Her Story (2015)

Yang Hui Ling is a wheelchair user who researches restaurants and hotels in Taiwan to check how accessible they are to the disabled: Whether they have barrier-free toilets or if the floors are flat. She then releases this information on an app. Hui Ling has employed 300 or more people with disabilities as researchers for information to be featured on the app, and helps them to participate in society. Hui Ling hopes for a society where the disabled can actively make use of the city.

Comma Leung is a designer from Hong Kong who creates items for everyday use that are geared for the physically disabled and the elderly. Her past work, such as wallets that allow blind people to differentiate bills, as well as coin purses that can be used without the fingers, have earned high praise. She also teaches the intellectually challenged the joys of designing by creating products from their own drawings. Comma hopes that the power of design can help people live more fulfilling lives.

Salinee Hurley sells solar generators to remote villages in Thailand, where there are still 2 million homes without electricity. Salinee offers affordable 5-year payment plans, and trains young villagers to provide maintenance to the equipment. Thanks to her, schools have been able to use computers, and villagers can work at night, giving an opportunity to increase their income. Salinee hopes that electricity will help people improve the quality of their lives.

Kim Lim owns a catering company in Malaysia that has refugees prepare foods from their homelands. The families Kim cooperates with hail from 5 countries and territories including Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. She gives half of the sales back to them, in hopes of improving their standard of living. Over 3 years, Kim's business has grown to serve over 250 corporate clients. Kim wishes to use food as a way to deepen the understanding Malaysians hold toward refugees.

Human trafficking is a serious issue in Nepal, where many girls are tricked and forced into prostitution. Some survivors who are rescued from brothels are discriminated against and become unable to live in their hometowns. Sunita Danuwar established an NGO and houses survivors at shelters. Survivors heal their mental wounds and learn to read and write, as well as receive vocational training at shelters. Sunita hopes the survivors can go on to live normal lives in society.

The village of Sa Pa, in northern Vietnam, is a destination for 2 million tourists yearly, who travel to enjoy verdant nature and mingle with ethnic minorities. Shu Tan, a member of the Hmong people, operates a travel agency there. To give income to minority groups, she offers tours including homestays at local villages and craft workshops. She used the proceeds from her tours to establish a free English school where youth from poor families can gain language skills for future job hunting.

In Mongolia, very few visually impaired children are fortunate enough to receive an education. They stay at home, without enough confidence to engage in society. Batbayar Enkhmandakh persuades the parents of these children to send them to a school for the blind. Her NPO provides financial assistance to their families in order to enable the children to attend school, and actively participate in society.

Chantha Nguon operates a textile dyeing workshop in northern Cambodia. The workers are women who were unable to attend school. In Cambodian farming villages, the value of education for women is often underestimated, making it hard for them to find work later. Chantha teaches her workers not just textile-making techniques, but also reading and mathematics. She has supported over 800 women with these efforts, strongly believing that education will create new opportunities for them.

Kate Hsu is a former teacher bringing about an education revolution in Taiwan by promoting self-directed education called Design for Change, or "DFC." This curriculum encourages students to find problems around them and take action against them. Kate believes that it imparts children with empathy, creativity, agency, and confidence. The program has allowed children in schools all over Taiwan to tackle over 800 problems. In 2019, the government officially approved "DFC" for use in textbooks.

Pia Ocampo works to preserve the oceans around the Philippines, which are home to the most diverse array of aquatic species on Earth. Illegal dumping of plastics has posed a growing threat to coral reefs and marine life. Pia works with local communities providing incentives for gathering plastic waste. The garbage is recycled into chairs and building materials for schools. Pia aims to inform more of society about the importance of saving the beautiful waters of the Philippines.