Her Story (2015)

Kouv "Tin" Chansangva is a Cambodian female skateboarder. She has placed highly in several events competing in a mixed field of both male and female skaters. In Cambodia, women who take part in sports face prejudice, so Tin hopes that young girls watching her compete will find the courage and inspiration to follow their own dreams, leading to a brighter sporting future for Cambodia's women and girls.

Huynh Thi Xam was born with a disability affecting both her arms and her left leg, but through repeated practice, she learned to use her right foot for all kinds of everyday tasks. Xam teaches young people with similar disabilities to read and write the Vietnamese language. She believes literacy will help the disabled, who can sometimes be left on the margins of Vietnamese society, to take their first steps towards greater social participation.

Crueahtong Kayan is a vet who works at a veterinary hospital in northern Thailand specializing in the treatment of elephants. She is treating 12-year-old female elephant, Mosha, which lost her front right leg at the age of 7 months after she stepped on a mine. Mosha now uses a prosthetic leg, which needs to be resized regularly as she grows larger. Crueahtong hopes one day Mosha will be able to walk in the forest like other elephants do.

Hartini Zainudin works to support undocumented children in Malaysia. Children without official papers are prevented from attending public schools. Even after they become adults, their employment options are severely limited. Lacking passports, they cannot even leave the country. Hartini runs a home and school that takes care of these children, providing them with a free education. She helps the children grow up with the strength to survive their difficult living conditions.

Chumvan "Belle" Sodhachivy is one of Cambodia's leading royal court dancers. Royal Court Dance has a history of more than 1,000 years, but it has recently struggled for relevance among the changing tastes of young people. Belle is attempting to rekindle the art by tackling modern topics, and integrating traditional moves with contemporary dance. We follow her efforts to breathe new life into Cambodian traditional dance and pass it down to the next generation.

Krie Lopez is a Filipina entrepreneur. Her company, which mainly sells home care products, actively hires disadvantaged young people who cannot afford to go to university. Half of the company's 110 employees are from poorer households. They can all take advantage of a system Krie set up allowing them to attend university while working. Krie is encouraging other companies to introduce similar programs to give more young people from impoverished communities a better chance in life.

Chen Yan is a Chinese piano tuner. Born without sight, she harnesses her unique ability to distinguish sounds in order to win the repeat business of many clients. Chen runs her own company, which she uses to promote employment for visually impaired piano tuners who have difficulty finding work elsewhere. She now employs 80 people, and is working to change the image of disabled people in Chinese society through high-quality piano tuning service that goes above and beyond that of other businesses.

Kim Dokyung runs an organization supporting unwed mothers in South Korea, where mothers who are separated rather than widowed or divorced face discrimination. Dokyung provides dormitories sheltering unwed mothers who have been cast out by their families, removed from their jobs, or simply lack anywhere to go. To encourage understanding of unwed mothers, she holds speaking events called "human library." She seeks to create a society in which they can live without prejudice.

Bella Galhos teaches farming to other women living in East Timor so as to help them achieve financial independence. After continuing conflict with Indonesia, East Timor achieved its independence in 2002. However, its industries remain underdeveloped. Half the country's citizens live on less than $2 a day. Bella's efforts have allowed numerous families to sustain themselves and send their children to school. She hopes that eventually, her work will greatly contribute to the country's recovery.