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OLBIOS NETWORK FOR ACTION
THE JOURNAL
Imagine a world where where people with impactful action and solutions take centre stage.
Where problem solvers and community changers are championed, and where negativity and despair is overshadowed by the millions of people and projects which demonstrate that we can create a better world by promoting and showcasing solutions rather than problems.
The OLBIOS JOURNAL is the first platform putting the spotlight in that world, through its hundreds of Correspondents in over 160 countries, in seven languages and special editions, covering all sectors of social action, anywhere in the world.
Join them at OLBIOS and become an agent of change.
DO TANK
Explore and get involved in thousands of extraordinary projects around the world.
HUMAN STORIES
Discover the world’s most inspiring personalities and their achievements.
THINK TANK
Learn about innovative proposals, solutions, and new approaches to global challenges.
Giving vulnerable people tools for empowerment
Mahmoud Riyad, Social Innovation Specialist at Jordan River Foundation, spoke to OLBIOS from Jordan on the importance of providing tools that allow people to serve their communities and beyond.
by MAHMOUD RIYAD
Helping children but also their communities
Rosalie Tieges spoke to OLBIOS from Thailand on how caring for children also creates much-needed jobs for their local communities
by ROSALIE TIEGES
Immersing ourselves in other cultures
Katy Kavanaugh, founder at 360.tv, spoke to OLBIOS from San Francisco on how travel is a great teacher and the gift of being able to immerse ourselves in a culture other than our own.
by KATY KAVANAUGH
Creating Businesses out of Problems
Julien Verzier, Co-Director at BroadLeaf Group, spoke to OLBIOS from Cape Town, SA, on how the economy can benefit only if its direct environment benefits also.
by JULIEN VERZIER
The meaning of Home
Antigoni Alexiou talks from Greece on her work supporting asylum seekers, refugees and migrants that have faced torture, violence and abuse.
by ANTIGONI ALEXIOU
Foreign aid, reparations, and community investment
Dr. Christopher Stanfill, international development professional in New York, writes on how we need to rethink the lens through which foreign aid is viewed.
by DR. CHRISTOPHER STANFILL
Tracking real needs, in real time
Canadian Natasha Freidus, Founder of NeedsList, tells OLBIOS that donations often come without a clear beneficiary and how the factor determining longevity is your postal code
by NATASHA FREIDUS
When information flows halfway
Amaya Alexandra Ramos spoke to OLBIOS from Washington, D.C., on puncturing the barriers preventing the flow of vital information to people like herself who work with human trafficking, forced migration and trauma.
by AMAYA ALEXANDRA RAMOS
A new approach to humanitarian assistance
Antoine Richards highlights the work of Peacebuilding Solutions and its new approach in re-stabilizing the livelihoods of people who have become refugees or internally-displaced persons.
by ANTOINE RICHARDS
The empowerment of data
Steve Hollingworth, President and CEO at Grameen Foundation, talks to OLBIOS from the US on how the ‘fifth revolution’ may be harnessed in the fight against poverty and become an agent of empowerment
by STEVE HOLLINGWORTH
The fight against common and fundamental diseases
Nick Sireau, the founder of Orchard, spoke to OLBIOS from London on the lack of funds for OCD research and on how nature reveals its secrets ‘apart from the beaten path’
by DR NICK SIREAU
No future?
Environmental extinction and COVID-19: How children and teenagers fight worldwide for a better future and how social structures may prevent this.
by MERLE BüTER
‘Let our voice ring in your ears’
Kemal Shaheen, Director at Paper Boat and Trustee at Village Aid, talks to OLBIOS from the UK about the importance of listening to what children have to say.
by KEMAL SHAHEEN
Is it possible to be optimistic about the future of Turkey?
Human rights activist Baris Bayram, founder of the EPE Movement, talks about unjust hardships, challenges, and minor or major achievements.
by BARIş BAYRAM
Creating a ‘national story’ of solutions
David Laurent, Head of Climate & Resources department at EpE, tells OLBIOS from France about business issues that weren’t even on the table a year ago.
by DAVID LAURENT
Is it possible to prevent extreme suffering?
Answers and insights from Jonathan Leighton, CEO at OPIS, in an interview with OLBIOS
by JONATHAN LEIGHTON
Having faith in dialogue
In his interview with OLBIOS, Zakaria El Hamel, President of Youth for Peace and Dialogue between Cultures in Morocco, tells us about his work to maintain a dialogue on human rights and beyond.
