Thai orchestra fights bloodshed with music

Muslim women in Egypt are expected to marry young and to stay close to home, and if they do not, they can be subjected to abuse or heavy criticism by men in the household. Save the Children’s Choices program offers educational workshop sessions for boys and girls, ages 10 to 14, which help them explore gender identity. Through discussions, the program hopes to change gender norms.

In Cambodia, it is Buddhist tradition and protocol to ordain a tree when a new monk was inducted. Since it is taboo to harm a monk, this practice inadvertently doubled as a conservation tactic by preventing deforestation ongoings, eventually leading those of this faith to be dubbed ecology monks.

For 70 years, India’s Sikhs have faced barriers to visiting one of the holiest sites in their religion, a template just three miles across the border in Pakistan. Now, the Pakistani government has announced plans to open a border crossing and building a connecting road. The high-profile gesture signals a desire for goodwill between Pakistan and India.

The Central African Republic is rife with political problems including the lack of a health system, proving problematic for a country where Ebola runs a constant risk. Despite the challenges, the Catholic Scouts Association has stepped up to create and implement programs that aim to "promote vaccination, check out rumors about Ebola, carry messages between rival military factions and more."

Focused on the idea of honor and honor killings, activist Khalida Brohi started a program that provides rural women in Pakistan career skills and an income in order to fight the pervasive cultural attitudes about women's education. Brohi has been working for this cause for over a decade now and has done a number of different initiatives along the way. In this episode she shares some of her insights from her work, such as working with the women themselves to change social attitudes rather than the men, or broaching the topic for both men and women using the language of Islam.

Brooklyn’s Red Hook Peacemaking Program, part of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, is bringing together individuals in conflict to practice restorative justice. The program accepts cases coming through various courts, schools, and personal references, and brings together families, friends, and adversaries to participate in moderated, peacebuilding discussions. Seeing over 100 cases each year, the program has decreased recidivism rates and spread to other cities in New York.

The Eris Conflict Resolution life-coaching company is using conflict mediation and resolution to help those experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. The company works with both stakeholders and the businesses involved in one-on-one mediation, course modules, and the option of conflict mediation certification to give them the tools to end the harassment safely. Since opening, 19 of the 27 clients have seen the results they were hoping for.

A campaign called Muslims for Migrants by the Islamic nonprofit CelebrateMercy raises money to pay bond fees for immigrant parents who are detained while awaiting trial. The funds are donated to another nonprofit called the National Bail Fund Network, and so far the funds have released ten parents back to their families. The director of CelebrateMercy says that the forced separation of families is against everything taught by the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.

A New York-based nonprofit called Students for a Free Tibet is training Tibetans in "how to stage nonviolent protests." This effort, in conjunction with other Tibetan NGOs, has helped activists in Dharamsala, India to become "more organized, media savvy and technologically sophisticated," which in turn has increased the number of people who have come together to participate in the nonviolent protests.

The Neighbourhood Organization has helped organized pop-up clinics to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, including a culturally inclusive pop-up clinic in Thorncliffe Park, which has a large Muslim population. The vaccine rollout occurred during Ramadan and some had concerns over whether the vaccine was halal or if it would break one’s fast. As a workaround, organizers decided to extend the clinic until midnight so that people could come after they completed their fasting. Community ambassadors helped spread the word and the well-attended clinic ended up running until after 1:00 am.