Feel-good stories of humanity

Give yourself a lift with these heart-warming tales from around the globe.

Refugee-run food truck kick starts a new life for asylum seekers

Photo: ABC News/Briana Shepherd

Fadhaa Al-Khalidi worked as a communication engineer in Iraq for 13 years, but when she arrived in Australia she struggled to find work. A single mother to 4 children, she dreamed of one day owning her own business and running a food truck, sharing her love of Iraqi comfort food with her new community. After connecting with the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) they developed the idea of ‘Eat, Share, Connect’ and successfully applied for funding for the food truck in 2017. The venture has been a huge success, with the truck popular at both private and public events. Fadhaa has also been able to give back to those that helped her, by hiring and training other refugees and asylum seekers. “Everything shows that when people are given a chance they are willing, enthusiastic and more than able to make a really positive contribution to our community and we, as a nation, are absolutely richer for it,” she says. See more »

Growth of wheelchair AFL helps foster community connection

Photo: Supplied to ABC News

Mark Daniels was only 22 when he sustain horrific injuries in a motorcycle accident, including a broken neck, 11 broken ribs, a punctured lunch and a ruptured kidney. His right leg also had to be amputated. The rehabilitation journey was long and frustrating, and led to Mark being diagnosed with PTSD – but now, an adaptation of a beloved Australian sport is helping him and others in their recovery. Wheelchair AFL is played on a basketball court, with a handball substituting for a kick. Whilst participating has helped with Mark’s physical recovery, it’s the sense of camaraderie and mateship that has made the biggest difference, saying “For me, sport has really been the thing that's helped me back to that normality.” See more »

A different approach to education delivers life-changing results

Photo: New York Times/Maddie McGarvey

When famous basketball player LeBron James announced that he would be opening a school, no one quite knew what to expect. Now, after the first set of district assessments, the I Promise school is showing bucket loads of well, promise. The school took on an initial group of 240 students who were identified as the worst performers in the public school system, many with behavioural issues. The first set of results show that 90% of students met or exceeded individual growth goals in reading and math. Teachers put the improvements down to the unique approach to education the school takes: students are celebrated for showing up, start the day with a healthy breakfast, and learn in small class sizes with a focus on individual attention and social skills. The education also extends to the student’s families, with parents and caregivers given the opportunity to achieve their high school diploma, and given access to a free food pantry, health and legal services. LeBron puts it simply: “I had the vision of wanting to give back to my community. The people around every day are helping that vision come to life. Half the battle is trying to engage them and show that there’s always going to be somebody looking out for them.” See more »

Teacher praised for holding student’s baby during class so they can “take good notes”

Photo: Twitter/@Original_Vaughn

U.S professor Nathan Alexander is extremely popular with his students – and it’s easy to see why when he’s constantly going above and beyond his job description. One grateful student is Wayne Hayer, a full-time student who works two jobs to support his family. Wayne brought his daughter to class after he was unable to find a baby-sitter. Wanting to make sure Wayne could give his full concentration to his studies, Professor Alexander nursed the baby for the entire lesson, joking that the class probably wasn’t that exciting for the youngster: “When she started falling asleep, I told the class ‘I guess I'm being boring right now’.” Despite the outpouring of support over the internet for his actions, Professor Alexander said that anyone his position would do the same “I'm not an exception. Teachers do this in their own way every day.” See more »

Changing of the guard in India

Photo: The Guardian/Sivaram V

At the Kochi Metro in Kerala, India, all the train drivers are women. The ticket office is run by women. Station attendants are women. And passengers can make use of a special cubicle for breastfeeding. At the Kochi Metro, around 80% of the workforce is women, and it’s an approach that is changing lives, with the organisation receiving praise for creating a clean and safe work environment for women, empowering them to support themselves and their families. In a country where only 25% of women are in the workforce, managing director Mohammed Hanish said that it’s all about making positive change with inclusive policies: “From day one, we believed the policies that shape this institution must be progressive and innovative and aimed at social inclusion and women’s empowerment.” See more »