Adapting to the rules of the Earth’s Ecosystem
ECONOMY - EDUCATION - SOCIAL ISSUES
Alexandre Lemille, Director of Anthesis Group (France), spoke to OLBIOS on the challenge of an economy with the least amount of energy and how linear leaders become circular laggards.
by ALEXANDRE LEMILLE
A financial ecosystem for the unbanked
How Sheena Allen is protecting victims of predatory lending through CApWay
Allowing people to thrive at home
Harriette Rothwell spoke to OLBIOS on how she found her calling in Guatemala, on the importance of allowing people to thrive where they live and the vital support she provides in nonprofits.
by HARRIETTE ROTHWELL
Learning to see like an anthropologist
California, USA: Jeff Katcherian, Founder at Culture Academy, talks to OLBIOS on underrepresented students and how to expand their understanding of the world and their worlds.
by JEFF KATCHERIAN
Giving the missing light
One in four Filipinos (20 million people) lacks access to electricity. Jim Ayala did something about it that works.
Changing what ‘normal’ means
Gerardo Gaya talks to OLBIOS from Mexico on the experiences and autism diagnosis that led him to found Iluminemos de Azul and on what ‘normal’ really means
by GERALDO GAYA
For a successful economy, look at well-being
Diego Isabel La Moneda, Executive Director NESI Forum of New Economy and Social Innovation talked to OLBIOS from Spain on the idea of co-creating the economy.
by DIEGO ISABEL LA MONEDA
Young people against disaster
Watch the wonderful documentary directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, and the story of three exceptional children preparing for a music competition.
How can you track a student’s progress?
Jennifer Medbery, a math teacher, founded Kickboard, the best technology for schools that want to see real results from a better school culture.
Civil society’s new roles in the post-pandemic world
Massimo Trombin, CEO at Instituto Global da Paz, talks to OLBIOS from Brazil about the pandemic’s impact on civil society.
by MASSIMO TROMBIN
Nine million meals
Watch the wonderful documentary directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, and the story of three exceptional children preparing for a music competition.
The bees and Leigh-Kathryn
How to dave the dwindling honeybee population while providing corporations with a novel approach to sustainability
Big effects through small change: Permaculture as a Philosophy
Eller Everett, cofounder OF BothOfUs, spoke to OLBIOS from Spain about the need to think small when it comes to environmental impact and change.
by ELLER EVERETT
Why are these children in hospital again?
Physician Vera Cordeiro was shocked by the number re-admissions of children from urban slums. She then came up with a treatment plan that addresses the full range of economic and social causes of illness.
Learning from the past how to protect our future
USA: Stacy Gallin, Founder and Director at MIMEH, presents in her interview with OLBIOS her work and insights on the most pressing issue: the need for a new moral ethos.
by STACY GALLIN
THE ORPHAN MYTH
NGOs & ASSOCIATIONS - SOCIAL ISSUES
In his article for OLBIOS, Martin Punaks writes on the powerful ‘orphan myth’ and the challenges of fighting institutionalization and orphan trafficking.
by MARTIN PUNAKS
Fix your community yourself
Ben Berkowitz has developed an idea after getting frustrated with city hall’s lack of response to graffiti in his neighborhood.
Please don’t look the other way
Frank Mugisha has long risked his personal safety for the cause of LGBT rights in a nation particularly hostile to them.
The pandemic's silver linings
Jordan: Rana Nejem tells OLBIOS about how the pandemic brought people together in the Arab world, often in unprecedented ways.
THE OLBIOS TEAM
OLBIOS is a meeting place for changemakers from 150 countries bringing you fascinating projects and new ideas. Join them and become yourself a Correspondent or an Author.
THE NEXT STEPS
A second astonishing development has emerged in recent years : this is the phenomenal rise in the number of people that want to become involved in socially oriented initiatives (94% of millennials according to a recent Gallup research). Yet, only a small part manages to become actively engaged. Just imagine the tremendous gain in social capital if all these people who have the desire to enter social action had for once all the necessary tools to do it.</p
In an attempt to address this most important of issues, we are also working on the design of a Social Network and a Funding Platform that will provide anyone with the partners and the resources that they need to make a real difference.
BECOME A FUNDING MEMBER
Your involvement is vital in the realization of this vision. As an independent project open to all, we at OLBIOS would prefer to cover our funding needs through the participatory support of everyone who believes in OLBIOS’s mission, before seeking any other financial support.
This is why we have also created a small selection of gifts for our funding members.
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