People Fixing The World

This is a story about how the most amazing ideas do not always work how you would like in practise. In theory it is so simple. You put disease-ridden water into a two litre plastic bottle, screw on the lid and leave it in the sun. After six hours on a cloudless day, almost all the bacteria and bugs that cause diseases like cholera and diarrhoea are killed or inactivated by the UV light and gentle warming. Professor Kevin McGuigan has proven this in the lab, but for the last 20 years he has been trying to get it working in rural African communities. It has not been anywhere near as easy as you might think.(Photo: Godfrey putting his water bottle out to disinfect in the sunshine)

A new app is helping blind people solve everyday problems by combining smartphones video technology and an army of armchair volunteers. World Hacks investigates how it works and explores whether micro-volunteering projects like this have the potential to solve all kinds of problems in the future.Presented by Mukul Devichand.Image caption: Vicky, who is blind, using an app to help her sew / Image credit: BBC

The internet is awash with made-up news stories. It’s not a new problem, but the highly charged US election campaign forced people to pay attention. This week on World Hacks we’re speaking to some of those fighting back against what they see as a threat to democracy: the fake news epidemic. We hear from guests including Le Monde’s Samuel Laurent, Democratic State Senator Bill Dodd of California, and Claire Wardle from journalism non-profit First Draft. Presented by Sahar Zand. Produced by Harriet Noble.Image caption: Close up of a computer screen showing a web address, Image credit: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

In Barcelona, they’re experimenting with a new way of designing the city. Superblocks are vast low-traffic zones, but they’re also deeply controversial. The aim is cut pollution and reclaim public space from the car, but does it work? World Hacks investigates. Presented by Sahar Zand.Image: A superblock from above / Image credit: Google Maps

In one of the most expensive cities in the world, students are moving in with older people who have spare rooms as part of a “homeshare” scheme. The young people in Paris get cheap accommodation and the older people get companionship and support in return. World Hacks reports on the generation-spanning friendships that are blossoming as a result.Presented by Sahar Zand.Photo: Monique and Mikyoung, who are part of the homeshare scheme / Credit: BBC

Most refugees do not have the right to work. In Jordan they’re running an experiment to find out what happens when they’re given that right. They’re handing out work permits to thousands of Syrian refugees in the hope of improving their lives and the health of the economy. Academics say it’s better for everyone, but in the local area – where unemployment is nearly 20% - they’re not convinced. World Hacks reports. Presented by Sahar Zand.Image caption: Syrian refugees make their way in the Zaatari refugee camp / Image credit: Khalil Mazraawi, Getty Images.

Some £600bn is sent home every year by overseas migrant workers, almost four times more than all the countries of the world combined spend on foreign aid.But far from home, many workers fear their families are not spending their money in the right way.World Hacks looks at a two possible solutions for giving them more control over how their hard-earned cash is being used.Presented by Sahar Zand.Image caption: 1000 peso bills in the Philippines / Image credit: Joel Nito, Getty Images.

One in three children in Peru was growing up too short for their age, stunted by a lack of the right foods in their diet.Then in 2005, the government put in place an innovative new system. They gave cash hand-outs to poor mothers but only on the condition that they had regular health check-ups and their children went to school. By 2014 the number of children growing up too small had halved. World Hacks tells the story.Presented by Sahar Zand.Image caption: Mother and child part of the malnutrition programme / Image credit: BBC

Giving children lessons in how to think and learn for themselves can lead to dramatic improvements in results, according to education researchers. World Hacks meets children learning these “meta-cognition” techniques through philosophy lessons and juggling and looks at the difficulties in implementing the system.Presented by Sahar Zand. Image caption: Child with hand up in class / Image credit: AP

Nearly 1,000 people were shot and killed by the US police in 2015, sparking protests and huge controversy. But a new solution promises to reduce the death toll, by focusing in on the key moment of stress in which guns are discharged. Studies have looked at police officers' reactions in these situations - including their stress levels and their implicit biases.Now, a new training system has been developed which uses heart rate monitors and breathing exercises to minimise the stress reaction. World Hacks investigates whether the system works, and whether it will help save lives. Presented by Sahar Zand.(Photo: Police stand guard near Trump Tower on Election Day. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

What can you do if you don’t have access to running water? No pipes, no wells, no rainfall? The solution may be to catch water from fog. We meet Abel Cruz, the Peruvian man behind a huge fog net project which is providing water to a community in the slums of Lima. Could fog catching be a solution to wider water crises facing the world?Produced by Tom Colls. Image caption: Fog nets in Peru / Image credit: BBC

Syrian refugees in Lebanon are being handed cash cards instead of blankets and food. Aid agencies say money transfers are a better way to deliver essential supplies to some of the 1.5 million Syrians who live in the country – they buy what they need themselves. But does it work? We meet Moussa Junaid, who fled Raqqa with his family when IS moved in, and now buys food aid for himself from the local supermarket.Produced by Tom Colls. Image caption: Syrian refugee with cash card.