and Mental Health lab, are all working to remove barriers to mental health treatment. Their initiatives focus on education to overcome stigma and cultural misunderstandings.

Investments into the arts serve as significant economic catalysts. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, legacy foundations like the Heinz Endowments, Benedum Foundation, and Richard King Mellon Foundation pooled their resources to create the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, which supports art and culture in the city’s downtown districts. By purchasing and refurbishing existing real estate, as well as lending support to smaller initiatives like the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, PCT’s investments have served as an engine of growth for the city.

Comal Heritage Food Incubator trains immigrant and refugee women to start their own businesses in the food industry. Comal offers coaching, financial support, and connections to social services. It also pays trainees, which has been vital to endure the food industry shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group also ensures members have food, rent assistance, school supplies, or diapers for their children. They partner with the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network, delivering about 290,000 meals since the pandemic began. The model is working in other cities, including Seattle and San Francisco.

The Elevate program is a free, eight-week course that helps guides couples to reconnect with each other and develop their parenting skills. The program helps between 30 and 40 couples each year, in-person and virtually. Since its start in 2021, the program has reached more than 470 couples, 96% of which have said they leave the program feeling happier with their partners.

The Attaqwaa Foundation provides scholarships to orphans and families affected by Boko Haram insurgencies, as well as food aid, sanitary items, and health care supplies. The organization is currently sponsoring more than 30 children to help them continue their education.