People Fixing the World BBC

This is the story of how one man is trying to transform lives through the power of the humble bicycle.

Many rural communities in rural Africa don’t have access to cars or good roads, which can make it hard to take fresh produce to market or get to school.

But Wyson Lungu wants to change that with an innovative scheme to sell affordable bicycles. We follow him as he delivers a new set of bicycles to excited customers in southern Zambia.

Produced and presented by Richard Kenny

Image: unfoldstories.co.uk

Machines to shred, melt and mould waste plastic are popping up in workshops around the world - from the UK to Malaysia, Kenya to Mexico.

The project is being led by an organisation called Precious Plastic. They put designs for the devices online for anyone to download and build themselves.

More than 400 teams around the world are now taking on the challenge of plastic waste using these machines, making everything from sunglasses to plastic bricks in the process.

Presented and produced by Tom Colls

Image: Precious Plastic

Irrigation pipes have been designed to double as mid-air walkways to help slow lorises cross open farmland in Indonesia; and a footbridge has been built for a rare breed of monkey in Brazil - the golden lion tamarin. These are just two examples of new infrastructure designed to help wild animals cope with human obstacles.

Picture credit: Little Fireface Project

As many countries contemplate the best way to care for an ageing population, a common question is how to support the elderly to continue living in their own homes for as long as possible. One idea is to monitor their use of home appliances, such as kettles and ovens.

Advocates say NILM – non-intrusive load monitoring – offers family and carers an insight into a person’s daily life without invading their privacy. It could even be used to track or help diagnose long-term health conditions.

Reporter William Kremer road-tests the technology with his own parents and finds out about a NILM project in Japan.

Picture: Getty Images

Is it possible to construct a new building, just by reusing materials from homes and offices that have been knocked down?

That’s the dream of a pioneering Swiss architect Barbara Buser, who trains specialist treasure hunters to track down everything from window frames to steel beams for her buildings.

People Fixing the World finds out about her latest project, which is made of 70% reused material. We ask whether Barbara’s approach, which has a much lower carbon footprint than building with new material, can take off around the world.

Presenter and producer: Charlotte Horn

Image: Barbara Buser’s building K118 (Copyright: Martin Zeller)

Togo has found a high-tech way to identify people who need financial help in the pandemic and send them emergency cash, using satellite photos and mobile phones.

Computers search for clues in images, such as the density of buildings, roofing materials and road surfaces. They combine this with data collected before the pandemic to work out how wealthy different areas are and which ones may need financial support.

Produced and Presented by Hannah Gelbart

Picture: Getty Images