Ever open up your favoured news website on your laptop just to close it straight back down again thanks to the sheer volume of depressing shit going on in the world? Yep, know that feeling; sometimes the doom and gloom is all too much.
But, in amongst all the horror and tragedy it’s important to remember that there’s people out there working to make the world a better place; some with grand outlandish projects and some in their own special little way.
Here’s a few people explaining what they’re doing to help the world through the medium of TED.
Myriam Sidibe: The Simple Power Of Handwashing
First, the depressing stuff. 6.6 million children don’t make it to their fifth birthday, largely due to disease. Myriam is fighting to change this though, through simply soap. Around the world, 4 out of 5 people don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom contributing to the diseases that are killing children. Through the Help A Child Reach 5 campaign, Malian born Myriam and her colleagues run the largest handwashing programme in the world. So far they’ve reached 183 million people ein 16 countries and by 2020 they’re going to reach a billion.
READ MORE: The Ted Talks To Watch When You're So Hungover You Can't Even See
Melissa Fleming – Let’s Help Refugees Thrive, Not Just Survive
With the Syrian conflict adding every day to the 50 million displaced people around the world (a number not seen since WWII) it’s easy to feel helpless when it comes to their plight. But UN refugee worker Melissa tells some incredible tales of how education and resettlement has taken some refugees from merely surviving to thriving to a point where they’re able to help those they left behind.
Meera Vijayann – Find Your Voice Against Gender Violence
When Meera was 7 she was molested by a tutor, when she was 17, she was sexually humiliated by a boy she rejected. At 19, she helped a friend escape from an abusive arrange marriage and at 25 she was attacked by two men; such is the life of a girl in India. But what Meera realised was the no-one was talking about it and after the Delhi gang rape in 2012 she started vlogging about the important events that weren’t hitting mainstream media. Since the Delhi gang rape and the ensuing media coverage there’s 6 times more women reporting harassment and a law to protect women against sexual assault has been passed.
READ MORE: TED Talks To Watch When You Need To Start Being All Productive Again
Manal al-Sharif – A Saudi Woman Who Dared To Drive
You know what’s awesome? In 2014, women in Saudi Arabia still aren’t ‘allowed’ to drive. Way to move with the times guys. So in 2011, Manal al-Sharif decided to to drive, post a video of it to YouTube and ended up in jail. Since then she’s worked to change the system.
Arunachalam Muruganantham – How I Started A Sanitary Napkin Revolution
Trying to make things easier for his wife who couldn’t afford sanitary towels, Arunachalam decided to make some himself. He even tried them out on himself with animal blood. Despite being well on track to being a millionaire with his affordable sanitary pad creating machine, Arunachalam pulled back and has only made it available to poor people in rural India. What a dude.
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Illustration: Alex Coll
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.